$1000 mice

[TomSeller]

One of the more annoying things that a critter did to me was a squirrel that would hide a nut in the steering mechanism of my pickup. I'd get in and start driving, and find that I could make a right-hand turn, but not a left-hand turn (or straighten the steering after turning). I'd take the nut out, and a few days later, another one was put in the same spot.

Sounds like what a nutty ex wife would do. Glad I don't have one.

 

[Sysop]

I thought they would generally at least be mouse proof.

Is anything?

 

[CliffordK]

Mice have troubles chewing through steel, and presumably thick aluminum. There should be a cover over the front side of the bell housing. I haven't paid a lot of attention to it, but I'm surprised that there would be more than 1/8" gap, unless the vehicle was driven offroad... a lot.

There was a Car Talk episode about a critter, maybe a squirrel chewing holes in a person's radiator (plastic tanks?).

I wonder if the squirrel was addicted to antifreeze. Ethylene Glycol is very sweet tasting, but toxic. Perhaps they were using Propylene Glycol.

 

[Ken45101]

Sadly we just had a similar problem with our Chevy truck. Idiot lights on, "service 4wd", radio "locked". Turned out mice got into the fuse block and their urine corroded the connections. $800 job that took a week since the dealer was short handed due to vacations.

That's the first time we've had problems with the truck although multiple times we have had mice get into the heating/ac ducts on the Jeep and die in there and really stink up the Jeep. IDK if Jeep doesn't screen off their ducts

 

[CHDinCT]

Not exactly a related incident, but these mouse mishaps remind me of the summer night about two years ago our AC compressor came on and made a loud, strange noise. I quick jumped up and turned the AC off and went outside with a flashlight. Took me a few sec's to realize what all the red puree was all over the fan blade. Then I saw mouse foot and tail pieces and knew for sure we had a mouse execution. The good news was there was no damage or cost involved.

I once did pull about a small coffee can of seed shells out of my car air filter cartridge. Darn mouse must have been feasting in there for a month or more. Of course the car did run better after cleaning it out. :laughing:

 

[crazyal]

Not exactly a related incident, but these mouse mishaps remind me of the summer night about two years ago our AC compressor came on and made a loud, strange noise. I quick jumped up and turned the AC off and went outside with a flashlight. Took me a few sec's to realize what all the red puree was all over the fan blade. Then I saw mouse foot and tail pieces and knew for sure we had a mouse execution. The good news was there was no damage or cost involved.

I once did pull about a small coffee can of seed shells out of my car air filter cartridge. Darn mouse must have been feasting in there for a month or more. Of course the car did run better after cleaning it out. :laughing:

When I had a mouse commit suicide via timing belt I thought maybe it was the cam position sensor. On a Tundra you can remove a small plastic cover to see the timing marks and the sensor. At first I thought the timing belt shredded but then I realized that it was mouse fur and a tail wrapped around the sensor. Forgot all about that until just now.