CLEAN YOUR HEATER/KICKPLATES!

[Jordanlogo]

Talk about a rats nest! I don’t know what was worse taking apart all the hard to reach screws on the kickplates, or the actual rat poop

[Gary Lewis]

Wow!  That's one of the worst I've seen!  Aren't you glad Scott suggested that?  

[ArdWrknTrk]

You don't recall the Happy Blue Ford's arrival from California to Maryland?

[Jordanlogo]

Gary Lewis wrote

Wow!  That's one of the worst I've seen!  Aren't you glad Scott suggested that?  

This is a number 1 thing to do!! I’m lucky winter just ended over here in the Bay Area.

[ArdWrknTrk]

As a fireman you know too well what that tinder will do on a red hot coil with the fan blowing over it.

If the grass and leaves in the ductwork caught it would be really hard to put them out.

[Gary Lewis]

No, I didn't remember that, Jim.  But now I do.  Yikes!!!!

[Machspeed]

Thank you, Jordan!

[ArdWrknTrk]

Because all this minutiae gets lodged in my autistic brain.    

So, what's with the rodents running amok in California?
I've seen squirrels pack cavities full of nuts before, but never the sort of nesting these two trucks have.

Definitely disinfect. Hanta virus is a serious human hazard.

[kramttocs]

Nice job! That stuff was prime for catching fire.

[swampedout]

So where is this area, and how do I access it?
Im in prime rodent territory here with kangaroo rats nesting everywhere.

[Gary Lewis]

Two main areas.  First, the kick panels need to come off, and then the plates behind them and you reach down into the void and clean it out.  Second, pull the blower motor and the little plate beside it that has wires going to it and clean out in there.

[Ranchman]

Thank you for showing this. Definitely going to the top of my todo list!

[Jordanlogo]

swampedout wrote

So where is this area, and how do I access it?
Im in prime rodent territory here with kangaroo rats nesting everywhere.

Here’s some better pictures... it’s easy.







Just open those guys up and stick your flexible vacuum hose down it. It’s pretty self explanatory - just keep removing screws till you can pull everything off

The kickplates are the worst to get off... the screws are all in hard to access places.

[Jordanlogo]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Because all this minutiae gets lodged in my autistic brain.    

So, what's with the rodents running amok in California?

The annoying kind!

Where I live it’s mostly field mice, and rats.

[ArdWrknTrk]

You should also probably remove the rubber drain spout behind each fender liner at the bottom of the cowl duct and flush out any organic deposits.

This mud holds water and rots out the passage.
THAT is a real problem to repair!

[red1980F150]

I took my glovebox out last summer looking for the source of the "old truck smell", I didn't look here.  Looks like I have a new item on my to-do list also.  

Thanks for the update!

[kramttocs]

Jordanlogo wrote

The kickplates are the worst to get off... the screws are all in hard to access places.

An 8mm ratcheting wrench works really well for these.

[swampedout]

This is high on my list now!
And whats an 8mm doing on a Ford?

[kramttocs]

Gotta love that you have to think about if you are working on drivetrain or body before you grab the right tool

[Gary Lewis]

Some of the A/C brackets have SAE in one side and metric in the other.