Rat nest and engine fires

2005 f150 parked in my pole bldg ,don,t drive it much ,critter built a nest in my fresh air intake, short story my insurer paid $1300. to have it cleaned out and running.

I bought a used V-10 class C that had sat for a couple of years. I drove it home almost 400 miles pedal to the medal on a cool and rainy day in November. A few days later I took a light to the engine department and saw what you found, maple leaves. I started gathering them from the front with a vacuum cleaner and got a decent bucket out. Next day I took the doghouse off and got another bucket. Literally packed but no bodies.

It took an hour, and a bit more to clean up the mess. Having said that, I remembered when they asked me when I bought insurance for the year they said "Do you want new replacement value?" It was a lot more but they assured me that I could cancel that when I wanted and revert back to the insurance based on what I paid for it.

Next time when I am offered new replacement value, I will take it for a couple of months until I am sure the new to me rig is not going to blow up or burn down. Scared the Holey Bejesus right out of me when I realized how close it was to a total write off.

You bet that twigs, leaves and foliage can catch fire from engine heat. These darn covers that manufacturers are installing prevent easy inspection.

Never had rats but, I once had mice build a nest in the engine compartment.

The problem is not just the stuff they leave behind but, the can chew on the wires under the hood. That can also cause a fire

It's not just a problem of fire it can also be a problem because on these modern computerized vehicles a break in even the casing of some wires can cause the computer to get all out of whack.

Rumor has it, new cars use soy based wire insulation, the vermin are rumored to be attracted to the taste / smell of it..