Hi everyone. I'm a new member as I am a new Jag owner living in northeast Ohio.

Neighbor was selling a 2004 X Type, 3.0 auto, AWD, metallic red w/ appears to be ivory interior, 69,000 miles. Looks pretty solid, drives nicely but a bit more road noise than I would have expected from Jaguar. Perhaps it is the tires which appear to be relatively new. The car spent much of its' life in Chicago until the owner passed (my neighbors mother), then sat parked in Ohio for about two years until the estate was settled. Accumulated less than 300 miles in the two years.

But here is the fly in the ointment. Noticed an odor in the car but assumed it was from just sitting. However, once the a/c was activated, the odor became much stronger and offensive. Under the hood, there is evidence of either mice or chipmunks in the form of nut shells in several areas. Also, there are the remains of what appears to be what was once insulation at the firewall, just below the cowl. Apparently, the critters have gotten to it.

My question is this. Does it seem reasonable to remove the wiper arms, plastic cowl cover and vacuum out any debris? I understand there is a pollen filter in that area somewhere and I would replace it as well as the insulation on the firewall.

Any further thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards to all.

Nova Joe

 

Welcome to the forum Nova Joe,

I've moved your question from Mid West US Region to X-Type forum. Members here with the same model will be able to help.

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some info about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

I think you're on the right track, the cabin air filter is right below the wiper arms on the passenger side and you'll probably find the entire area full of whatever is causing your odor. Easy to get to, remove the 5 press clips and the two wiper arms and the cover will come right off.

My interior was getting wet after heavy rains and it turned out to be a bunch of leaves on top of the cabin air filter causing all my problems.

Before removing the wiper arms, you may want to mark their position on the window with a bit of tape as it will make putting them back on in the exact position much easier once you're finished.

 

Thanks for the welcome, GGG. I read the new member e-mail.

Thanks, Itmax, for the response. Since my first post, I got the cowl off and sure enough, a small apartment complex for some sort of furry critter. Fortunately, unoccupied. Cleared it all out and will pick up a new filter tomorrow.

I thought the plastic cover would easily lift off but it seemed to be attached at the edge in contact with the windshield. Finally got it loose and it appeared to be stuck to some sort of sealant on the edge of the windshield. Not sure if that was intended or not. Also, there was about six pieces of tape, about 4-5 inches long, along the bottom edge of the windshield. I thought at first it was double sided tape and that what the plastic cowl cover was stuck to. The tape was similar to reinforced packing tape, about 3/4" wide with tough strings embedded in it. Did not seem to serve any real purpose so I removed it.

Looking forward to the car. The 3.0 has quite a bit of spirit that belies the stated hp rating.

Again, thanks for your responses.

 

Nova: your windshield has been replaced, the installer puts tape on the glass( can't remember why) they use some super hi tech. sealant/glue that got on the cowling

 

Go to AutoZone. O'Reilly's, Advanced Auto and get a can of A/C vent cleaner deodorizer and while car is running with A/C fans on (windows down) spray outside induction vents until can is empty. Will kill mold and deodorize system, does smell like cheap perfume but only lasts awhile.

 

Plus 1 on replacing the pollen filter after your clear out, then as suggested using an AC deodoriser...this will clean out the entire system.

It may be an idea if you have access to a steamer to work away at the interior headling, fabric etc as the odours can get trapped in them and linger forever.

After this please be sure to leave your AC turned ON as leaving it off for lengthy period s let the bacteira build up causing serious smells.

Good luck