Found in flywheel housing

[Art Newland]

Jimmy Hoffa?

[old31]

Originally Posted by Marshall V. Daut

Well, at least what you guys have found after separating the bellhousing from the flywheel housing wasn't still ALIVE!!! That gawd-awful Model A I am working on for an older friend was leaking oil badly from the rear of the engine and from both ends of the transmission. Because the car was stored in a barn on a farm, the interior reeked of mice, as was to be expected. When I pulled the engine and tranny the FIRST time and separated the bellhousing from the flywheel housing, a bunch of oil and transmission lube oozed out onto my garage floor, plus some gunk on the bottom of the bellhousing that I scooped out by gloved hand. As I was wiping my hands, I noticed that there was movement in the pile of that oily, black crud on the floor. Yes, I admit it: I was startled! Whoever heard of broken starter drive bolts and cotter pins found inside a flywheel housing moving on their own? Looking closer at the movement amid the gooey mess was a mouse in a fetal position, completely covered with oil. It was clearly in its death throes, so I helped it along with a hammer. 'Didn't want to do it, but I am not into performing heroic medical feats on rodents to save their lives. I think the ghost of that mouse has come back to haunt me and make my life miserable. Why else would I be having so much trouble with the engine/transmission repairs? 'Sounds like a logical explanation, doesn't it?
Marshall

Marshall, does this look like the cute little guy that you mercifully murdered to death? (click to enlarge)

[Marshall V. Daut]

"Murdered to death"???? No, I KILLED him to death! It was him or me! The mouse was quite small, otherwise it wouldn't have been able to crawl up into the bellhousing through the wishbone ball cavity. What other pathway was there besides possibly slipping through one of the two air slots in the clutch inspection plate on top of the bellhousing? Cute little critter, he was. But - SMASH, SMASH, SMASH!!! Mouse-Be-Gone! Plenty of his relatives probably still left inside the headliner and in the seats. I think I'll keep my BFH handy as I continue working on the car.
Marshall