Rats!!!

Caught him in the act of destroying my injector harness.







DINNER!



Available on Amazon - $10

Insurance adjuster is coming out to look it over due to the damage being a little more extensive than I want to deal with, but if deductible is involved I may just bite the bullet and fix it myself. Bad timing though - we're two days out from a visit from Hurricane Nicole... (or soon to be hurrican status)

 

Oh no!! And worse with a storm on the way. My assumption is the culprit has already paid for its crime?

 

I suspect he’s lurking about in a crevice somewhere but I’ve provided him enough nourishment that should satisfy his needs for eternity.. and the rain just showed up from the outer bands.

 

Hopefully that was not your only vehicle. I have followed your posts here and know you have done a ton of things to make your T4R what you want it to be. Fingers crossed that the storm track takes it in a different direction.

 

Thank you 2Toys - very kind comments! As far as the storm goes - it ain't our first rodeo I just submitted a ton of requested pics to USAA to assist in processing the claim so we'll see where that goes. Tomorrow I'll have 4 injector connectors with pigtail in the mail - just in case I decide to do it myself (my back won't like that but...).

 

Yes Sir, fully aware it is not your first rodeo. My sister has lived in various cities in Florida for 30 years or so, and has been through much as I am sure you have.

 

2Toys - you’re in NorCal? I lived in Paradise in the 90s and worked in Chico. Any proximity to your 20? Beautiful memories except for the Paradise disaster..

 

Bay Area - Dublin / Pleasanton area. For now. Dittos on the Paradise disaster.

 

Was it parked in a garage? I'm slowly catching and killing the mice in my garage. Sticky traps work pretty good on mice but I have no idea about rats.

 

No, my garage won't accommodate the 4runner - I keep it under a carport on a concrete slab. Several years ago I got similar damage from rodents on my side-by-side but it was parked on the dirt. So it just finally caught up with me. My wife claims that the critter returned with me from a recent trip to TN - she's probably right!

 

That sucks man. I read somewhere that toyota uses a soy coating on its wiring(not sure if its actually factual.

Do you leave your 4runner parked for a couple days or does this happen over night?

I heard soaking cotton balls in Ammonia keeps rodents away. Maybe those set some of those black rat boxes around your carport. Start feeding the stray cats, or get some free kittens and train them to kill.

 

LOL - nix on the cats. I came across an electronic device on Amazon that had a lot of positive reviews so I may try that and just tie it into my solar circuit. Insurance is sending me a check just south of $2k so that will help. Today I received the injector connectors so now I need to figure out a way to come up with a platform where I can just lay prone above the engine to repair the harness. I’ve got the skills to restore the harness but my back limits the position I can stay in for any length of time. Once this “little” storm blows over I’ll get to work on it!

 

Be careful of the chipmonks?

 

Well, we survived the night with Nicole - still pretty windy out there so may just hold off repair attempts till tomorrow (that'll give my 78 yo body time to rest up for the task ahead..). I'll post back after repairs to advise success or not.

 

I think part of the issue with rodents in 4Runners is access. It's so easy for the varmints to run up our front tries and make their way across the upper control arm and into the engine bay. Or they can hop up onto the the lower control arm and scurry up. Or Hope in through the front skid (on KDSS models). Or jump up through the gapping opening just north of the transfer case. Lots of access points. After dealing with rodents in a home, you know the only thing that works is exclusion: a difficult feat with this vehicle.

 

Yeah I thought about bringing the 12ga out of retirement but collateral damage may have been excessive…

 

LOL! I'm so tempted to make a wise crack here... But seriously, I'm glad Nicole didn't do too much to you.

 

@Sandbuster - Having seen some pictures from Florida this morning, I truly do hope you are okay - and the same goes for anyone else living there. We have a number of members living there.

 

Many thanks for your concerns 2 toys, a few momentary power outages and a lot of tree debris in the yard - similar to what we encountered several weeks ago with Ian. There were of course many folks in Florida that did not fare well, especially along the beaches.

On a positive note I completed wiring repairs to the 4runner (due to rodent damage) and it runs as good as ever with no “Check Engine” light! Hoo-Rah!!

 

sandbuster you’re a beauty !!!

 

I bought a bottle of Mighty Mint spray at Target. (The aisle with Raid, D-con pest control products.)
Rodents dont like peppermint, so I spray this all over my fire wall, engine bay, air cleaner cover etc.
My wifes car had mice nesting on top of the engine, fortunately they did not chew wires........

 

Done and Done!! Runs now as good as ever..



The old and and the newL

 

Nice work! Looks really good. And I hope your back is not hurting too much.

 

It didn’t like it but it’ll get over it - ya gots to do what you gots to do! Thanks.

 

Oh crap - the little bastard returned for a second portion! I opened the hood this morning to install an electronic rodent deterrent when I discovered that my little buddy had returned. I had placed a few chunks of One Bite in various areas under the hood but NONE on the engine cover (pictured). So apparently and fortunately he chose the One Bite over the soy infused electrical harness. If you look closely you can see the blood trails (front and rear) he left on exiting the area. Pretty safe to say this guy's appetite will no longer be a threat to my wiring.

$30 Loraffe Under Hood Rodent Repeller Ultrasonic Rat Repellent Mice Deterrent with Ultrasonic Wave and LED Flashlight, Pest Control for 12V 24V Vehicle Auto Truck RV, Keep Animal from Chewing Car Wiring

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JG4V1ZP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

So above is what I installed today to see if it keeps the critters away - hoping anyway..

 

Hmmm, why do you think there is blood? One Bite doesn’t literally work like that. It takes 3 or 4 days.

But yeah, with an outdoor car you probably need a multi prong approach. Trap, poison, sound deterrent, scent deterrent.

 

Don't have an answer for that - not doing any lab tests but appears to be some kind of body fluid that was not there when I re-installed the cover a few days ago?

 

I live in a rural area. Quite a few rodents around.

I've had this same electronic rodent repeller on my 4Runner and my wife's Subaru for about a year now.

We both park outside.

We haven't had any chewed wires yet......knock on wood.

 

Thanks for your response - I’m really happy to hear that!

 

Wait, I completed repairs last Friday then placed the One Bite product that day. Saturday I noticed some was missing so thought that was the end of it till today I noticed the "leftovers" on the engine cover so was almost 3 days. Well whatever I just hope that's the end of it..