f'n mouse/mice/rodent inside my air system!!

Toyota, Honda, etc. are partly to blame for the mice. All car makers started using soy or peanut based insulation on wiring. Which is really stupid. Use Teflon and watch the critters die.
I don't which environmental group came up with this stupid idea but I would sue them if I could.

 

OMG people today. Ever hear the term "shit happens"? There is not a responsible party for everything that takes place in the universe. Rodents going into your truck is no ones fault and to even fantasize about a class action suit is ludicrous. I actually got cancer from reading that nonsense.

 

Sounds like your Taco is the designated rodent orgy truck. Them rodents be putting some D's in some B's up in your truck. In case you don't know what B's in D's is its d*cks in b*tts. Enjoy your next drive. Sorry but I am lmao right now.

 

Careful he may try to sue you....or you could sue him for giving you cancer. I'm suing both of you.

 

Let's make it a class action lawsuit for wasting our time. . In before the

 

Oh man that sucks so much. I hate it when critters cause problems. I had a similar experience after parking at a trailhead for a ten day backpacking trip a few years ago. I was driving a 2012 model Kia at the time. when I finished the hike, the AC would not blow cold air. Drove it 15 hours back to Texas in the heat of summer using the 85mph window AC. Took it to a dealer (being under warranty) and they said it was the compressor that had gone bad. They change the compressor and still no cold air, so then they said it's the condenser... changed it with no affect. They then replaced the compressor AGAIN along with all hoses and components for the AC plumbing. Still wouldn't work. Eventually they discovered one little wire had been chewed through by a mouse and that was the only thing wrong with the system. The manager said technically that's not a warranty claim, but since they took so long he wasn't going to charge me. As soon as I got it back I drove it 0.1 mile to the next door Toyota dealership and traded it in for my taco.

 

Because it was a Kia, I'm betting it was a hamster.

 

Just found this today.

 

My ex used to park in the garage so I kept the truck out front during the spring. I found this and relocated it to a nearby tree. A month later there was another nest. I guess birds like tacos too.

 

ok... i'll bite. wtf is that?

 

I had my truck in storage for like 3 years. Guess some mice went to town hiding food.

 

This is what I'm talking about. Toyota doesn't owe you a thing for not making a mouse proof vehicle. Get some cats. If it bugs you that much I'll take your truck off your hands at a steep discount.

 

This happened to us with our Sequoia. Once we got it fixed we put mothballs in old socks under the hood if the car was going to sit for a couple of days. We pull take them out before driving. Became a habit and did not happen again.

 

I also found a rat's nest in my 2008 Tacoma. It was under the black plastic cowl, passenger side, right next to the fresh air intake, which leads directly to the cabin air filter. The cabin air filter was soaked with rat piss and smelled horrible. I tried to fix it, following the example of some other member's pictures here on tacomaworld. My repair job is kind of a hack, but I think it should work.

First I took off the wiper arms and the black plastic cowling. Then installed a grate over the fresh air intake. Used two bolts, and some zip ties in a few spots, which probably isn't ideal, but I think it will be ok. I also put some wire cloth to the far left and far right sides of the cowl, because I think that's where the rodents are coming in from. The wire cloth might cause a problem in time, since leafs and debris will probably start to get collected there. That could eventually prevent proper water drainage. But, I can always remove the cowl again once a year and just clean it out with a shop vac.

I haven't had a chance yet to remove the front fenders, but I imagine that under the fenders and the side-cowl area there is probably more leaves and debris packed in there by the rodents. Anyway, here are my pictures up this point... hope this helps someone else out.

 

My mothers Jeep Liberty had mice in the headliner, ate some wires inside the engine compartment. It was so bad the insurance company totaled the car.

 

Better use something with smaller holes. A mouse can squeeze through 1/2" hardware cloth.

Plastic is soy based, not oil based like it was years ago. Now it's a food source. Start feeding a couple stray cats just enough to keep them coming around. They'll hunt rodents 24/7. I even have one that sleeps in the engine bay, jumps out when he hears the doors unlock. Solved the problem for me, but you may have to thin the herd from time to time.

 

I have my intake from the cowl, so sealing the whole area killed two birds. The extra holes in the side area are to accommodate the increased air flow demands of the intake. Here is what I did to seal everything. I also installed these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074WLBMKZ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

No rat issues since.

 

@badger, how and why does your intake run through the cowl? This looks like a good idea to me as it may act as a cold air intake, and it is further from the splash zone... what are your results??

 

I hate links that don't work.