New Truck And Some Critter In The Dash...

BBC71Nova · May 11, 2010

OK after a 10year wait to get a new truck it's being a bit of a pain. I picked up a 2010 Sierra Denali first week of April. Mostly been a garage queen so far with only 380mi on it after I got back from getting tint this morning. Otherwise it was spent the last month tucked away in my garage. SO... later today I went to get something out of it. When I opened the door I heard some rustling around near the dash. Started messing around and it sounded like a mice had gotten in somehow maybe. Never, ever seen any mice or signs of any in my garage or house. So I backed it out and started taking the carpet and stuff up because it sounded like it was under/in the sound deadener near upper firewall. After an hour or so I think I had the sound tracked to behind the radio but not under carpet, etc like I first though. I'm also thinking now it might be a lizard(we have chameleons around the outside of the house and have seen a couple sneak in the garage over the years), a snake, or a mouse.

So I searched earlier and tried to figure out how to take the radio out. I found a post saying the bezel just pops off and then radio comes out. I really think I can get to the critter if I can do that. However, I had ZERO luck getting that bezel to pop off. What's the trick? Is the 2010 Sierra Denali different? Using suction cups to pull I was able to get if out some but never any of the clips(if there) budged.

Thanks!

pm26 · May 11, 2010

Whatever you do , make sure this thing does not die in there, especially if it is a mouse or something bigger. Recently I went to a junkyard and opened a closed car to get some parts out of. Something evidently crawled under the seat and died there because the stench was unbelievable. I saw a small clump of fur near the seat. Probably a mouse or a rat. I almost threw up, that's how bad it smelled in the confines of that vehicle sitting in the sun.

2005LT · May 11, 2010

Try this first before you rip into a bunch of stuff....

peterupnorth · May 11, 2010

Keep in mind that every critter needs FOOD. There isn't any in the truck. Rather than trying to pull apart the dash,...ugh....I'd bait it with food.

Don't think I need to explain more, elst the animal rights bunch will be screaming. Hope this helps.

jblakeney · May 11, 2010

Yea, if it dies in your cab..... It will SMELLLLLLLLLL. I was having some work done at the house last year... They had the eve's open on one end of the house (i.e. it rotted and they had replace some ends on a couple rafters and the eve thank you KATRINA roofers). It rained one weekend and sure enough rats got in the eves........ I had one die in the vaulted part of my ceiling last summer....... I ended up replacing some sheet rock...... But I GOT THAT SMELL OUT. I was glad when they got the eve fixed back...

But edgewise, I found a dead snake in my 83 98 Oldsmobile a couple years ago under the carpet. I was trying to figure out what the bulge in the carpet was (I kept seeing the carpet was not laying flat on one side and the floor pan had no signs of rust from the bottom)...... I guess it had been dead long enough the smell had left.

Jbo

jblakeney · May 11, 2010

Oh yeah, I do not suggest poison..... As since it will cause the problem to die..... and Begin to rot and smell....... And they tend to find the spot your not able to get to, to die in.

Jbo

Porter_ · May 11, 2010

two things i would try:

1.) cotton balls soaked in mint extract. evidently the smell repulses mice.

2.) mouse traps baited with PEANUT BUTTER. this is what ultimately worked for me on a previous vehicle.

this is all assuming your critter is a mouse. good luck.

jro909 · May 11, 2010

chewing tobacco drives critters away also let alone bugs lol...idk if your a dipper or not but

BBC71Nova · May 11, 2010

Thanks guys! I thought about setting a trap but I think the critter is stuck somehow. I'm pretty sure now it is a lizard or small snake(God I hope not) based on the sounds and movement.

More info... So after messing with it a while, sitting in the truck waiting for noise, etc I figured out a pretty reliable way to trigger movement of the critter. That's what enabled me to pinpoint about where it is behind/in the radio console. So I first heard it when I opened/shut one of the doors. Then later I discovered that if I caused the radio to power up (hit recall or eject) then that would trigger movement. I'm afraid that maybe the critter is in some of the wiring and the current/led is causing it to move. Not sure but just a theory. Obviously I'm more than a little disgusted given it has 380mi on it and 160 of those aren't even mine .

I did some searching last night and found a video confirming the radio bezel removal process. Tonight I'm gonna try that again and hopefully not break anything. If the critter is still in the same location then I think that will allow me to get to it.

Stay tuned...

Raymond Lowe · May 11, 2010

http://www3.telus.net/RaymondLowe/BlueStar...ront%20trim.jpg

http://www3.telus.net/RaymondLowe/BlueStar...20locations.jpg

nickvrebel · May 11, 2010

yeah, the bezel pulls right off. the clips are TIGHT. You will think you are going to break it.

I used a pocket knife to get between the dash and the bezel and pried it up enough to get a screwdriver in there, then put the tip of the flat head screwdriver against the closest clip and pried with the screwdriver handle. I though there was no way it was coming apart, and I'm experienced with taking dashes apart. I started on the left side about an inch and a half below the top and worked my way down and around.

amtz.zero · May 11, 2010

Where the hell do you live that you have chameleons around?

BBC71Nova · May 11, 2010

Where the hell do you live that you have chameleons around?

We got all kinds of critters in Alabama . Seriously, they look like chameleons to me. I had some as pets when I was a kid. The ones I have around the house look exactly the same and change colors with the background as well. I was really surprised after seeing them the first time. They get in the planters, on the deck, etc and just hang around outside. Maybe someone let their pets go years ago and now they are taking over central Alabama. Never have bothered anything and I guess they help take care of the bugs . If they go messing up the new SD them my attitude towards them may change

John

GPSilverado · May 11, 2010

Where the hell do you live that you have chameleons around?

We got all kinds of critters in Alabama . Seriously, they look like chameleons to me. I had some as pets when I was a kid. The ones I have around the house look exactly the same and change colors with the background as well. I was really surprised after seeing them the first time. They get in the planters, on the deck, etc and just hang around outside. Maybe someone let their pets go years ago and now they are taking over central Alabama. Never have bothered anything and I guess they help take care of the bugs . If they go messing up the new SD them my attitude towards them may change

John

I have to ask this, but does your truck have the navigation system?

I have read about sounds being generated by those things, and I believe it happens when it is powered up. In fact, I think one post referenced opening the door as being a trigger.