dead animal smell in car- help!

[zhelud]

For about a week and a half, my car has smelled like something died in it.  The problem is, we can't find a corpse.  We looked all over the car interior, in the engine as far as we are capable, and changed the air filter (and there was definitely something living in that area, as it had made a nest.)  Still smells like a rotting animal!  Any ideas?  I really don't want to take it to a mechanic who will charge $100 just to open the hood.  I guess if it is a dead animal eventually it will finish decomposing...

[HipGnosis]

Its probably in the ventilation ducts.
Or the carpet.
You can't see either.
Turn off the heat-A/C fan and open the windows.
Air it out a while and then get in and close the windows.  Either just sit in the car a bit or go for a short ride.
Then turn on the fan.
Get something like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/40874727?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227028428816&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=56840729831&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=94137645671&veh=sem
or this  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Star-Brite-Auto-Odor-Eliminator-Car-Bomb-19970/206351778?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D28I-Cleaning%7c&gclid=CNeU9cWjjM0CFQFkhgod_v4L4g&gclsrc=aw.ds

[HPstache]

Check the radiator for a dead bird.  This happens often and the smell can make it into the cabin pretty easily.  Or as the previous poster mentioned, there is a decent chance it is in your HVAC system which would suck big time...

[Khaetra]

Don't forget to crawl under the car and look there.  I saw a guy driving with half a possum stuck to his underside.

[ZiziPB]

Most likely a mouse that nested in the radiator got stuck somewhere withing the HVAC ducting.  Unfortunately I have no suggestions on how to locate or remove it.  We had a similar experience with a fridge - dead animal smell was coming out from behind it but nothing was there when we pulled  the fridge out.  Finally, after a week or two, we found the rotting corpse stuck behind the coils on the back of the fridge...

[innkeeper77]

Like others have said, it could be in the ducts. It also could have died in the "squirrel cage" blower motor. If it isn't in the engine bay at all or under the car, I would start taking apart the dashboard to get to the blower motor.... do you do your own car work? If not, I would take it to a mechanic to get the mouse out. I am not one who would drive around breathing a rotting animal.....

[bobechs]

I assisted with this once.

Turned out to be a used diaper, helpfully stowed away in the spare tire compartment of a station wagon.

'Cuz throwing diapers away anywhere but your special home diaper receptacle is like...gross.  So, hide the fucker away and then be sure to forget about it. Completely forget about it.

[Rocket]

Happened to my Dad's Prius over the winter.  I said he found if behind a panel in the glove box.

[Choices]

In addition to the noxious smell, it could be dangerous. Please drive something else until you figure this out if you can. My family member's car caught on fire last year because there was a rat nest under the hood.

[The Happy Philosopher]

Once I had the peculiar experience of buying a gallon of milk and not being able to find it in the fridge the next day. I thought maybe I forgot to buy it, or maybe I left it at the grocery store...

A few days later I opened my trunk and almost passed out from the smell. That was not a great day, but the car made a full recovery.

Check for perishable groceries that fell out of the bag.

[Goldielocks]

Like others have said, it could be in the ducts. It also could have died in the "squirrel cage" blower motor. If it isn't in the engine bay at all or under the car, I would start taking apart the dashboard to get to the blower motor.... do you do your own car work? If not, I would take it to a mechanic to get the mouse out. I am not one who would drive around breathing a rotting animal.....

This!

Picture young 20 year old me, in my tiny hatchback, and something had died in that car about 4 days before, and it was a hot day.

I pull to the side of the road, get out and open the doors, and try to look / find what is wrong.   I sit in the driver's seat and turn on the fans to help blow more air around.   when...

fwpttt -- mouse parts flew past me out of the ventilation shaft.   (the vent went from the dash, and through an open port to the door vent....) but with the door open, that was a nice round hole that part flew at me out of.

I will never forget that smell.  Best of luck to ya.

[Primm]

I once found a weeks-old green tray of meat from the supermarket that had slid down the tiny slot between the spare tyre and the floor of my hatchback and proceeded to rot there. My son and I had gutted the car by this stage - seats, carpet, all the heating ducting. Once it was gone the smell disappeared fairly quickly because the only surfaces affected were hard, no upholstery or carpets had meat on them thank goodness.