When I worked for Toyota, the Priuses especially had rodent issues. Go figure that a Prius would have more soy based wiring and other components than most other vehicles lol. We pulled lots of nests from air boxes too. Very common.
Rodent damage to vehicle wiring due to soy based insulation
- Thread starter Laelkhunter
- Start date
One year came home from deployment and both #4 cylinder in my jeep and #4 cylinder in my silverado had been chewed thru by rats! The jeep fried the control module, the silverado was easy splice and nothing else. Rat droppings allover engine compartment but whats odds of same cylinder in 2 vehicles parked in paved driveway in nice community with no real woods areas....
They just ate my plug wire. I have had them get into the heater box several times. So far they just visit the inside...of the Tacoma. My Ford they have not done anything besides crap all over the engine.
But my 2 neighbors have had everything eaten at one time or another.They have left the hoods open ,install rodent deterents(elec.sonic,lights), fabric softener,hardware cloth covers. Nothing has worked and a daughter just replaced her whole Jeep wiring loom,very costly.
But my 2 neighbors have had everything eaten at one time or another.They have left the hoods open ,install rodent deterents(elec.sonic,lights), fabric softener,hardware cloth covers. Nothing has worked and a daughter just replaced her whole Jeep wiring loom,very costly.
RidgeRoamingRichard
Well-known member
Not sure about wiring, but my trekking pole grips mist be delicious. This is the result of a ruthless attack on our last bivy trip. Thank god our poles smelled better than us!
Rancho Loco
Well-known member
Yeah, I don't know about wire as food. The pack rats made a mess of my wiring harness on a '97 Ford F250. I don't think that insulation was soy based.
N
ntodwild
Guest
Happens all the time. I could tell personal stories but by now everyone gets the picture about this subject.
Moth balls can help if you don't want go into a full construction project around your rig. Just drop moth balls around/under your rig and in your engine compartment. You can pack small bags of moth balls in mesh bags and put several in and around your engine compartment along, axles and any place you can find a place to put a bag. It's a pretty easy thing to do if you plan on leaving your rig for days/weeks at a time at a trailhead.
Moth balls can help if you don't want go into a full construction project around your rig. Just drop moth balls around/under your rig and in your engine compartment. You can pack small bags of moth balls in mesh bags and put several in and around your engine compartment along, axles and any place you can find a place to put a bag. It's a pretty easy thing to do if you plan on leaving your rig for days/weeks at a time at a trailhead.
Laelkhunter
Well-known member
No, I don't think so. I believe it started around 2005 with the soy based wiring insulation.
Laelkhunter
Well-known member
I think the handles of your trekking poles were eaten because of the salt from your perspiration when your hands got sweaty. The salt is certainly an attractant to them.
Talk2elk
Active member
Happened to me in winter 2018, found out they like Toyota wires had to replace my main bundle to the engine. Very expensive only factory wiring will do thankfully insurance covered this. I could have purchased 5 flagship bows with what it would have cost out of pocket.
Rancho Loco
Well-known member
Moth balls. Never had another problem again after stashing a good number of them around the engine compartment in both mine and the wife's car.
Rancho Loco
Well-known member
Uhh, it's been happening way before soy based insulation. Why do I think this is another issue the old boomers are going to start yelling about after shower heads and toilets.
geetar
Well-known member
I work in auto repair and see it quite often. Corn in petroleum products seems to attract them as well.
Laelkhunter
Well-known member
Is there an alternative to the soy based wiring, or do you just replace the chewed up wires with the same stuff??
Laelkhunter
Well-known member
I guess I should have said the soy based wiring started around 2005. Not the rodents eating it, I seem to remember in the 60's squirrels got into the fan box in the dashboard of my Dad's car where they made a nest and chewed the wiring way back then. I think he had a 63 Plymouth Fury.
Last edited:
Tradewind
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2015
- Messages
- 5,221
They ate the wiring on my home air conditioner.
Hvac guy said to put out moth balls. No probs since.
But i have noticed them in the garage So I guess I
should try to get ahead of that so the truck doesn't get attacked.
My worthless cat just catches them and plays with them, then they
eventually get away. We need to have a talk
Hvac guy said to put out moth balls. No probs since.
But i have noticed them in the garage So I guess I
should try to get ahead of that so the truck doesn't get attacked.
My worthless cat just catches them and plays with them, then they
eventually get away. We need to have a talk
Going to try them under the house too. I used them to fend off bears at my Sierra cabin. We had rodent problems there too,but they where murder in SLO county too.
geetar
Well-known member
Good question. Being it’s usually just one or two wires that are chewed up and they part of a several hundred dollar wiring harness. The cheapest thing is usually to repair the chewed up wires with either a heat shrink butt connector or a solder and heat shrink rubber tubing and advise customers to not park near trees or anything that could possibly attract squirrels. I don’t know what the materials we use are made of. I’m sure it would be hard to find one that has no soy or corn products in it now. Probably even harder than finding ethanol free gas.
Ppartin4570
Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2020
- Messages
- 65
Mesh bag with human hair
