Mouse in heater box

[KevinCro]

Hello All, I'm new here but have owned my 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe LT for two years. I love the vehicle and have had no trouble with it at all. However, a few weeks ago I began noticing a terrible smell in the cabin. I have seen quite a bit of evidence of a mouse invasion. So far i've replaced the cabin air filter and removed quite a bit of mouse nest debris. I've checked under all the seats, removed the third row and looked under the carpet, removed panel over rear ac unit and checked the blower mower. Im thinking that the vermin intruder met his/her demise somewhere in the heater box or duct work. I have searched online but have been unable to find any videos on how to open up the heater box. I even bought a one month alldata subscription but it only listed the labor rate info. Before I tear into a vehicle that is otherwise in perfect working order, are there any tricks of the trade to accessing the heater box with minimal disassembly? Also any other places I should look that are common places for a mouse to take up residence? Thank you all in advance.

 

[StephenPT]

Remove the blower motor. You'll probably find a fair amount of debris stuck in the scroll. Also, once the blower motor is out you can shine a light in there and look over toward the center of the vehicle and you should see the evaporator. There might be more stuff stuck on the fins of the evap and around it. That is a minimal teardown of your vehicle and should get rid of most of it. While you're in there you might spray some household cleaner with bleach and wipe down any surfaces you found the mouse nest debris to kill the microbes from mouse urine, which is where the stink comes from.

 

[markni12301]

Agree with Stephen. There's this also, which will come in handy in a hundred different situations:
Wireless Endoscope, NIDAGE 5.5mm 2MP WiFi Borescope 1080P HD Semi-Rigid Snake Camera for iPhone Android, Tablet, Motor Engine Sewer Pipe Vehicle Inspection Camera(11.5FT) https://a.co/d/gVZDqam

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

 

[YukonRog]

What you'll see with the Endoscope...