[fused1]

Just last week I noticed a distinct smell coming from the engine compartment. No, not antifreeze but something similar to cooking garlic. It got worse when the engine was hot, not so much cold. No drips under the engine. A mild soap solution made the engine clean, but didn't do much to the smell.

Now, more than a week later, the smell is overwhelming and distinctly akin to rotting meat. :loco:

I think I've located the source of this awful stench to somewhere between the cylinder banks under the manifold (a V6). The smell is starting to get into my clothes because it's close to the cabin air intake. I'm getting sick (no pun intended) of all those "Dawn of the Dead" jokes from my co-workers.

Any ideas on what to do?

Now excuse me while I go puke...

 

[fusionowner]

Did a small animal (mouse, etc.) make a nest in there? I haven't looked that close at my engine compartment ('06 SEL V6) so I don't know what that space looks like but it sounds like that could be the case.

 

[fused1]

[quote author=fusionowner link=topic=66766.msg1146155#msg1146155 date=1168618547]
Did a small animal (mouse, etc.) make a nest in there? I haven't looked that close at my engine compartment ('06 SEL V6) so I don't know what that space looks like but it sounds like that could be the case.
[/quote]

Must be some small rodent in there somewhere. I would hate having to take the manifold off to get at the critter. Maybe a good blast from the pressure hose would work? And then some steel wool to make it less inviting?

 

[Bob Jusnes]

a shop vac and some simple green perhaps? :lol: please keep us up to date on this one!!

 

[fused1]

[quote author=Bob Jusnes link=topic=66766.msg1146266#msg1146266 date=1168622363]
a shop vac and some simple green perhaps? :lol: please keep us up to date on this one!!
[/quote]

:lol: Two bottles of Simple Green, shop vac, and compressed air resulted in making the smell less revolting. The carcass appears stuck under the heads/plenum where we can't get to it without taking the manifold off. But a lot of nest material was removed - for a while the critter was the fastest mouse in the West! So I'm stuck with the smell for a bit longer. The good news is that the engine now looks factory fresh. Just hold your nose...

Cheers

 

[Bob Jusnes]

Haha, at least you figured it out! It reminds me of the time I cleaned the K&N in our old PSD Superduty and found a beak, some feathers, and some legs. At least that didnt smell though!!

 

[Brown-Boy]

Haha...that reminds me of the time I was working on a Windstar at work and I saw something on the left valve cover, kinda looked like a little hair ball. I picked it up and was playing with it for sometime and then I took a good look at it. It was a dead mouse!!! It was all dried up and it's eyes sticking out. Probably one of the grossest things I've ever touched. After noticing what it was I threw it back into the engine bay because I got scared. Never found it after that. Needless to say my other co-workers were laughing at me.

Never no where you are going to find animals in your engine bay.