The smell of a decomposing mouse somewhere forward of the firewall

Jonathan Goodish wrote:

I never had mice in my airplane (knock on wood). However, I have had
them in the walls of my house. After about a week, we couldn't stand it
any longer and I had to start cutting drywall. I must have done this a
half-dozen times before I was finally able to stop them (hopefully) from
entering the house, though I still catch them in the garage. Needless
to say, I am now fairly skilled at repairing and replacing drywall.

Ah, you need a couple of cats in your house. That will solve the mouse
problem.

One night a few years ago a mole accidentally found its way into our home.
Our two cats, which normally sleep with my wife and me, never came to our
bedroom that night. We found them in the dining room the next morning
batting around a dead mole.

If only I could find a cat that was happy to live year-round in the
t-hangar. That is the answer.

If you don't smell it in the cabin, I would probably de-cowl the
airplane and go searching with a flashlight and a mirror.

The Bonanza V35, unlike Cessna or Piper single-engine aircraft, cannot be
fully "de-cowled." Either side opens up via top-mounted hinges, but doing
so only exposes the top half of the engine. The bottom half of the cowling
is not removable, save for removable baffle louvers. Here is a picture
that gives you an idea of what I am attempting to describe:

http://www.taturbo.com/louverson.jpg

Additionally, with all of the Tornado Alley turbo mods in my aircraft's
engine, there is very little room under the non-removable cowling to
maneuver or see.

--
Peter