Evidence of Mice issues in the past?

[Joejk3d]

After doing more and more reading around here, I was under the hood checking things out about something else, and noticed the valuable engine cover on this 2019 has a number of chunks out of it... something I never really noticed before.
After reading a bit about mice + engine cover... this evidence that mice were taken to this?

I live in a city now and park in a garage where a raccoon is a bigger concern than mouse... but I hav ea property now out on a ranch that likely has a mouse or two around... so I am trying to learn a bit more about this truck + mice. But also it being a used truck, paying attention to potential electrical snacks that happened.

The chunks out of the engine cover is curious.

(the wiring harness in the engine bay looks intact with no signs of mice fun. )

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[EJH]

Get some mouse deterrent like Grandpa Gus and soak the hell out of the engine cover in it. That stuff is supposed to prevent chewing. No promises but it is better than nothing.

 

[2020FX4]

I live in the city and rats ate a bit chunk of my engine cover..... It's an issue everywhere.

 

[Joejk3d]

Why did ford make the cover out of such tasty things? Has anyone tasted it to see if it’s actually made of cheese or something?

 

[Joeiconic]

The teeth of mice and rats never stop growing, so they constantly have to chew on things in their environment to keep them ground down.

 

[pbethel]

Like sacrificial anodes on outboards. The rodents will eat the useless engine cover and leave the important parts alone. Genius I say!

 

[landiscarrier]

F'n mice love these trucks! I had a familty get into my cab and build a nest under the center console! I keep a bottle of Rodent Sheriff Pepermint Spray in the truck and spray it all over the place every couple weeks.

 

[Joejk3d]

I mean I do own an orange truck that kinda looks like an aged cheddar after all

 

[rydfree]

It seems we are not alone in our rodent problems and eco insulation woes

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...1&cvid=44d521d3009a41e6b1aefddfbdb55220&ei=45

 

[MrJ1s]

F'n mice love these trucks! I had a familty get into my cab and build a nest under the center console! I keep a bottle of Rodent Sheriff Pepermint Spray in the truck and spray it all over the place every couple weeks.

I have been tracking down nests in my '21 XLT. I found one low in the back of the driver's seat. I vacuumed, cleaned and sprayed it with Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Eliminator (for Dogs - Enzyme formula). They had also been using the top of the cabin filter as a dining area and toilet, $#!+ and pi$$ all over it. Today as I was continuing my search I find that they have been under the console too. Seeds started to fall out of one of the seems where the top meets the bottom as I was prying it back with my fingers. Question; How bad was the console to remove? As I said I have an XLT.

FWIW - I did put rain gutter mesh across the firewall inlets into the HVAC.

 

[dtech]

have a friend that has a 67 chevelle ss, 396 V8 - fully restored and a registered classic that he took to car shows, he had to park it outside for a few months and the mice feasted on it - both in the engine bay and in the cabin, they made an incredible mess, chewed up wiring and the uphosterly , took him thousands to restore it. When i lived in Pagosa Springs in the winter it was almost a daily event to find a least one dead mouse in the garage, many times 3 or 4 , our cat became an excellent mouser and would tear the little b*stards to bits and pieces. The only damage I ever saw to the ranger was some chewing of the battery cover. Now I'm in Grand Junction and the cat has little to prey on - mostly crickets and lizards, but my son visited a week back and left some taco bell burritos that I plan to place strategically in the garage to attract mice but I'm concerned eating taco bell bean burritos may be more deadly for the mice than the cat.

 

[Tom_C]

I had a few nibbles on the heat shield under the hood, and some paper towels in the cabin got chewed but nothing else. I put some fresh cab botanical pouches in both our glove boxes.

A friend also said you can put some diesel fuel on a rag and wipe it on stuff. Wouldn't do that inside, obviously, but a little dab on the engine cover may help.

Or, like someone else said, peppermint spray. I read that mice have poor eyesight and rely on smell, and strong odors short circuit their system.

 

[airline tech]

I have been tracking down nests in my '21 XLT. I found one low in the back of the driver's seat. I vacuumed, cleaned and sprayed it with Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Eliminator (for Dogs - Enzyme formula). They had also been using the top of the cabin filter as a dining area and toilet, $#!+ and pi$$ all over it. Today as I was continuing my search I find that they have been under the console too. Seeds started to fall out of one of the seems where the top meets the bottom as I was prying it back with my fingers. Question; How bad was the console to remove? As I said I have an XLT.

FWIW - I did put rain gutter mesh across the firewall inlets into the HVAC.

Even though that is HIDDEN, the appearance is AWESOME, just unsure how you attached it.
Holes Drilled Through?
Fit together as assembly then (Glue/RTV) to the framework?

 

[TJC]

have a friend that has a 67 chevelle ss, 396 V8 - fully restored and a registered classic that he took to car shows, he had to park it outside for a few months and the mice feasted on it - both in the engine bay and in the cabin, they made an incredible mess, chewed up wiring and the uphosterly , took him thousands to restore it. When i lived in Pagosa Springs in the winter it was almost a daily event to find a least one dead mouse in the garage, many times 3 or 4 , our cat became an excellent mouser and would tear the little b*stards to bits and pieces. The only damage I ever saw to the ranger was some chewing of the battery cover. Now I'm in Grand Junction and the cat has little to prey on - mostly crickets and lizards, but my son visited a week back and left some taco bell burritos that I plan to place strategically in the garage to attract mice but I'm concerned eating taco bell bean burritos may be more deadly for the mice than the cat.

Flyin' Miata is located there! I used to do a bit of business with them in the 90's.

 

[MrJ1s]

Even though that is HIDDEN, the appearance is AWESOME, just unsure how you attached it.
Holes Drilled Through?
Fit together as assembly then (Glue/RTV) to the framework?

It is actually (2) screens, each at 4.5" x 6.0" that are held in place with MAGCRAFT® Rare Earth magnets available at Menards. Thickness of the magnets is .125" and .250", diameter is 0.500". The lip around each of the firewall HVAC openings is approximately 0.200" to 0.250" deep. I needed to form some of the screening around those openings so that there were no significant gaps. The length of 0.125" x 0.500" flat steel seen at the bottom of the screening was assembled inside the space between the inner and outer HVAC openings. Warning; If you are using MAGCRAFT® magnets bigger is not better, they are incredibly powerful and love to "mate" with the other magnets.

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