Something literally crawled up in my 2004 Mazda3 and died. I think it got as far as the HVAC fan, since I heard something briefly interfere with the fan, and since then, I've got a dead mammal smell blowing from my HVAC system. I just had the vehicle in to an independent shop for the 60k service, and he somehow interpreted my mention of the problem as not on the list of things to fix. So, my question for you is, how do I clear the carcass out of there myself? I do not otherwise work on my own car, and can't even identify where the critter(s) may have entered and where I can access the ducts to get them out at first glance.

 

Don't mind me discussing with myself, but I decided to bite the bullet and take my carrion-infested car to the dealership. Independent shop said the duct work can get a little involved, especially tracking down critters that find their way into tricky spots, so that the dealer was the best bet. Will report back if there's any interesting results.

 

talking to yourself is ok since this is progress to report. The duct work is a pain, hopefully it works out for you.
Also have everything cleaned when it's apart, since there could be a smell that lingers for a while.

 

I had a mouse die in my 2004 after building a nest that blocked the ducts. The dealer was able to clean it out by intimate knowledge of what was in there, using a wire or something. Actually taking it apart would be a big PITA.