What Are These Things Falling Out Of My Vent??

[rossiz]

ha! no fur, teeth or claws have come out so far...

they are like cereal, in that they are dried, crumbly things, but i feel like if they actually WERE 30 yr. old food, they'd be mouldy or stinky. maybe they have hit the first stage of petrification??

[mjr45]

Gotta remember that food that old that got poured down the vents probably has a 30 year shelf life, might be some good eats.

[rossiz]

another offering...

high-speed run, slightly uphill, couple of bumps in the road and "plop-plop" 2 little taps on my left ankle.

[siteunseen]

They're doughnut seeds.

[rossiz]

Maha Prasad today - a bulk offering!

at least it doesn't happen on the passenger's side (yet) - just a quiet little dump on my left ankle from time to time and nobody else in the car has to know...

[Captain Obvious]

Weird. :paranoid:

Do they burn? And if so, does it smell like burning wheat, sugar, or plastic?

That last pic looks like some of them are moldy, lending credence to a food based origin.

[rossiz]

another one popped out going through the car wash - at the end there's a strong fan and it blows hard through the vent.

no need for a pic, you know what they look like.

there's a collection of them on the porch railing and so far the squirrels, raccoons and birds have all taken a pass.

the mold does point towards food - but i'm not nibbling.

is it easy to take out the vent system? where is the intake anyway?

[Mikes Z car]

Air vent intake location:

I wonder if a leaf blower could be aimed at the duct inside the car with a nylon stocking over the vent intake at the radiator to catch them as they exit. Should get a bowl full that way.

Edited June 3, 2014 by Mikes Z car

[djwarner]

Re-reading you first post, you said they usually hit your LEFT foot. Are we talking about your heater vent or fresh air vent? If it's the fresh air vent, I'd use a shop vac to clear it out, then if possible with your vac, blow back into the vent.

If it's truly coming from the heater vent, all air comes from the fan and must pass the heater core which would filter out the larger pieces. The only way for large particles to get beyond the heater core would be if they entered through the defroster vents - as if done by a small child amazed by the car eating his Cheerios.

[rossiz]

i'm pretty sure it is the fresh air vent, i'll try the shop vac.

i would not be surprised if they were deposited into the defroster vents, would've been like a coin in a slot - fun for little fingers!

[mjr45]

Maybe a blast from an air compressor at about 125psi thru the air intake in the left front. That stuff is just weird.

[Virto]

Bit of a zombie post here, but I'm pretty sure what you're looking at is bulk-feed dog food.

I know growing up that Moor-mans used to sell dog food that was essentially identical to the pieces you're getting here. Another thing I remember is that both tree and ground squirrels and some mice would swipe it from the dog feeders and HIDE it.

Specifically, they would hide it in the 77 LTD and the 79 F150. Being on the farm, especially in winter, you would occasionally start one of the cars or trucks and get a shudder and some thumping while you discovered small critters had (unwisely) decided to nest in a warm engine bay, right in the path of the radiator fan.

Long story short, you're likely looking at dog food that woodland creatures were stashing. We all know how mice are easily capable of getting up into these S30s.