A tiny, rare marsupial had a lucky escape in far north Queensland yesterday, after taking a journey under the bonnet of a car.

The spotted-tail quoll sparked a delicate rescue effort when it was found hiding in the engine of the car which was being serviced at a garage in Cairns.

Wildlife carer Melissa Helsby says it took five mechanics an hour to get the endangered animal out of the engine.

She says it will be released back into the wild today.

"The owner wouldn't have even known there was an animal in her car," she said.

"So she's driven it from Earlville to her mechanics.

"The mechanics didn't even know until their dog started barking and there he was."