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Leeny23
X-TRAIL NEWBIE
Date Registered: 06-2010
Location: Greenbank, Brisbane
TOTAL POSTS: 41
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Smelly problem with air vents.
I have a little bit of a smelly problem with the air vents in my car. About a week ago I flicked on the air and heard a bit of a noise, I assumed it was a leaf or something that was stuck so I just flicked the setting higher hoping to clear whatever it was.
Fast forward a week or so and I've gone to flick on the heat this morning and my 7 year old commented on the smell, I said it was probably outside and had flicked the heat off because the car was warmed up enough. This afternoon I flicked on the cool air (not air con) and the smell was horrendous. I popped the bonnet to see if I could see where the air vents started so I could explore a little and I've come to find quite a decent amount of what I believe to be rat sh*t on top of the engine and a few other places. Not happy 
I can only assume that rat sh*t has been sucked in somehow, or even worse, the clunking and whirring sound I hear when the air is turned on is a filthy little rodent of some sort, slowly festering in there and that the smell is just going to get worse. Super!
So anyhow, is there a way I can check this out myself and possibly clean our whatever gross smelly stuff is in there, or is the air system really only accessible by professionals? Kinda need to sort this out this afternoon or tomorrow at the latest. Not only is the smell terrible, I need to pick someone up from the airport on Friday and that's not a very romantic welcome home lol
Please help?? If I do need to take it somewhere to have it cleaned out, where would I go?
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Leeny
2011 ST T31 (Series IV)
2009 ST T31 - Written off - Poor horse.
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1/Aug/2012, 4:11 pm
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jalalski
Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: SUTHERLAND, SYDNEY
TOTAL POSTS: 29100
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Re:
Yep, and all too familiar story indeed and for some reason rats and snakes love to live in fan housing, so the smell you have is of a dead rat indeed.
To get rid of it, you will need to remove the passenger side glovebox which will expose the fan housing and you may even need to remove the fan housing itself to clean it all out.
Depending on yuour xtrail model (please update your forum signature to include this information), removing teh glovebox and the fan housing is different between the T30 and T31 models.
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1/Aug/2012, 5:37 pm
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cooch t31
X-TRAIL HOLIC
Date Registered: 06-2008
Location: Blue Mountains, NSW
TOTAL POSTS: 5966
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Re:
Have a look at this link which has diagrams for the removal of the blower fan.
Might come in handy.
--- Tony X-891c
HERE is my D22 Navara
HERE is my old 2008 T31, ST Series1
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1/Aug/2012, 5:52 pm
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Leeny23
X-TRAIL NEWBIE
Date Registered: 06-2010
Location: Greenbank, Brisbane
TOTAL POSTS: 41
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Re: Smelly problem with air vents.
Ok... So upon inspecting here (photo found in another link http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo106/xtrailadmin/60088_DSCN1206_122_733lo.jpg ).. I found rat poo, chewed up bits and pieces with black foam which I'm sure the rat has taken from inside the dash somewhere and chewed the heck out of it... The filter also smells hugely of rat wee. Gross. The interesting bit, is I actually popped the hood to show someone all the rat poo, shon a torch down underneath the battery and actually seen fur.. Dead rat perhaps?? Nope, live rat!! live and kicking about 10 minutes after I pulled into the driveway.
So now I'm sure the smell isn't dead rat thank goodness, just rat wee and poo. So, can anyone tell me how much I'm looking at to replace the filter, where I can get one from (Nissan are exy, can I get them anywhere else??), and also, because I was able to pull the filter out from there and give it a clean, how likely is it that rat poo and crap has been sucked past that point and up into the dash?? Any ideas how I can clean out or check further inside the air system?
---
Leeny
2011 ST T31 (Series IV)
2009 ST T31 - Written off - Poor horse.
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1/Aug/2012, 8:15 pm
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jalalski
Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: SUTHERLAND, SYDNEY
TOTAL POSTS: 29100
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Re:
Not sure about you, but I wouldn't drive around without inspecting the fan housing and making sure nothing is blocking it, as the repair bill of a burnt fan motor would be much more costly if there is still something in there. You could have an entire family of rats living in your dash!
Take it to air-con specialist and let them dismantle it for you and clean it properly.
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1/Aug/2012, 9:53 pm
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cooch t31
X-TRAIL HOLIC
Date Registered: 06-2008
Location: Blue Mountains, NSW
TOTAL POSTS: 5966
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Re:
Just replace the filter, and give the inside a clean, better than just masking it all up.
Just remember your only guessing to only seeing the one mouse through the vent, it could have made a nest in your blower box and you could soon have an infestation.
--- Tony X-891c
HERE is my D22 Navara
HERE is my old 2008 T31, ST Series1
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2/Aug/2012, 6:20 am
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.. I've managed to give the filter a clean until I get a few one, but I'm sure that when I've put the air vents on that it's sucked bits and pieces up through behind the dash.. I put the air on (not the aircon) and I can still hear bits and pieces flapping around, as well as a strong whirring sound by something bigger that's caught, maybe a leaf. I'll definitely use the eucalyptus oil or tea tree oil to try and mask the smell, but I don't think it's just the filters that are making it smell. I've washed the filter with disinfectant just so it sits there and doesn't stink up the car until I get a new one, but the smell of rat urine is still so damn strong when the air vents are turned on.
