Mice in Heater

[tonseth]

How do I keep mice from entering our heater? Cannot figure out how they are getting in.

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[My12SecRanger]

I have seen this more than once here at the ford dealer I work at, looks like they get in thru the cabin filter area, we use a mouse repellant spray all over the engine bay

 

[airline tech]

Entry is through the air inlet door, fix is to pull cowl off and cover with a screen. I did mine not too long ago.
If you search mice / rats you will see numerous posts on it.
I will try to find a pic

 

[airline tech]

Here is where I posted my fix:

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-ranger-today.3511/post-619471

when you pull the plastic cowl from passenger side (below) windshield you will see 2 big openings - for the air inlet (recirculation) door , when truck is shut off door is full open by design.
no other option for this as it has been looked at. Even when closed the door is still 10% open anyway.
The mice enter from the side drains on the cowl itself, from there they crawl into the center cowl with full access through the inlet door, then drop down on top of the cabin filter, from there they travel down the valley to the center console and then back to the under seat stowage boxes in the rear seat

 

[Tom_C]

The mice enter from the side drains on the cowl itself, from there they crawl into the center cowl with full access through the inlet door, then drop down on top of the cabin filter, from there they travel down the valley to the center console and then back to the under seat stowage boxes in the rear seat

Wow... those tunneling little bastids. My mom always said mice can get into a sealed mason jar.

Short of that fix, my mechanic told us to use moth balls under the vehicles. I found that to do diddly squat. I've also read that peppermint oil repels them, but haven't tried that.

 

[Msfitoy]

Set temp to "ROAST" and let the truck idle for 2 hours...take them out when fork tender...

 

[2020FX4]

 

[tonseth]

Here is where I posted my fix:

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-ranger-today.3511/post-619471

when you pull the plastic cowl from passenger side (below) windshield you will see 2 big openings - for the air inlet (recirculation) door , when truck is shut off door is full open by design.
no other option for this as it has been looked at. Even when closed the door is still 10% open anyway.
The mice enter from the side drains on the cowl itself, from there they crawl into the center cowl with full access through the inlet door, then drop down on top of the cabin filter, from there they travel down the valley to the center console and then back to the under seat stowage boxes in the rear seat

 

[tonseth]

Thanks, will you resend the pics please?

 

[airline tech]

Thanks, will you resend the pics please?

Once you pull up the plastic cowl, passenger side below windshield, you will see these open holes.

The area inside (inner cowl) is the opening and inlet for the (Air Inlet Door) AKA Recirculation Door

There are various things you can use here, some have used air filters, but most have used a screen, like the above poster 2020FX4, he also took an extra step and covered his (Engine Air inlet) that' feeds down to the engine air filter.

But for the Cab entry, it is just this area, I followed another member solution and used 2 sheets of drywall sanding screen. (120 Grit) and tapped them in place with HVAC Tape.
You have to have air flow so it cannot be totally blocked off.
I used this screen to also help in stopping spiders etc from getting in as well as mice.

I have not had any entry from anything in my cab or noted in the engine bay, this was a preventive measure.

The mice get into the engine bay for warmth, from there they smell any food item you have in the cab or just magically find the entry point.
If you take your hand and feel the ends of the cowl, you can feel the openings on both sides of the cowl, these openings are for water drain off (rain) as it runs down the windshield. It dumps off to the sides
That opening is large enough for mice to enter under the plastic cowl, when they get under it they have access to the open holes you see in the pic below.

See the light showing through, that's the openings that need covered with screen.
This is how they get in.

View from other side, those 2 openings feed the Air Inlet for Recirculation Air.

 

[BCRIDGE]

How do I keep mice from entering our heater? Cannot figure out how they are getting in.

Up North we use Dryer Sheets in the engine bay to keep them out. Works well.

 

[TVRangerSTX]

Up North we use Dryer Sheets in the engine bay to keep them out. Works well.

And it keeps their fur smelling fresh, soft and tangle-free!

 

[Ramanicage]

These little pests can squeeze into any crack better than Houdini. Last spring, I found out they'd wreaked havoc on my summer house when I came back after winter.

 

[Ranger_Rocks]

Has anyone determined if they are able to enter through the vents behind the rear seats ??

 

[Tom_C]

Has anyone determined if they are able to enter through the vents behind the rear seats ??

I recall someone else posting a while back about mice back there, but given what was posted above about them getting to the back through the front vents, then who knows where they came from?

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