Rodent damage

[cruiserdan]

With summer here and all the camping going on I wanted to remind everyone to look under the hood at least daily. We were at the lake this weekend and I had mice under the hood of the 80 that chewed up some vacuum lines and a hot air duct for my methanol injection pump. I opened the hood on my Dodge truck to check it and there were two of the little bastards standing on top of the cylinder head

My wife actually grabbed one of them with a gloved hand and crushed it and "spiked" it like a football player in the endzone...

It only takes a very short time, under the right conditions, for them to do some serious damage.

D-

 

[sc40]

ditto, mice chewed through my spark plug wires on my f150 this past summer. (i leave it at a ranch)

 

[helocat]

My wife actually grabbed one of them with a gloved hand and crushed it and "spiked" it like a football player in the endzone...

D-

Whooo hoo! Now thats a woman! Wham later mouse.

Good sugestion, I will make a point to check mine. With an airport being next door to the shop = lots of critters.

Mark

 

[tech_dog]

Damn... everyone had better be nice to CDan's wife....

I recently found what looked like a half dozen "snail bones" under my hood. I'm guessing a rodent took up temporary lodging and was leaving his scraps. I never found any other signs of infestation, but you know theyr'e out there.

 

[Josh83]

I remember a guy posted on pirate a while back that mice ate most of his underhood wiring on his 100. The estimate was something like $7K at the dealer.

 

[Brentbba]

I thought your shamanism kept you free of that stuff.

 

[cary]

With summer here and all the camping going on I wanted to remind everyone to look under the hood at least daily. We were at the lake this weekend and I had mice under the hood of the 80 that chewed up some vacuum lines and a hot air duct for my methanol injection pump. I opened the hood on my Dodge truck to check it and there were two of the little bastards standing on top of the cylinder head

My wife actually grabbed one of them with a gloved hand and crushed it and "spiked" it like a football player in the endzone...

It only takes a very short time, under the right conditions, for them to do some serious damage.

D-

Do you have some counterpart at the Dodge dealer that you forgot to buy parts from or something? It's kind of like Shaman on Shaman bad luck.

Seriouly, I had a rat get going in the engine compartment of my old pathfinder. I didn't figure that out until I blew a power steering hose he had been chewing on. Cost me nearly $1000. The amazing part was I was driving the truck every day.

 

[concretejungle]

I wonder if your insurance covers damage like that?

 

[cruiserdan]

If you have comprehensive coverage they would likely cover it, less deductible. I got off easy with about 30 bucks worth of hose. As far as I can tell all the wiring is intact.

 

[cruiserdan]

Do you have some counterpart at the Dodge dealer that you forgot to buy parts from or something? It's kind of like Shaman on Shaman bad luck.

Seriouly, I had a rat get going in the engine compartment of my old pathfinder. I didn't figure that out until I blew a power steering hose he had been chewing on. Cost me nearly $1000. The amazing part was I was driving the truck every day.

They did not eat the Dodge, just the Cruiser. Maybe they don't like diesel fuel?

 

[fzj80kidpen]

All I have to say is "Get a cat, don't feed it and don't let it inside, ever"

 

[WildYoats]

Interesting problem. You think something like this would work as a precautionary device? (providing it doesn't do damage to rubber)

http://www.dreamingearth.com/mouse-away.html

 

[cruiserdan]

All I have to say is "Get a cat, don't feed it and don't let it inside, ever"

Like he'd want to go camping with me......;p

 

[NorCalSam]

Damn rodents!

 

[Dansan]

If you go up to places like Mineral King, in the Sierras, guys who park and leave their vehicles for extended periods drive onto a tarp then wrap the entire vehicle. The problem is marmots which love salt and eat every rubber part on a car. Sometimes, these marmots make it back to LA under the hood.

I don't point at these strangely wrapped vehicles and snicker after the Ranger told what a tow cost from his area.

 

[hatman406080]

It happened to my 60 a couple of years ago. The mice got in there and made themselves to home and had their babies. They chewed the wires and hood insulation. It didn't cost much, just about $30 to replace the wires. If they truck has to be parked for a month or so, I put some rat poison under the hood.

 

[Romer]

My wife actually grabbed one of them with a gloved hand and crushed it and "spiked" it like a football player in the endzone...

D-

Tell S- I said, way to go girl! Still not joining that after Moab club

 

[AndyR]

damage control

Cdan wrote:

"My wife actually grabbed one of them with a gloved hand and crushed it and "spiked" it like a football player in the endzone..."

"It only takes a very short time, under the right conditions, for them to do some serious damage."

Yes...I have some divorced friends who will attest to that!

Oh...maybe he meant the mice.

Andy

 

[loquito]

My wife "spiked" it like a football player in the endzone...

D-

She sound like a good woman.

 

[rick_d]

we have pack rats here in southern az.

I had my new tacoma 6 weeks before bastids ate a sensor wire on cylinder head. Local stealer charged $1,840 to replace (removed one of heads to replace $16 wire!).

...had I drove it to Long Beach I could have had it done for warranty work.

they also ate my firewall insulator on the 70 series. I replaced that with the HD-T install.

...found one in my store room and nuked him with "easy off" oven cleaner ...then laid his carcass out for the others rats to see-plus bought feed traps and other goodies to rid myself of them.