Found a dead squirrel inside an intake manifold last Tuesday

Pulled the intake off a 2010 F-150 that was running rough and there was a whole dried out squirrel just sitting in there. How does something even get past the air filter on these things?

2 comments

2 Comments

ericb664d ago

andrewh43 mentions the drain tube and that's exactly how they get in. I've seen this three times over my years turning wrenches. The intake drain tube is basically a highway for rodents if it's not screened off. Squirrels and mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime, so a half inch drain tube is nothing for them. They crawl up in there looking for warm place to nest or stash food, get stuck, and there you have it.

andrewh434d ago

Holy crap, that's wild! I had almost the exact same thing happen on a 2005 Silverado I was fixing up a couple years back. Found a completely mummified mouse wedged right in the plenum chamber, basically blocking off half the intake. I still have no clue how it got past the filter box, there was no hole or tear anywhere I could see. Maybe they squeeze in through the drain tube or around the filter seal if it's not seated perfect. Either way, it's always a nasty surprise when you pop that thing open and find a little skeleton staring back at you.