Rodent nest in truck

[happycamper1942]

This is a new one for me. I took my truck in for a service today and when I went to pick it up the mechanic told me he found a rodent nest at the back of the engine against the firewall. He pulled it out, and showed me about a cubic foot of grey insulation, I guess from the firewall. No sign of any other damage to wires etc, but I guess I am short of soundproofing now!!
The truck stays outside all of the time, and we have had a few nights below zero, so the mouse or rat found a nice warm engine to cosy up to.
I have set a trap in the engine compartment, and also in my 5th wheel basement to see if I can flush them out.
Does anyone have any experience with the electronic things you plug in to keep mice etc away? Do they work?

[silversand]

We've had major problems with mice in the engine compartment of the 2500hd (gm). They nest in the large fuse box, eat fuse plastic(!), eat the. Black insulation skin, and rip out the glass wool to make nests throughout engine (and, inside air filter box). I used snap traps for two years, and caught many (so many, i stopped counting). And, that was during the summer/fall season (6 months). The other six months the rig was stored in a marina heated facility.

This winter, we are storing at our house outdoors. I separated truck from camper, and parked truck 40 feet from where mice invaded it (truck now out in middle of driveway, far from forest, and our dry stacked stone wall). So far, so good. Our snow hit in october this year, and no mice. I did build a custom steel piece (out of an old gm air filter mesh), and have installed it in the air filter intake to block mice (i remove it and put filter back when i start the truck). This summer, i will replace the black insulation (my dealer will do this for $237).

Research vegetable additive plastics and wire insulation. This is a major issue with at least 7 vehicle manufacturers and numerous of their models, today.

*drier sheets were absolutely useless. I tried 4 brands, and all of them were used by our mice, shredded, and made into nests! Also, the problem with volatiles like peppermint, and many other odiferous deterrents is that in open air, the effectiveness degrades, as the wind over your engine (with hood closed) or excess air movement oxidizes those agents in hours or a few days. Btw: mice create scent trails, and more aggresive mice will often encroach weaker holed up mice, and scare them off, whereby even more aggressive mice will displace those (a vicious cycle, following those scent trails throughout you engine, the scent lasting up to several years, unless you steam clean your engine...every few weeks.

[Ramp_Digger]

Has anyone ever tried peppermint oil,a couple of drops on a cotton ball.Place a few of these here and there in the afected area.I have not done this myself just had someone suggest it.

[campingken]

We live in the country and adopted 2 barn cats. They, plus the hawks and owls, keep the rodent population in check. So far we haven't had any auto vs. rodent issues.

[Ramblin__Ralph]

I travel several months each summer and camp usually in USFS campgrounds. A good part of the firewall cover over the insulation has been eaten out by now. A little bit more each year disappears.

A couple of years back my turn signal stopped working just before the end of my travels. Took the GM dealer a while to find it. Rodent had eaten into a wire into the fuse box under the hood. Glad I didn't have the $3K bill someone else here mentioned. 🙂

[bka0721]

Being in remote areas, I have had frequent guests in my engine compartment, none have ever made it into my camper or motorcycle trailer. I first noticed the guests a couple of months after I got my truck, as there were bits of insulation pulled out off of my turbos and fashioned into a nest in a small recessed area. I did what any farmer does, I put some D-Con boxes up in the engine compartment, where nothing can get to them but the guests that I wish to unwelcome. I change the carton out after a month or so, as they deteriorate with time and temperatures. It is noticeable that the "treats" have been taken, as they do disappear and have found a couple relocated in the compartment. Since then, I have not seen any more damage to my truck, after 5 years of preventive steps. But, I do see the problem in the Fall, as temperatures begin to drop over any other time of the year.

Also, Denver's Airport, D.I.A., has a lot of problems with Rabbits eating the wire insulation off of cars, parked in their long term parking lots. It was interesting video on Channel 9news, one time seeing the Rabbits disappearing up into the cars and then back down on the ground. Don't always assume it is the little critters doing the damage, it might just be the cuddly ones too.

b

[BeanMan]

I've got a Jack Russell Terrier. He makes sure no squirrel or other rodents roam freely in my yard.

[free_radical]

I never had problems with any critters yet,maybe bc once a year I spray all underside chassis with Rust Check which is rust preventing oil that never dries,no animal would like to nest in greasy oil.. 🙂

[cdbinns]

We have had good luck with bounty dryer sheets. Apparently the critters don't like the smell. We placed a few under the hood of the truck and did not have a problem again.

[happycamper1942]

Thanks for all the advice and the interesting stories. I have had traps set for 2 days and caught nothing yet. I am going to follow the advice a couple of you gave and get some FRESH CAB.
One last question, do you think it is worth the bother to try to replace the insulation? It is very hard to get at, and the truck does not sound any difference so I am thinking of just leaving it. Any other thoughts would be appreciated.
thanks again.

[pegdiver]

Was fighting a battle with critters for years - wiring, gas lines, you name it, I have replaced it. Tried all the usual stuff. Fresh Cab is the only thing that has worked. I buy it on Amazon.

[billtex]

Rodents will not nest in duallys...you nee a dually.

[Rettrooper]

Buzzcut1 wrote:
snap traps baited with peanut butter under the hood when I lived in the mountains. I snared at least one critter a day for a while then they sort of petered out

X2 Works EVERY time!

[rtate]

Cranked up my motorcycle the other day and it was running awful. Took a spin to meet a friend that was going with me that lives about a block and the bike was still running awful. He noticed smoke coming out of one exaust pipe. I tried reving the engine and smoking acorns began shooting out of the exhaust . Something had stashed about 150 acorns in there. Once the burning acorns stopped blowing out the bike settled down and ran good..

[Carb_Cleaner]

You can make out the two baby mice on my in-cabin filter of my previous truck. The truck would sit idle for a week or two at a time. Be sure to set your vehicles HVAC controls to Recirculate to close the fresh air intake while parked. Two years later, I found a leaf and stick nest about a foot and a half diameter under the hood. Squirrel, I suppose. I cleaned it up very well and inspected for chewing damage but I didn't see any. I went about my business and forgot about it. Six months later, I traded that truck in, driving it to their dealership with no issues. A week later, my sales person told me the truck died on a test drive. They replaced chewed ignition wires under the hood. Recently, a local mechanic suggested I try Bounce Dryer Sheets. I guess if duct tape or WD-40 doesn't fix it, throw some dryer sheets at it.