That was what I wanted the shop to do while I had the Cirrus in. They didn't. The mechanic said he freed the cowel enough (the hood hinges extend into the cowel area) enough to view the inlet screen which he claims is intact & tighter than my expander metal. The only place mice can get into is the heater cage & heater core. It's a total "son-on-a-female-dog" for me to pull the heater & reach in by hand & clean it out... and worse still trying to hold the blower motor & install the screws. I'm calling BS on him. There's NO PLACE ELSE in the car with mice. There's no other way in from the outside. There MUST BE a defect in the plastic screen. The plastic cowel part cracked when he was working on it (evidentally). I think he got into trouble & decided to stop. However, getting mice into the car makes me crazy, stinks up the car, spoils heating & cooling. The front of the cowel is held by a rubber seal at the top of the firewall.The back sits against the windshield held down by a few screws. But the windshield wiper arms come through it. I've tried before & got as far as the wiper arms. I think there's a nut under a plastic cover on each arm. The shaft & arm are serated. Gotta be a snug fit! If I mark each arm... what do I need a small puller to pop the arms off? What kind of puller do I need? There just has to be a defect in that screen.

Wow. Back to the chasing mice again. There has to be something you could put up inside the HVAC or cowling that would deter mice from wanting to enter. I know the screen idea. There has to be something out there mice absolutely hate that you could put in the vents or something.

If there's air flow, anything odorous dissappates. If closed up cheap dryer sheets or moth balls... doesn't keep mice out but keeps them from making a home. I have successfully screened many air filters & cabin air... if I can just get to the 'bleaping' thing! I have been frustrated a long time by this cowel. But failed in getting someone else to do it. You are agreeing with me that there MUST BE a defect in the air inlet plastic screen? It only happens when I forget & leave it on outside air. Certain times of the year, mice looking for a nice warm home.

You are agreeing with me that there MUST BE a defect in the air inlet plastic screen?

Correct. It only takes a very small hole for mice to slip through... Touche' I found where mice where getting into my RV at... Not anymore. Mouse free!

I'm going to pursue getting the cowel up. There just has to be a defect in the plastic screen. (THere was one in my Chevy C30, but that was exposed. There was in my Ford Escort but that was exposed.) I had all the screws out (without busting the plastic, which is better than the 'professional' did). I stalled because I could not remove the wiper arm. They are tight like a bears behind... I discovered there is a little wiper removal puller. I've ordered one. I don't want to strip the serations. It's just a detail but I'll bet it's been that way the whole life of the car. I'll post more when I get it off.

They made a delicious treat out of my 57 chevy interior. I now leave trays of poison or weather blocks for them to break the cycle.

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http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Mice-Naturally

some interesting info

I maintain poison is ineffective if the critters can easily get in & out. As I posted before... a friend had some machines in an outbuilding... deployed massive amounts of poison. When we moved a machine, we fount the whole base with several inches of stored bait. The mice recoginized it as food but had no need to eat it as they could get in & out freely. On my truck, I stuffed behind the hood hinges with SS pot scrubber (basically SS steel wool). The cowel brains on the truck are located there... and still drained fine, but no more mice in the truck.The Cirrus, however, the hood hinges extend into the cowel area leaving gaping holes for mice. My F*rd Escort had the same but the trough could be accessed with the hood open so easily altered with screening. Some of these ideas are mentioned in the link provided, btw. I have screened numerous air cleaners since the late 1980s. This Cirrus has just frustrated my attempts because I can't get the cowel cover up. I have ordered a tool to hopefully remove (without damaging) the wiper arms. I think it'll be an easy job once I get past this.I'll let you know!

there is (should be) a plastic cover over each wiper shaft. It will either pop off, or pop and hinge toward the arm/blade direction. Under that, there should be a (usually) 13mm or so nut that holds the wiper arm to the driven shaft.

Take those nuts off, and mark/note the position of the arms.

** some arms are held on by a little 'lock', instead of the nuts. I'll be located on the underside of the arm at the shaft-section. There will be a small tab visible on either side of the arm. This will need to be slid to the opposite side to position the 'clearanced' section of the slide-lock to clear the splined driven shaft.

Then (if there's room) stand the wiper arm up 'vertical' if it is designed to do so. This will take all fulcrum tension off the splined section and you'll be able to wiggle the wiper arm section up off the shaft.

Most likely, there are 4 or so plastic retainers to hold down the cowl covering. Sometimes, they're screws..

Then work the cowl cover off of the cowl and go from there.

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The 2000 model year uses same transmission/linkage PN as the 95, but here's a '95 picture of how the wipers are retained (nuts)..

also, a pic of the cowl section..

Yes, it's the screen #14 that I suspect of being damaged to admit critters. I've had the nuts off, under the hinge up wiper pivot covers. I have a puller ordered. Going to try again when I get it.

Good luck with the cowl. If indoors put talc powder to see the movements. For a car, if is there a rust hole or gap near the trunk they gain access through the back seat also.

I've had good results with fresh bait in my farm house and barn. If you don't mind the smell of mint oil maybe its worth a try. Good luck.

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I have muliple vehicles in long term storage. For daily drivers maybe a KILL trap while your looking for the access. There's a cool electric one that gives them the chair.

Avoid eating inside the car or leaving cups or wrappers. You probably already know this but figured I'd throw it all out there.

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Last but not least, a feral cat.

Good advise. The mice only appear in the blower cage, plug up the heater core airflow, or block cooling air from the speed resistor where it extends into the ductwork for cooling. So this is why I've concluded it has to be a flaw in the HVAC system. I doubt if I could get the heater motor back in (again) with my disability.

Yes, it's the screen #14 that I suspect of being damaged to admit critters. I've had the nuts off, under the hinge up wiper pivot covers. I have a puller ordered. Going to try again when I get it.

you shouldn't 'need' a puller. At least, I've never needed one... prolly coulda used one a time er two.. LOL

The last time I tried, I backed off rather than wreck something. It'll probably come right off with the correct pull. It's been on there 15 years.

You could check the seals @ the heater hose ports and the a/c ports that enter the case . Planet fitness will soon be closed for these mice acting like hampsters. I hope it's a simple fix in the end.

Thanks Walter... I hadn't though of the hose ports in the firewall.

That makes sense then. They feel comfortable exploring underneath the hood. Bunch of cowards. I feel your grief and hope that's the cure.

Yesterday I had a single erand to run. I got a sore throat & chest congestion while on this erand. It's like the heater is putting out fumes... I'm wondering if I'm toasting a mouse / nest again. I'm caughing up green crap last night & this morning. I can drop the heater... but with one functional hand, I can't hold it up & get the 3 stinkin screws back in. I was hoping not to do this.

Just got back home from the road. You need anti-biotics at a minimum. If you havn't yet, SEE A DOCTOR NOW. you can die from the airborne viruses from vermin. Green is a bad color to begin with for real. This is no joke and I'm not trying to preach but I worked on garbage trucks and landfill eq. for many years. The car: I would wear a resperator and safety glasses. Try to blow out what you can with compressed air then flush case with bleach mix solution. Passenger side rug color will run if you leave it in place. Shower and wash clothes. If anyone else has an idea please help.

I appreciate the thoughts! Yes, I was coughing up nasty stuff & if it had not cleared, I'd be off to the doctor. My symptoms seem to have cleared up with a day of coughing up crap... still a sinus drainage problem lingering. I'm using a nettie pot to flush & that seems to be helping the drainage. I seem to have burned off what ever was in the heater, I can't take the car out of service this week. (With only one hand, I can get the heater motor out, remove debris by hand, vacume up inside again... but I can't hold the motor up & start the screws by myself.) I left the heat with no airflow / fan, let the heater get hot & drove with windows open for cross ventilation & the problem seems to have stabilized as far as the car. I'm back to running the heater on the floor but not defrost or top vents which blow in my face. I need to pull the cowel plastic & fix the screen there, so this can not happen again.

Yea, that neti pot is great. I see you know what's best. Stay well and good luck with the car. If I think of something interesting I'll chime in.

I've been laid low by the cold or what-ever-the-F it is... Fortunately, I think I've turned a corner and am only half soffocated... water boarding has nothing on me! I had a stone take out the Cirus windshield... fortunately I still have glass coverage so the insurance paid to get it replaced. To replace the windshield, the cowel has to come out... I let the pro do it. I explained about my mouse problem. He let me watch the windshield process... and we checked out the cabin air inlet screen... it is perfect. No holes. The mice must be getting in some other way. But they are only on the intake side of the heater core (blend door / blower on that side also). Somebody suggested they might have gotten in through another grommet. I don't know where that would be. Dang!