Heater- Noisy and hot electrics smell.

[Bolsom]

My car has been laid up (like me ) for the past year. I drove it for the first time and after about 5 miles the fan started making a pinging sound and
giving off the electrical smell. I turned off the fan.
It sounds like the other thread here as I also have some damage caused by mice.
Looking at the manual it says the fan unit is on the passenger side. Is this for the US and do I actually need to get at the RH side for a RHD car?
Is it possible to get at the back of the fan unit from the wheel arch if I have to remove a mouse nest, or is that only possible from inside the car?

All advice gratefully received.

Colin

[tweetdriver63]

I don't have any experience with mice, or going through the wheel arch, but if your problem is with the fan motor, that's going to be accessed in the passenger footwell. It's mounted under the dash behind the glovebox. If it is burning out and needs to be replaced, I found the blower for the 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse is a match at about 1/3 the price.

[Bolsom]

It was a mouse nest. The space behind the fan was packed tight with a mixture of shredded paper and walnut shells. No wonder the fan coughed!
We shall store the walnuts from our trees elsewhere this autumn.

Colin

[steve matthews]

Well well well, took the car out today but needed a little blower air.
No air but lots of dust and debri.
Mouse alright took the 3 bolts down and the squirrel cage looked like this

[Rusty Wishbone]

and the squirrel cage looked like this :

It looks more like a hamster wheel to me!

[steve matthews]

Looks like the wheel got the better of a hamster
Now works just peachy.
Need to pull wheel arch liner and check for an entry point.
Steve

[GeoffSmith]

BOLLOCKS!

[esprit888]

That's nothing

AA.jpg

[GeoffSmith]

At least your carpet is clean.

[esprit888]

At least your carpet is clean.

True, but the squirrel piss is as corrosive as acid!

[Rambo]

BOLLOCKS!

I suspect it could be the lesser known pine marten

[AnonImouse]

BOLLOCKS!

It's a fair cop guv.

[Rambo]

I suspect the pine martens nested in the glove box and made a right mess so it got chucked out. They are very destructive and will scratch away and eat most things. Probably even ate the fuse box cover. Little buggers

[scotlan]

I just got the vacuum pipes sorted on mine so this was the first time I had been able to change the air direction. I was out driving and the heater fan started to make a racket. I twiddled everyhting and the noise got worse, the fan jammed and I smelled burning.

Today I removed from inside the fan: an old KitKat and Pepperami wrapper, some leaf bits and this :



I think it's a spare rib bone.

Now all is quiet again.

[Rambo]

You've got mice. Or rats Tony

Mice are also partial to the odd bit of wiring when they are hungry so probably best to check that out too