Rodent activity in my engine bay, what to do? (8 Viewers)

[MUDZLLA]

mothballs

 

[GuitarsandMopars]

I second the scented dryer sheet suggestion. I had a mouse chew through a spark plug wire on a convertible that sat for weeks or months at a time on my carport during the winter. That was the first winter I had the car. Once I tucked a few dryer sheets around the engine bay, the problem never recurred despite all other conditions remaining the same.

 

[Unca Charlie]

Hello, just noticed my firewall insulation was all torn up with rodents droppings. The weather is cold here in So Cal at night but this is the first encounter although my LC 100 have always parked outside. Any suggestions ie traps, rat poison and is the isolation hard to replace? Thanks ! View attachment 3543311

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I tried peppermint, coyote piss, dryer sheets, and a few other things. They would work for a few days and then they'd come back. The only thing that worked for me was keeping the hood open at night during the winter months. The ground squirrels in my area (East Bay) are a big pain.

The squirrels stored about 250 acorns i the pockets where the hood closes, crapped all over the engine bay, tore up the insulation, and ate through a ton of wiring, including the fuel pump wiring on top of the gas tank. They also f**ked up the sending unit. I was able to replace most of the wiring, but took it to the shop for the fuel pump stuff. Major pita.

 

[BenjaminTX]

I had a squirrel problem that resisted a number of methods to dissuade the critters, but finally found something that worked for me. I installed a "Under Hood Animal Car Repeller Rodent Electronic Repellent" by Loraffe from Amazon for ~$30. It's been a 100% solution since it was installed in early 2023.

It's a little box that flashes and puts out an ultrasonic sound when the vehicle isn't in motion. I zip-tied it in place next to the coolant bottle and hard-wired it to the vehicle's battery. So far it hasn't drained the battery enough when parked for 3-4 days, but I'm not sure what the limit is for being parked. The bonus is a modest disco-light party under the vehicle at night.

 

[badlander]

Since my post in this thread a year ago I've found something that's working really well for me.
You ready:
Fluid Film, sprayed liberally on top of and under the intake manifold and under the brake master cylinder and on the fender liner on the passenger side. And no, it doesnt smell bad, barely even know it's there. But the
slimy puddle under the intake manifold sure has worked well at discouraging mice from wanting to build a nest there. No more droppings or signs of nesting activity anywhere.