Rats! (1 Viewer)

[milkyxj]

I picked up a Veloster N to play around with & my 200 has been sitting more than usual. After about a 2 week sit I drove it & got a CEL, check VSC, & 4lo flashing. I pulled the code & got P033D. A quick google took me here: 2008 Tundra 5.7L Code P033D Knock Sensor 4 Ckt High Bank 2, Traction & VSC Lights on

Sure enough I popped the hood & insulation from the engine cover was shredded. I ordered the wiring harness for the knock sensors from EBay (82219-0C020) & pulled the intake manifold. Sure enough there was a nest on the drivers side rear & a chewed wire. Took about 2 hours to change the harness, Tundra guys said dealer charges $1300 or so & their comprehensive covered it. To hopefully prevent it from happening again I sprinkled a little used cat litter where the nest was & where I park it. Wife is cleaning the garage to park it inside too.

TLDR: If you leave your cruiser parked too long rats like to nest under the intake manifold.

 

[CJ3Flyer]

I think I read they hate peppermint.

 

[Mauser]

I live in the mountains and we have pack rats. The only way I have found to keep them out from under the hood is to prop it open about 8 inches. Rats like nesting under the hood because it is out of the wind.

Cats are the best way to keep rodents away.

Here is under the hood of my Trans Am this summer. Our big tom cat dissappeared and this is what happened. Got more cats now.

 

[CJ3Flyer]

Yikes!

 

[4xoddic]

we have pack rats

We have pack rats here on the prairies of E KS. Have parked our 2000 Tundra on the street for ~ 20 years => pack rat wiring damage for the first time in 2018! Our neighborhood is surrounded by KSU ag farms/pastures/wood lots; so lots of habitat. Our next door neighbors had damage to several cars. One trapped 3 pack rats, & the damage appears to have stopped.

Exterminators Choice rodent repellant had little effect. Neither did mothballs (paradichlorobenzene) under the hood. Peppermint oil is likely as effective. We placed LED spotlights under our vehicles in the driveway => this seemed to do the trick (+ 3 dead pack rats?). Our mechanic had a slideshow on his phone of rat damaged wiring, more than he'd seen in years.

Honda has a special rodent-deterrent electrical tape, with pepper embedded in it. Our neighbor's car was repaired with this, to little effect in deterring rats.

 

[TeCKis300]

Amazon has a variety of products that emit ultrasonic sound and strobing lights that can be installed underhood. They seem to be widely sold. Anyone know if they are effective? Thoughts?

I recently found the beginnings of a nest underhood of my Porsche which is garage kept and regularly driven. No damage done, but obviously it's had a visitors. Since I also often visit the mountains, want to protect my LX also.

 

[USMCVader]

Couple years back I had mice nest in my Tundra, as well as in my son’s car. $1700 later they were fixed and I declared war on mice. Applied traps, peppermint oil, and moth balls with a lot of energy. Killed them by the dozen, and my neighbors joined in as they had similar issues. Haven’t seen a mouse in almost a year, although I keep traps out just in case. Peppermint oil is a good repellent, although since they can have six to eight litters a year, I recommend eradication as well since the oil needs renewal fairly frequently.

 

[AnthonyLC]

Amazon has a variety of products that emit ultrasonic sound and strobing lights that can be installed underhood. They seem to be widely sold. Anyone know if they are effective? Thoughts?

I too am curious if these are effective or not

 

[KLF]

Amazon has a variety of products that emit ultrasonic sound and strobing lights that can be installed underhood. They seem to be widely sold. Anyone know if they are effective? Thoughts?

I've posted this here before, but here goes. Have always had mice evidence in the garage, droppings and a few things chewed up especially in the winter. I always had to vacuum the bench off in the spring. Well last spring they chewed up the knock sensor harness down in the V6 of the Highlander, it was over $700 to fix. So it was on, I was getting rid of them. Set out snap traps, I was taking out one mouse a day for weeks.

Also had lots of evidence in the camp I used to own, but it was an old renovated trailer, no way I was plugging up all the holes. Put out moth balls (did nothing), dryer sheets (did nothing), peppermint scent bags (they ate them), Irish Spring soap bars (they ate them), so resorted to snap traps but I wasn't crazy about the idea of them dying off in the walls and the stink.

Bought a 6-pack package of those ultrasonic repellers, 3 in the garage, 3 in the camp. I figured what the heck, give it a try, but they are probably just a gimmick. HAVEN"T HAD A MOUSE IN EITHER PLACE SINCE. Nothing.

Not saying they are 100% effective, but they seem to have worked for me. No affiliation.

 

[JtFSU]

Man hate to hear that. To look at the brute side.... had they not chewed enough to cause the fault, you had a very good chance of a fire starting while driving down the road from all that material on the block.

Rats, mice, chipmunks, and moles all suck.

 

[TeCKis300]

I've posted this here before, but here goes. Have always had mice evidence in the garage, droppings and a few things chewed up especially in the winter. I always had to vacuum the bench off in the spring. Well last spring they chewed up the knock sensor harness down in the V6 of the Highlander, it was over $700 to fix. So it was on, I was getting rid of them. Set out snap traps, I was taking out one mouse a day for weeks.

Also had lots of evidence in the camp I used to own, but it was an old renovated trailer, no way I was plugging up all the holes. Put out moth balls (did nothing), dryer sheets (did nothing), peppermint scent bags (they ate them), Irish Spring soap bars (they ate them), so resorted to snap traps but I wasn't crazy about the idea of them dying off in the walls and the stink.

Bought a 6-pack package of those ultrasonic repellers, 3 in the garage, 3 in the camp. I figured what the heck, give it a try, but they are probably just a gimmick. HAVEN"T HAD A MOUSE IN EITHER PLACE SINCE. Nothing.

Not saying they are 100% effective, but they seem to have worked for me. No affiliation.

That's a pretty solid testament to their effectiveness as any! Thanks for that. Seems like rather cheap and effective insurance.

 

[Weedhopper]

Dryer sheets.

Stick em in all the little cutouts in the engine bay. Problem goes away. I have an E350 that I drive very little. I never smell the drier sheets inside the car.

 

[KLF]

I pulled a mouse nest out of a cupboard in the camp, made out of dryer sheets. Zero effective.

 

[TraderHal]

i put sticky glue traps under my car

 

[speyrod]

A friends wife has a exploder that is a rodent magnet. They have used dryer sheets that are attached in various ways around the engione compartment that he says has worked the past few years. These are new not used, he claims they really smell inside the expoder when new.

 

[blatant]

What is a valoster?

 

[auggafj80]

I’ve had the same knock sensor issue. About a year ago it started. Lived with the 4 speed for a bit, just about to pull trigger on repair and it went away? Just last week it came back. Although I have all 6 speeds. It’s come on and off last few days. Maybe they chewed the wire just a little bit ? Ha.