Ok... pretend you didn't read the subject line:

I'm driving along, blower set on "1". After a bump I hear this whirring noise, like a leaf was stuck in the blower wheel (I heard this all the time on my old Dodge). So, like I did with the Dodge I turned it up in speed to try and clear it out... it turned into a giant vibration that shook the truck, but no more whipping noise.

Seeing as the windshield is fogging up and I can't do without the blower, I pulled over into a parking lot to investigate. Took off the duct cover, pulled out the filters to see what could be in there... A piece of duct joint foam? Blower wheel loose? Out with the filter come a bunch of pieces of needles and small dirt... and the fresh bloody tail of a mouse!

So I figured out how to get the blower motor down and out (didn't look like it would be as simple as it was!) and removed the offending tiny mouse, who was molded to the wheel blades, much like the kids on those same design carnival rides...

I couldn't see too far up into the intake ducting from the floor area, but I'm really curious: How did he get in? Where does the fresh air intake start, and more importantly, where do I need to epoxy a piece of 1/4" wire screen over to keep future explorers out???

Scott