Mice in my Vibe!

[Edgar]

Disgusting. I had my Vibe parked outdoors this summer, and recently it started making a loud clicking noise in the ventilation system. I pulled the interior filter and it turns out mice had made a nest inside the whole compartment where the recirculation flap is. Ugh. So I vacuumed it out as best I could, but those mice seem to have caused some damage.The noise I'm hearing is caused by the flap that controls the recirculation. When switching between fresh air and cabin air, the flap moves fine, but once it reaches the end of travel, the motor keeps running and the gears keep cranking, making that clicking sound.I'm thinking I'll have to remove the entire fan housing chamber for cleaning and possibly to replace broken gears. Any ideas on how feasible it is to do this at home? It looks like a tight reach in there. I'm fairly mechanically inclined and have rebuilt old tractor engines, but the issue here is that I don't want to end up tearing apart the whole dashboard and spending a whole week on this when the dealer could do it in a few hours. This is my only car and I need to drive it.Any ideas much appreciated, and also, does anyone have any idea how those mice got in there? I'd think that GM would cover all the ventilation system openings with some sort of screening. Maybe the mice chewed through it?

[JohnC]

Would mechanical fingers reach it? Maybe drill a access hole, then tape it closed after removing debris.Mice will find a way if there is food. Becarefull with the "droppings" the hunta virus is very real and dangereous. The local health dept recommends spraying the affected area with a bleach solution to kill the virus. Not very practical for inside your car.Good luck and happy hunting.

[Edgar]

Well I think I've got it cleaned out pretty thoroughly. I fashioned a small vacuum nozzle with some Tygon tubing and a shop vac, and pulled out as much as I could. Then I put the blower on "high" and it sounded clean. I can't say for sure that the top of the housing is clean - there could be nut shells, hair, bedding, etc up around the hinge that are interfering with flap movement. I tried using a tiny mirror but I wasn't able to see much.I guess the next step is to take it all apart. BTW, does anyone know much about resetting the actuator? I read somewhere (lost the link) that the actuator may need resetting, and that is why it isn't stopping when the flap is at the end of its range of movement. Could this be a fix that doesn't involve tearing the housing apart? That looks like a lot of PITA work in such a confined space in a cold MI winter garage. Damn mice. I need to get a cat!

[joatmon]

seems like the point of entry would be the air intake, which is screened off, between the hood and the windshiield on the passenger side. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerofile/4149/airin.jpgHard to know what to recommend. Taking apart that air system might be easier if you pull the top dash off first .( http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=9977 ) Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »TOPIC: Removing The Upper DashboardDIFFICULTY LEVEL: (1 hammer = easy - 5 hammers = pro)TIME REQUIRED: 1-2 hours first time, 20-30 minutes thereafterTOOLS REQUIRED: Phillips screwdriver, 10mm and 13mm sockets and driver, covered container for screws Even then you probably have something damaged, maybe the thing that silver had wrong in http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=6658 (you already found that thread) Here is a complicated AC system service doc but in step 26 it says:Quote »26. REMOVE DAMPER SERVO SUB–ASSY(a) Remove the 2 screws and damper servo sub–assy.HINT:Removing only instrument panel sub–assy upper and heater toregister duct No. 1 makes it possible and install the damper servosub–assy.i dunno, you still under warranty?

Attached files w040001.pdf (749.9 KB) 

[northvibe]

i guess dryer sheets keep mice out, along with mothballs...but those smell like old people

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Edgar »Any ideas much appreciated, and also, does anyone have any idea how those mice got in there? I'd think that GM would cover all the ventilation system openings with some sort of screening. Maybe the mice chewed through it?Little is in place to prevent this from happening... All those little rascals have to do is find a way under the plastic cowl and they're home free. It isn't held on by much of anything really, and mice tend to be really flexible so I'm sure it didn't take much effort on their part. So they probably just had to push up on the plastic at the right place and squeeze their way under there or something...There's nothing to keep them from getting into the HVAC system. Once they get under the cowl trim, the air intake is easily accessible as you can see in this pic from where I had mine apart. When recirc is off, there is a wide open hole for them to get into the system/dash/etc and as you found, make your life miserable...If you haven't taken any of the above apart yet, I have a brief somewhat of a howto here - that will allow you to clean it out from the other side.

[zionzr2]

so would it be wise to engage the recirc before letting your ride sit for a time??that way the flap remains closed and vermin cant get in?

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »so would it be wise to engage the recirc before letting your ride sit for a time??that way the flap remains closed and vermin cant get in?That may or may not help... I don't recall what material that thing was made from... They may be able to chew right through it and get inside the car anyway, then you'd have more stuff to replace. Once things warm up, I need to tear into all that junk again to defunkify once more, I'll check to see what it is made of next time.

[Edgar]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about leaving it in recirculate mode when parked. It looks like the recirc flap is made of plastic covered with a thin layer of foam to deaden any slapping sounds. If a mouse really wanted to, it probably could chew through it, but then one could chew through any of the plastic venting to get in if it wants in bad enough. I try to keep food out of my car so there's less incentive for any little beasts to gain entry.I had my dog, a French Brittany, snuffle through the car last night. She payed REAL close attention to that housing where the nest was, but then she gave it the thumbs up Joatmon, unfortunately the warranty is no more. I'm on my own on this one.