Mice in Engine

[Gomez]

Dropped my truck off from state inspection and they called me to let me know there was a nest in the engine bay, and whatever made it chewed several wires and hoses. The wheel speed sensor needed to be replaced and they are still working on repairing damage.

My truck is normally parked in the driveway, sometimes for several days at a time. I've seen the mice leave hickory nuts in othre vehicles, but never a large nest.

Can anything be done (e.g. mothballs?) to prevent the mice from nesting in the truck?

 

[firefighterjake]

1. Take cat and place in engine compartment
2. Shut hood
3. Check on cat periodically

And yes . . . I'm kidding . . . I'm actually a cat lover.

In all seriousness I've heard some folks say mothballs will work . . . others say they will not. I know with sleds some folks put steel wool in the exhaust and air intake to keep the mice from building a home inside . . . but I don't know how much use this would be with a truck.

 

[tiber]

1. Take cat and place in engine compartment

Let me fix that for you - take used cat litter, place in old sock, hang in engine bay. If the animals think a cat frequents it, they won't nest there.

Just don't take it out and flip it over your should or anything...

Works in the garden, should work for your engine bay.

 

[Kenster]

Our good friends live out in the country. They own a 2009 and a 2010 Toyota. Both vehicles recently were found to have wiring damage chewed up by mice/rats. As if the Toyotas didn't have enough problems already.

 

[basswidow]

It's been an issue for me too. I've not only had nest in the engine compartment, but one got into a work vehicle and chewed up the seat and made a nest in the spare tire area.

I've tried baited traps while the car is parked and sitting and gotten a few, but there are hundreds on my property. Not sure why - but we are in the country on their turf. They've ruined my boat, and christmas lights boxed up in the shed. Anything I put in the shed - I can pretty much be assured it will get chewed. When I mow in the summer - 10 feet in front of the mower you can see them running and jumping at times.

I need some feral cats and some big black snakes.

 

[Flatbedford]

This worked for me in the old flatbed.

 

[webie]

It's been an issue for me too. I've not only had nest in the engine compartment, but one got into a work vehicle and chewed up the seat and made a nest in the spare tire area.

I've tried baited traps while the car is parked and sitting and gotten a few, but there are hundreds on my property. Not sure why - but we are in the country on their turf. They've ruined my boat, and christmas lights boxed up in the shed. Anything I put in the shed - I can pretty much be assured it will get chewed. When I mow in the summer - 10 feet in front of the mower you can see them running and jumping at times.

I need some feral cats and some big black snakes.

I had a cocker spaniel was one of the best mousers I ever had . He use to just have his nose in the old wood pile when I started moving it inside . If he found a nest that was hors d'oeuvres

 

[leftyscott]

quote]
I had a cocker spaniel was one of the best mousers I ever had . He use to just have his nose in the old wood pile when I started moving it inside . If he found a nest that was hors d'oeuvres[/quote]

Every spring I burn a bunch of boxes that contains my wife's old school students papers/projects etc... Teachers can accumulate a lot of junk over the years. When I find a box with a mouse nest in it, I dump it on the ground in front of my 3 dogs. That's quite a show.

 

[LLigetfa]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aukHn71tatA

 

[gpcollen1]

The cat remarks always sounds smartass but it is the way i do it. if you know mice like the area, the only way i keep my house and vehicles relatively mouse free is my cats. I now have 3 as i got a new kitten last summer because the 2 others are getting a bit older and we needed a mouser in training. My cats do a great job around the house and outside. When I move in 5 years ago, the place had mice everywhere. Now i barely ever see or here one alive. Only find the occasional half-carcass.

 

[f3cbboy]

Is it atruck that gets a lot of use or just occasional?, couple guys i know that store hot rods and the like use dryer sheets, they swear by it to keep critters out.

 

[LLigetfa]

I heard of a guy that tried dryer sheets only to find the mice used them to make their nest. Maybe one brand works better than others.

Cat, dog, and mousetraps keep the mouse population down for me.

 

['bert]

Thanks for the vid LL! LOL!

 

[Tony H]

I also live in a area where they will get in your cars and make nests but you can keep them out. The mice enter often thru the air vent system so make sure you turn off the heat /air when you park and you should be able to hear the fresh air duct door shut. If you drive it every day that should suffice if you park it you need to do more.
The entry points are in the base of the front and rear fenders where the water drains are located take steel wool and plug these 4 openings mice cannot chew thru steel wool as they will cuy there mouths and bleed to death. I had an old BMW they loved and got into it and make a home and a huge mess I had to remove most of the interior and replace it. After I shut the vents they did not get inside the passenger area but got in the trunk and in the cowl ( vent area at the base of the windshield) ,every time you ran the heat or air the smell would about knock you out. After that I started the steel wool trick learned from an experienced exterminator and over about 6 or 8 winters after that never had another mouse issue.
Never had any luck keeping them out of the engine area but the sock of cat litter sounds interesting and of course a few cats would help a ton but we only have one indoor cat. We did have some feral cats in the area but I think the coyotes might have got them.
Another idea some people use is the tarp and cover , take a big tarp and lay it on the ground drive the car onto it and then pull it up and tie it so it goes up near the roof line all the way around. Take a car cover and put it over the car and tarp and tape the cover down to the tarp using that blue painters tape and you have a enclosed car engine area and all.
With the boat leaving the cover off if it's parked inside has been enough to keep us from getting mouse damage , we did get damage when putting the cover on in the same storage garage. My nephew has stored his boat for many years and swears by the moth ball plan if you try this I would put the balls in a open top plastic butter type container he just threw them in one car and the thing smell like moth balls forever.

 

[shawng111]

That video is hilarious