Mice

[Cmar]

I think there was an X-Files episode something like that.

No it was on "America's Most Wanted"

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[elvis-earl]

I live out in the country with all the pluses and minuses of abundant wildlife. This week I noticed that my truck was starting to smell, as my sister-in-law would say, "like the monkey house."

I found a nest by the jack under the rear seat, along with a decomposing mouse carcass. He was just a little guy, though, so I was skeptical that he was the only stinker.

Under the back seat cushion on the other side is a sealed compartment, held in place by christmas-tree fasteners. I pried them out and found a second dead mouse under the box.

Obviously I gave the entire cab a good going over. I found some plastic debris and a couple turds in the glovebox but no dead bodies. Happily the cabin filter hadn't been chewed, so I think they hadn't invaded the HVAC plenum.

Just a suggestion that people doing a similar search don't overlook the space under that storage compartment. If they can get in by the jacking equipment they can get in under the box.

Russ - I advise staying on top of this. We Ford people seem to be lucky so far but there are auto manufacturers that use wires coated with plant-based insulation rather than rubber or plastic. I know this was a huge problem with my sister's Toyota Land Cruiser. Mice ate up her wiring. The Toyota dealership confessed to it and covered new wiring in her vehicle under warranty. But the little buggers will eat that type of wiring and it's bad when they do. BTW, my advice to manufacturers who use plant-based wiring is stop trying to save the planet and stick with the basics.

 

[Ron L.]

Yep she is a bit of a lion too, loves to hide behind things and pounce on you when you walk past, especially visitors, and most especially, visitors who don't like cats - how she knows I do not know.

Cat esp. They just know.

 

[Roscoe_t]

Russ - I advise staying on top of this. We Ford people seem to be lucky so far but there are auto manufacturers that use wires coated with plant-based insulation rather than rubber or plastic. I know this was a huge problem with my sister's Toyota Land Cruiser. Mice ate up her wiring. The Toyota dealership confessed to it and covered new wiring in her vehicle under warranty. But the little buggers will eat that type of wiring and it's bad when they do. BTW, my advice to manufacturers who use plant-based wiring is stop trying to save the planet and stick with the basics.

I hear ya. So far I have not spotted any chewed wiring. They didn't seem interested in any of the foam upholstery either. I have farm collies that ride in the cab a lot, and I noticed the mice found dog hair to be an excellent nest material. It reminds me of when I stuck a bar of Irish Spring into a car to deter mice and later discovered they were chewing on the bar.

A friend had mice get into the instrument cluster wiring of his Prius. The damage totaled the car.

I thought I had found everything but I still noticed a bit of mousy aroma getting into the truck tonight. Hopefully it's just a lingering thing, but I may not be done yet.

 

[elvis-earl]

I hear ya. So far I have not spotted any chewed wiring. They didn't seem interested in any of the foam upholstery either. I have farm collies that ride in the cab a lot, and I noticed the mice found dog hair to be an excellent nest material. It reminds me of when I stuck a bar of Irish Spring into a car to deter mice and later discovered they were chewing on the bar.

A friend had mice get into the instrument cluster wiring of his Prius. The damage totaled the car.

I thought I had found everything but I still noticed a bit of mousy aroma getting into the truck tonight. Hopefully it's just a lingering thing, but I may not be done yet.

Yep.....The Prius is a Toyota and they use the bio wire coating. I'm surprised the Prius didn't burst into lithium fueled flames. Keep after those sneaky little buggers.

 

[EJH]

Continuing my mission ... I pulled out the rear seat backs this morning and found the two cab vents. One had a piece of rigid open-cell foam glued over it as a filter for dust, vermin, whatever. The driver's side vent was lacking that foam piece, though. It looked like a great entry point for mice, so I cut a piece of 1/4-inch hardware cloth to fit and duct-taped it over the vent. That should be a deterrent, assuming mice don't like the taste of duct tape.

While I had the back seat out I pulled the sill trim. There was more nest material on the driver's side but the passenger side was clean. I'm hoping I've cleared out the mouseketeers for the foreseeable future.

Any chance you can provide more detail on how to remove the cloth liner that covers these two rear vents?

I have sealed up my front HVAC intake vents under the plastic cowl (the entry to the cabin filter). I would like to screen up these rear vents also.

I have a crew cab if it matters.

Thank you.

 

[Roscoe_t]

The crew might be different from my supercab. I had no cloth covering over the vents, just the foam covering one of them

 

[ranger-jake]

Good evening everyone,

Last week we had some insane weather here in California. I parked my truck in the backyard for two days and I guess during the downpour a mother rat and some mice made my beloved truck their home. Allow me to present the carnage:

To shreds, you say?

Repurposed Firewall Insulation

Secret stash

But officer, rodents ate my registration!

So my initial reaction was how you'd imagine! However, after allowing myself time to think rationally and not burn down all of nature, I did research to find that this is a common occurrence within our Ranger enclave and various homemade fixes are available.

With that being said I have found inspiration in preventing rodent access to the cab of the truck. This same practice could potentially be used with other models of different makes. So without further ado here is what I created from a borrowed idea:

This is located underneath the wiper cowl. It is easy to remove. I must warn all who attempt this that there is very limited hand space past this point.
(You may also peep large missing chunks of the firewall insulation at the bottom )

!!CREDIT AND INSPIRATION FOR THIS PROJECT GOES TO: DerangedPony!! Here's their post My Mouse Fix .

I have modified his version into a double layer mesh, which should deter mice much better I hope.
-Here is the air filter I used to create the barrier.
-I used Black 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive from oreillys.
-1/4 wire mesh from lowes or home de pot.

I'm comfortable with the results and feel it is secure. I do feel better knowing there is now a barrier separating the inside from outside. No change in airflow either.

Thanks to DerangedPony for his writeup. Remember to periodically check under your hood and behind the glove box. Acorns, pee, mice droppings, grass, twigs and other crap. ?

 

[EJH]

I just did this modification 3 days ago.

I agree working space is very limited.

You may also want to do the rear vents behind the back seat. I've had rodents enter there on a camping trip in northern Vancouver Island. I haven't done that myself, but I will be doing it soon.

Here's my after pic for the cabin air intake vents. I used standard aluminum screen from Home Depot and butyl tape, which I had on hand for RV repairs.

 

[got3fords]

That is a lot of rodent activity. I feel this could be an opportunity for someone to market an anti-rodent kit for the Ranger. Make it as plug and play as possible.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

That is a lot of rodent activity. I feel this could be an opportunity for someone to market an anti-rodent fit for the Ranger. Make it as plug and play as possible.

What if the rodents take inspiration and develop a plug-and-play anti-human fit...

 

[subquark]

Good evening everyone,

Last week we had some insane weather here in California. I parked my truck in the backyard for two days and I guess during the downpour a mother rat and some mice made my beloved truck their home. Allow me to present the carnage:

To shreds, you say?

Repurposed Firewall Insulation

Secret stash

But officer, rodents ate my registration!

So my initial reaction was how you'd imagine! However, after allowing myself time to think rationally and not burn down all of nature, I did research to find that this is a common occurrence within our Ranger enclave and various homemade fixes are available.

With that being said I have found inspiration in preventing rodent access to the cab of the truck. This same practice could potentially be used with other models of different makes. So without further ado here is what I created from a borrowed idea:

This is located underneath the wiper cowl. It is easy to remove. I must warn all who attempt this that there is very limited hand space past this point.
(You may also peep large missing chunks of the firewall insulation at the bottom )

!!CREDIT AND INSPIRATION FOR THIS PROJECT GOES TO: DerangedPony!! Here's their post My Mouse Fix .

I have modified his version into a double layer mesh, which should deter mice much better I hope.
-Here is the air filter I used to create the barrier.
-I used Black 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive from oreillys.
-1/4 wire mesh from lowes or home de pot.

I'm comfortable with the results and feel it is secure. I do feel better knowing there is now a barrier separating the inside from outside. No change in airflow either.

Thanks to DerangedPony for his writeup. Remember to periodically check under your hood and behind the glove box. Acorns, pee, mice droppings, grass, twigs and other crap. ?

So those filters fit without trimming them? I'm trying to understand fully because I get mice and chipmunks in the engine, but so far none in the air filter - but that's just a matter of time.

So you pull out the paper part of the filter and reinforce the plastic grid with hardware cloth on both sides. Then use the weatherstrip adhesive and ta-dah, no more air filter probs.

Sounds really good and I may need to go to O'Reilly's today! =)

Thanks and I think it's time for me to get off the pot! =)

I had bookmarked DerangedPony's great write-up and am just double-checking it all.

 

[IdahoRanger]

What if the rodents take inspiration and develop a plug-and-play anti-human fit...

Oh great, we have AI mice.

 

[airline tech]

Although the Oreily's filters give it a better appearance (looks wise) as I debated doing the same. Once I noted how much dusty dirty air the Cabin Filter sucks in, I decided to just use a screen vs a filter install at that point.

So, at some point, you are going to have to replace those filters BUT you will save money on the expensive Cabin Filter as it is now a secondary filter getting cleaner air.

The Cabin Filter would be easier to check and or replace, the 2X Filter addition would require you to completely redo the work every few years under normal driving, however in dusty conditions (off-Roading) much sooner.

Just wanted to point out the only downside of them as it is a GREAT idea and find for filters that fit in those access holes.

 

[DeerSlayer]

My anti rodent kit....With my stray dog deterance in the background. lol!

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