Chewed wires

I have had 2 friends have their wired under there hood chewed by varmints. One was by a squirrel the other was by a ground hog. Has this happened to any of you ???

 

Not personally but I've heard plenty of stories about it and witnessed it a few times back when I played auto mechanic. It happens, they like the warmth.

 

Also, many new plastics are now soy based instead of petroleum based and the furry fellas really like the taste of the soy. Going green baby!

 

hasn't happened to me but it did happen to a member one here not too long ago. i want to say it was panda jerk, but not 100% on that.

 

Happened to my old hot rod. Chewed a fuel injector wire and a parking light wire. Started placing bowls of rat poison in different areas of the barn. That seemed to stop it.

 

Last week my wife and I actually watched a groundhog run across our driveway and first jump up on the back tire of the truck, then jump down and run and jump up into the engine compartment from underneath. I ran outside and banged on the hood and could hear it moving around in there. It then jumped out underneath and took off. I couldn't believe it! I've had them around the property forever and in the garden, but never thought they would be getting under the hood of my trucks. It looked like it knew what it was doing and had been doing it for some time....so I checked the wires which seem to be ok so far. Watch out!!

 

2010 toyo V6 access cab. 7500 miles.
Recently the check engine light and traction cont. light came on. I took the truck to the dealer who narrowed it down to the knock sensor. They then (after calling me) took off the air intake and intake manifold to access the knock sensor.

Under the intake manifold they found the knock sensor with a wire chewed off and acorns in the same area. They then told me it is not coved by warranty because it is an outside influence. I then spoke with one of the techs at the shop and they said it was the second one in about the past month and the design is bad and has a big space for animals. To fix it they orginally said they have to replace the harness which cost 2500.00. Then the following day they said Toyota came out with a kit for the knock sensor wire which total cost went down to 740.00.

My truck does sit alot and i do live in the woods so I understand, but just hate that the warranty does not cover this. My insurance will cover the damage but my deductiable is750.00.

One question can i do ne thing to keep rodents away from the truck? Maybe mothballs? Thank You .

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/117034-found-mouse-shit-my-battery.html <-- donovan6241 is experiencing almost the same thing. hahaha

 

Many a time at my job we dio cars with chewed wires by stupid rodents. I work for honda and just to let you know i'll get the part number but honda made a special anti-rodent tape to keep them away from wiring and such that is chewed. Its a bit pricey at like 42 bucks a roll but 42 bucks for 1000 plus/minus bucks in dio and repairs. I can't get the part number at this moment but i'll get it for ya if you'd like. The tape has a spice found in VERY HOT chili peppers in it so it keeps em away. i have it on my tacoma for good luck and so far so good.

 

if ya can get the part number i would apperciate it. i have tons of squirlles and acorn trees all over. ty

 

We used to get rabbits under the hood of my moms car. They liked the coil wire. We used some lead technology on the little guy. Never happened again.

 

WOW! I had the exact same thing happen to my about 2 years ago. One of the coldest days since I have been living in Florida and after all day at work I went to start the truck and to my suprise the check engine light came on. When I took it to the dealer they came back and told me that it was the knock sensor wiring. Turned out to be an animal related issue and it was going to be about $2200 to fix. I called my insurance and they covered it under comprehensive so it only cost me $100.

 

Ok so I was able to log into ISIS today and grab you that part number for the rodent tape. P/N 4019-2317 and make sure the parts guy doesn't give you shit, it is a legit number and we carry some in stock as a shop supply. It has capsaicin in it so be careful when you handle it cause if you rub your eyes, it hurts! Rodents hate things that are of a spicy nature. We had a 99 civic with rodents building in the intake system so we put a mesh net over the reonator opening and put the mesh in tobasco sauce, they never came back near the car. Give it a try but buyers beware it's expensive and the price varies from dealer to dealer cause they're all highway robbers lol hope this helps

 

Surprised no one has said this yet but moth balls work wonders for keeping them away. Some of them come in a cage type thing with a hook meant to go in your closet. Just get one or two of those and hang them on either side of the engine bay on something. (just not something that gets really hot)

Whatever you do.. don't put poison in there. Many shops will not work on your truck once they see poison. As a tech.. I do the same.

 

Thanks everyone for the intel.

 

Just got my Tacoma back. 770.00 to fix the knock sensor. They had to replace the section of wire harness.

 

OMG!! If you ever find that rat.. do your truck some justice. HAHA!

 

Just put moths balls in the engine compartment and stuffed the area of the knock sensor with steel wool.

Also, I took the plastic motor cover off the top of the motor to find three bolts lose and the hose clamp for the intake stripped... great job that toyota tech did...wtf...!

 

Kinda makes me glad I have a few yard cats around.