I would try getting a large bowl and fill it with ammonia. Set it on the seat and let it set there for a few days and see if it helps. I have used it and it helps. The ammonia smell will go away soon.

 

Put a sticker on the dashboard that says, "ATTENTION THIEVES! WHAT YOU SMELL IS THE LAST GUY THAT BROKE INTO MY TRUCK!"

 

Haaaaa I like that!

 

Yes...

I've used them before to deal with recurring mildew smells in cars from leaving windows down in the rain. The exposure is cumulative but no one really knows what the upper limits are. I've heard 8-9hrs but it also depends on the size of the machine, the size of the area being treated, etc. Try and use a smaller machine, something advertised for up to 2,500-3,500sq/ft. They're also rated by milligrams/hr but you have to be careful as some units are measured using pure oxygen which gives a reading 5 times higher than regular air. If it's some cheap e-bay Chinese POS it's probably "tested" using oxygen and carries a higher than realistic reading.

Run it with windows up, fan on to distribute the O3. I would run it for 20-30 minutes then air it out fully. At high concentrations in confined spaces O3 is harmful to people. Let the truck air out for a bit and see how it smells. You're likely to smell the O3 for a couple days but it will diminish. If it still smells like death hit it again for another 20-30 minutes. The key is to sneak up on it and only use the minimum you need to.

The effects on the car are similar to UV rays. Plastics will turn brittle and crack, fabric will weaken, etc. Like I said it's cumulative so there is a limited amount of time you can hit the car with O3 but for a short burst or two of 20-30 minutes it really isn't going to do anything. Just don't leave it cooking away...

Now if you're going to use it in a house or a bigger vehicle you'd have to let it run longer. And you'd also want to make sure you get good airflow. So in a house I like to use a box fan on low near the unit to move the air around.

BTW, they use O3 machines to treat houses where people die in them. That's how I found out they exist. When my father died it was 4 days till he was found. Needless to say it wasn't a pleasant smell in his house... But the Ozone cleared it up and even months after when we finally sold the place there was no hint of any smells.

Here's a new one on Ebay for $100 - NEW COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL OZONE GENERATOR PROFESSIONAL AIR PURIFIER MOLD SMOKE | eBay

 

I used a 2500 to 3000 sq ft unit in the cargo well area of an explorer where a gallon of milk spilled on a HOT (95*+) 3 day weekend a while back ... ran it for 48 hrs ...clean and clear but... First you must wash down everything you can with regular old hydrogen peroxide full strength !!! It works like the ozone "extra oxygen" ...it REALLY does a great job on smokers cars too. Lift the carpets as much as you can, then open 1 window about 1//8 " then run it ... resist opening it up to check on it for at least 36 hrs... if you must sniff test it, use the open window. All smell's, even the ones you put in will be gone. then if you want to hang a few pine trees in it feel free to do so.
I did this for body and other shops for about 2 years till I got a real job I had 3 units working all the time their unit cost was $350 each. Good Luck !!!

 

a lot of people who had skunk smell problems used fresh ground coffee beans and put them in filters and laid them everywhere around and in the vehicle.

I've heard this works and it worked for me when I hit a skunk. Most will say to use vinegar as well.

 

When I worked at a junkyard someone sold us a perfectly good (mechanically) 2007 Mercedes CLK550 (this was in 2010 mind you) because the little white dog that seems to be so common on Mercedes dashboards died in the car and it smelled very bad. There was at least 6 of the big tins worth of coffee in the car and it you could still smell it from a mile away whenever someone opened the doors. Coffee is great for removing more volatile organic chemicals (gasoline etc.) but doesn't seem to work very well for the longer, heavier chemicals that the death smell is made of.

The smell molecules get pretty well attached to the high-surface-area stuff in the car, and they either have to be pulled out or destroyed in place in order to get rid of them. Coffee only removes stuff that's in the air to begin with.

 

Just saw that not long ago. Two dead pigs in a Corvette. The idea was to have a car with some value and interest and see if anyone would buy it with that smell. It was awful. You could almost smell it over the TV. Even with haz suits and respirators they were gagging. The guy who bought the car bought it to part it out.

As per prior post, I think you are looking at taking it down to the metal, maybe even the wiring will have to go. A steam clean and new paint inside, then an all new interior. That might do it.

 

I'm assuming that once you're on the downhill run you'll still have some residual smell that takes time to go away. I'm going to recommend Ozium. Find it on the bottom shelf under the hanging air fresheners in any Walmart. Think the price is $4.68

It's a chemical air sanitizer that used to be for industrial environments. In college my roommates used it to get the smell of devil's lettuce out of the air. It's no where close to your truck, but I bought a car last year that was rough. Quart of oil had spilled and been left to sit on the rear carpet, right where the window leaked. Nice moldy layer to skim off. Found a nest with a little dead mouse under the back seat.

Had all the carpet and fabric dealt with by a shop. Told me they used a carpet extractor, sent the headliner out to a dry-cleaner. Scrubbed all the plastics with simple green and water, hung out to dry, repeat for days. For the molded carpet that couldn't be washed I used steam cleaner, carpet powder, vac. The car still had a funk. Sprayed ozium to the air filter, anything porous.

Be warned though, breathing it isn't the best. Spray it then go riding with the windows down, or open the windows and put a box fan in one window.

 

My brother put just a cup full of bleach in his cup holder overnight and that killed the smoke smell in his. I've had a lot of luck with plain old baking soda, both by sprinkling it throughout the fabric/carpet and vacuuming it out and by mixing it with water in a spray bottle. And remember that the smell is in the vents as well so don't forget to clean those too!

 

Lots of good suggestions here.. a few thoughts

1. ODOBAN - My brother and I were introduced to this at a Sam's Club demonstration.. One squirt on a vinegar soaked rag and no more vinegar smell. It's amazing- Dad had a cat that sprayed alot, Odoban brought equalibrium every time with mild use. I'm not sure if Sam's carries them anymore, our family has used it for 15 years. .. here's their web OdoBan - Odor Eliminator - Home I'd buy some and mix it at full power and use it first.. give it a little time and see if it wins. It's industrial strength available over the counter.. it is odorless and will leave no choking smell benind. It's cheap, its strong, it works.

2. Hospitals sanitize their operating rooms with a mixture of 10% Clorox bleach and 90% water. You can go up to 25%. Down side of course is color bleaching..this would be something you could use on the under mat of the carpet after you'd removed the carpet.

3. Steam.. it does things other methods can't do. In fact it might be a bonus to contact someone in your area that does homicide/suicide clean up and explain the situation and ask for layman methods you can employ. I'd imagine hiring them would be cost prohibitive. Hiring a commercial carpet cleaner who does commercial work for apartments might be worthwhile. Alot of times those guys are $40/room or 4 rooms for $99. They've got access to excellent chemicals and steam. If you did this first.. then followed with Odoban, Fabreze you might get away without removing stuff.