rodent damage

I got the knock sensor code after my truck was parked in the mountains for ~2 weeks. I was horrified to find a packrat had nested in near the engine. I was even more horrified to learn of the 20+ hours labor to replace the wiring harness, as is necessary to access on 2nd gen Tacomas. Heads had to be removed, engine taken out, etc. to access it. Lucky that comprehensive insurance covered it, but was a hassle to deal with and my truck was in the shop for three weeks.

I do not want to experience this again. How to keep rodents out of the engine area? What strategies are people using?

 

Why was the truck parked in the mountains for 2 weeks?

 

Believe it or not, coyote piss works great.

You can pick up coyote scent at well stocked hunting stores or order it online. Once a week or so, and right before parking it for a while in a rodent-prone area, putt a few drops in each wheel well and a few drops on the top of your skidplate.

Such small amounts won't make your A/C smell like piss, but critters will pick it up and avoid crawling around in the truck.

 

You can buy Honda wiring harness tape thats impregnated with spicy pepper and it stops them in their tracks. I would have had the shop wrap that harness it in before they installed it. You can also get peppermint based rodent deterrent sprays and spray the wiring harnesses regularly to keep them coated.

 

Thanks, Deanosaurus! I didn't realize that.
I'm looking for some coyote scent now. Can you steer me in the right direction for some?

 

https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/4019-2317.html

rodent tape from Honda

 

Tell me you didn't pay anything for all that labor

 

Mothballs in the engine, spray some peppermint oil and cayenne peppers. There's also ultrasonic deterrents but they seem to be more miss than hits so you should do your research on whether or not you want to invest in them.

-J

 

Hey man I had this happened to me I use to live out in the country and I swear by this product it works. After I bought these deterrents I had no more mice problems in the engine bay. I bought two of these just for extra protection and zip tied them on each side of the firewall in the engine bay. I work from home so sometimes my car sits for a week and I never had anymore mice problems. The batteries last about 3 months also, they last awhile.

$28 Ultrasonic Rodent Repellent for Car Engine – Battery Powered Under Hood Mouse Repeller with Flashing Strobe Light, Keeps Rats and Mice Away from Vehicle, Automobile, Truck, Garage, Attic, Barn, Shed

https://www.amazon.com/Loraffe-Repe...gid=pla-795893330053&ref=&adgrpid=77906172684

 

The evil empire has it if you're not near a Cabellas or larger Bass Pro:

$15 Lenon's Trappers Special 3 Bottles 4 oz Bobcat Urine, Coyote Urine & Fox Urine

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084M8C45N

 

I battle hordes of Cascade Mountain mice daily.

https://watermanatwork.com/blog/keep-mice-out-of-your-vehicle-deluxe-edition/

 

Any taxidermist want this one?

 

I had to deal with this a few years ago. Was also done by the dealership as a comp claim.

As far as keeping rodents out. It is my experience that nothing works 100%. I tried ultrasonic repellants, traps, poison, scent (peppermint and predator), lights, keeping the hood open, parking in different places, rodent tape and aluminum (HVAC) tape. Also built a screen to exclude them from the cowl area after one got inside my truck, chewed through the cabin air filter and set up residence in the vent ducts. That was fun, had to blow the entire dash apart to get the nest, poop and rat snacks out.
I once repaired a section of the MAF sensor wire, wrapping it with Honda rodent tape, HVAC tape and split loom. Damn rat blew right through all of it and chewed up the repaired section.

In the end indoor parking was the only thing that stopped this. Built a shop big enough to park all the newer stuff indoors.
The one outdoor parked truck (80s toyota) still gets rats in the engine bay all the time but they don't seem to have the same appetite for the wiring that they do with the newer trucks.

 

This is all amazing information. Thanks!
I will be employing ALL of these strategies since my Taco lives outdoors.
It would be nice if manufacturers would stop making delicious tasting wiring, etc.
Cheers,

 

I never realized coyote piss was so expensive. It's probably cheaper to buy a bottle of top shelf booze.
I have been using regular old snap traps with peanut butter with little success. They have eaten so much peanut butter that my only hope is that they get diabetes.

 

Just want to say my experience with peppermint spray is that it doesn’t repel rodents worth a shit. I got a gallon of that crap and it didn’t repel anything. In fact I think they liked the taste. I’d look for something other than peppermint.

 

I was successful with peanut butter and a cage type trap. I had to catch him twice though because I think he flipped the cage over the first time and escaped. Second time I put something heavy on top. He was living in my garage and with the cold weather, I was worried he eventually make his way into my warm engine bay.

 

After you set the trap you need to take all the play out of the firing pin. Once I started doing that I was catching them every time.

 

You mean secure it to something?

 

These things work great: