Animals in the Engine.

This is an animal safety blog post. 

We had been out camping in the late fall and here in the Pacific North West it can get pretty chilly at times.  Our camping trip was a success and we returned home with the Subaru and teardrop without any issues.  We had not used the Suby for the week following the camp trip and it was parked in the garage as usual.  Maybe five days after we had returned I was in the garage and I smelled something slightly rank but it wasn’t that strong of a smell so I ignored my nose.  The next evening I went back to the garage and this time the smell was stronger.  I asked Steve if he’d come out into the garage because I think there is some kind of dead animal out there.  We both looked and sniffed around the garage and came up with ‘some critter must have died in the garage wall’ and the stench will one day fade. We both were in the middle of a heavy call and work week so we were just glad the smell was contained to the garage and not wafting into the house.  

Move forward another week and we decide to go play a round of disc golf. We go out to the garage and the smell is not as strong as the week past. We get into the Suby and head off to have some fun. On our way to disc golf we stop to get water & snacks, we come out of the store, start the Suby up, and almost pass out from the rancid smell of something decaying.  Neither Steve nor I could say much as he drove us quickly towards our destination. All we could do was to try and hold our breath as much and as long as possible. We are almost to the course when we come up with the obvious question “do you think there’s something dead in the engine?”.

We pull up to the course and he pops the hood and we both immediately jump out of the Suby and find the culprit.  We’re not sure what type of critter died in the Suby. We’re fairly sure this critter was just trying to stay warm here in the chilly PNW when it found its way under the hood.  This little critter even built a nest from the insulation on the inside of the hood.

Not showing the dead critter, trust me it’s dead.

Using dog pooh bags as gloves.

Needless to say, now we have added an engine check to our predrive checklist. Blinkers, check. Brake lights, check. No critters in the engine area, check.  Maybe you should be checking your engine area next time you’ve been out in the woods. Especially in the cooler months………….…you just never know.