Has anyone removed this piece?

That looks more like a squirrel (AKA 'tree rat') or some other kind of a rodent. Rodents have bigger and sharper teeth than any birds beak. Except maybe a eagle or other raptor type bird

 

How about one of these!!!

 

Proof .... My neighbors daughter had the same thing happen and it was the younger bird. Parents pictured above.

 

That's crazy, wonder what the heck the birds would want that piece.

 

Lil bastard lol

 

Redline hood struts.

 

I bet the frog was down there laughing at you...

 

PM @gunny1005 at Camelback Toyota

 

Probably chasing a frog or a mouse.

 

A frog or mouse on 5 different cars at different times. That would be interesting. My trucks case that may have been true as I have several frogs around at night and geckos.

 

Purchased a used one from a wrecked 2017 Tacoma. Only $80.00 shipped from New York. Just have to find the time to clean it up and install it after removed the Bird destroyed one. Damn Birds on the protected list. You can't shoot em and you can't live with them.

 

1. Toyota might be using soy-based wiring that attracts pack-rats and rodents. Rodents are drawn to the smell/taste of soy-based wire insulation. This has been reported by owners from many auto manufacturers.

2. Toyota has been improving designs but still hasn't got it entirely satisfactory. My direct experiences of ownership are 1997-2001-2015 Tacoma 4x4 trucks which had NOTHING to keep animals out of the vents for engine air-intake and cabin ventilation. Worst situation was pack-rats in the air-intake for the 2015, eaten through heavy pleated engine air filter, scurrying past into the air intake to the fuel injectors, sh*t all over everything with droppings going into the intakes, along with small rocks, gravel, plant parts, seeds, etc. The bastards ate out the AC duct-work system behind the dash, holes and chewed up edges, wiring, the small pieces for nesting inside the dash. Seeds, plant debris, excrement, etc. all over the place.

3. The 2019 Tacoma 4x4 is focus for this posting. All attached photos are for the 2019 Tacoma but could be applicable to 2018, possibly 2017, not sure. Definitely not 2015 because I had one and they are different. The nightmare experiences with pack-rats and mice were inducements to examine things more critically. I don't know if anything I post is a solution but posting this information to inform and possibly help other Patriotic Americans. The solutions appear simple, but nothing is really all that simple with rodents, etc. The attached photographs should be testament as to the seriousness of damages caused by these little bastards. I've only had the truck bout 8 months and look what they did!

Description of Actions:

A. Remove the filter box for the air-intake and pull it out. Only 3 bolts to remove this box. The box has a round extrusion that extends into the fender. This fender cavity is where the "fresh air" for the engine and also the cabin, are drawn --- just above the front right wheel, the fender cavity. There is no need to access the cavity unless pack-rat debris or a dead animal is trapped inside. I've never removed the plastic partition above the wheel so cannot tell you how to do that. But i did blast the inside of the fender cavity with high pressure garden hose to flush it out. Unfortunately, I could not see anything and as far as I know, nothing came out. There are likely openings under there, since the pack-rats have found a way inside. Toyota design should completely screen or seal that cavity as some of us live in very wild areas and that cavity is attractive to wildlife.

B. Clean/disinfect everything-rodents carry diseases. Used a spray cleaner from Clorox with bleach (of course), says it kills 99.9% of everything. Hopefully, not humans. Probably good idea to wear rubber gloves and only in well ventilated areas. I removed the entire intake box and scrubbed it down/disinfected in a utility sink. Then to rectify the problem, felt that blocking off the rodent entry path through the round tube extrusion by covering that hole with screening. This is the air-intake from the fender cavity. My method was to use two screens, one for outside the box, and one for inside the box, all squeezed into the round tube/hole. Screen material is probably aluminum used for drywall work, easy to cut and "mold." Photo of screening material is attached. The round tube hole size is 3.5 inches, but a little over-size allows for squeezing the screening into the round hole. An epoxy might be needed to ensure that the screens remain in place, but I am going to skip for now, it's messy and permanent, and see what happens since I know what to do now. Concerns with reduced airflow due to the screening will be by monitoring fuel economy.

Now for the worst part -- the cabin air intake.

C. From the attached photos, note that it is a disaster. First step--clean everything up. A shop vacuum is handy and a good washing to remove stains and clumped crap, then Clorox with bleach to top it off. The rats ate the foam filter that covered the intake, or the intake hole that draws air from the fender cavity. I don't have a replacement yet as the pack-rats completely shredded that thing. That's where the cotton bunting and gray spongy material is from as seen in the photos. The copious bean seeds are Mesquite tree beans and a main staple for pack-rats for consumption during the winter.

D. The air intake for the cabin cannot be easily seen because it is somewhat recessed. Very easy to miss, but check out the attached photo. This hole connects the windshield wiper well with the fender cavity to allow fresh air to flow from the fender cavity (same as the engine intake) into the cabin and AC system. This is path that rodents used to access the wiper well and chew up everything, pack seeds, trash, excrement. I haven't done anything with that hole but will consider screening it off by cutting out a piece of screen and placing it over the hole held by permanent epoxy. I'm not sure just yet because the shredded filter may need to go back on there. I may do away with the filter if that is what it was.

E. Possibly adding an another layer of screening underneath the wiper well cover, epoxied into place. Just a thought.

A few other pointers based on postings in this forum:

If you live in or near a wilderness area -- eating in your vehicle is unwise. Going to the drive-through or whatever, the crumbs of food fall into the carpet, seats, etc., grease gets wiped on the bulkheads, etc. and draws rodents. Also, food from leaking grocery sacks and bags can seep into the carpet. Part of the carpet in one of my earlier trucks got eaten out by rodents after being contaminated from a grocery bag.

The plastic "screws" that hold down the edges of the plastic wiper well can be removed by hand, not yanked out with pliers. Forcing them usually destroys them. Just squeeze and continue pressure, they will slowly come out. Hard on thumbs but you won't have to look for replacements and preserve the OEM parts.

The bolts to access the wipers for removal are covered with plastic discs somewhat nickel sized, "clipped" into place. Use a sharp 1/4" chisel to pry the seam apart-- don't cut or damage anything, and this separates the discs from the assembly. A screwdriver blade was found to be too thick to get into the seam and will cause damage. Just carefully apply pressure using the chisel and on the end towards the length of the wiper, and the disc separates and kind of pops out. They are small and easy to lose so be aware that you have to prevent them from falling someplace inaccessible. A fingernail works after using the tool to gently remove. No damage and they easily clip back into place.

The bolt that attaches the wiper assembly to the motor is a 14 mm. The clearance is poor so use a standard ratchet/14 mm socket with no extension.

Hopefully this helps other Toyota owners who might be having this kind of problem. Have now had 4 Toyota Tacoma trucks dating back to 1997, got burned again and again, not just by rodents. If you do not want to do relatively simple work, the dealer is glad to charge you thousands. Just to foam and clean the duct-work in the 2001 Tacoma cost over $800, didn't fix much of anything and masked the dead animal smell with a masking chemical. I had to re-do it myself and a better job by buying a professional steamer, industrial cleaners, Clorox spray cleaner and grit.

 

Sorry to bring up an old post, but I was just wondering @NMTrailRider or anyone else that has worked on this, what you ended up using to replace those anchors/exploding rivets?
Bought a pretty, barely used 2017 SR5 Double Cab recently, I have already had to deal with the dreaded third brake light issue, and after getting that fixed and the truck cleaned (a MONTH in the dealership) running it through the car wash found a little leaking under the passenger-side dash, and the cabin air filter was wet.
Back to the dealership, and the techs find that this cowl piece wasn't tight against the windshield at all. All the tabs were broken, I'm guessing the rivets were reused and not working correctly too.
My current fix is masking tape over the seal between the windshield and the cowl, and that seems to be keeping the water out. But the dealership won't replace the cowl under warranty because the previous owner tampered with it/removed and broke it. Trying to find a good solution while I wait for the third party seller that sold the truck to come correct on their warranty, since the dealership has deferred on theirs!

Thanks

 

I had my windshield replaced and this cowling doesn't seem to have been reinstalled properly, as the wiper fluid gets deflected all over (thread here-https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wiper-fluid-deflected.741754/). I spent most of yesterday waiting on hold for Safelite, and the windshield replacement was done 4 months ago, so I doubt they'll fix it. (I've barely driven since the replacement, it was clear weather when I did, and I thought the spray nozzles were just clogged- nope). The cowling is sticking up higher than it should be. I looked at a few Tacos in parking lots. They have a gap about 3/8" to 1/2" between the hood and cowling, where mine has maybe 1/4". When I take this thing off, what am I supposed to be looking for to push it down farther so it goes back into its proper place? All the tabs are in place along the front and none of them are broken. I've looked at the part online but only see photos/drawings of the front. Is there something that is supposed to slide beneath the windshield or someplace else?
Any help appreciated before I remove/replace and wind up with the same issue.

 

Great writeup but the soy-based wiring isn't what attracts rodents and the like to the trucks. Rodents have been chewing wiring and burrowing into vehicles since LONG before soy-based insulation was a thing. And before you say "it happens more often now" I'd argue that is completely false. It more depends on factors such as where you live, where you park, etc. I watch a ton of videos on vehicle revivals and I don't think I've seen a single one that didn't have evidence of rodents in it either with a nest, scat, chewed wires, etc.

 

I used the vacuum cleaner to clean with some success

 

When this is reinstalled, should the rubber be on top of the glass or underneath it? I assume it is supposed to be on top of the glass, but when it was installed that way by both Safelite and me (trying to fix it), the cowl stayed up too high and blocked the wiper fluid spray. I pushed the rubber on the back of the cowling underneath the bottom of the windshield and the spray works perfectly, and the gap between the hood & cowl appears normal. I'd assume this okay. Is it the normal setup? Thanks.