A while back I noted the edges of the of the little covers on the batteries were frayed, and I wasn't sure if something had been chewing on them. More recently I found black tape on wiring harnesses had been gnawed on in quite a few places.

It appears I caught it in time, as only one wire was down to bare metal, and I retaped everything and am keeping an eye on it.

I thought I would post something on this so folks would know that whatever black tape is on these trucks apparently attracts rodents. I would imagine if I hadn't caught this early, it would cause all sorts of problems.

 

Poison those rascals quick (sorry if offending any animals rights folks) or you could be in for a real bad time. Whatever you do get any and all foodstuffs out of you vehicle rodent feces and urine are impossible to remove after the host population moves in ! Plus the "TRAIT" that has been learned (tape & plastic chewing) will (WILL) be passed to the next generation(as little as 28 days ) Seen it a few times,just tryin' to help. Father in law lost a Lincon to an electric fire after spending a couple of grand the previous years on rodent chewing they really like leather also. Most insurance co.s resist these type payouts too. They so cute tho she say's

 

Exactly right. What he said. Insurance and warranties will not cover it. Hope you don't have to build a mote and a draw bridge. A cat is cheaper, one that stays outside and off the cars. Also consider any pets that might get exposed to the poison and keep the poison away from pet water supplies. Ask an exterminator like Orkin for some of their deadliest tracking poison, mice bleed to death after walking through it. Nat

 

With over 25 years in the auto repair industary I've handled and seen this MANY times a year.Handled LOTS of insurance claims also.Keep all PET foods inside etc.Usually find a stash of DOG food or cat food somewhere in the engine bay also.Remove FOOD sources.Also have seen lots of JACK RUSSEL terriers eat the under car wiring some REPEATLY.LOL

 

Thanks for the replies, folks. I don't keep food of any kind in or near the truck. My neighborhood has lots of kids and pets (even a cat that often lies in the shade under the truck) so I'm a little hesitant to break out the poison.

I was thinking I would set out some traps, or look for some sort of poison that nothing bigger than a mouse can get into...

 

It's possible that the cat could be doing it. I have an indoor cat that loves anything plastic. I can't keep plastic bags out in the open or he will eat them up.

 

Likely Squirels are doing this. They will climb up into the engine compartment when it is cold outside, and love to sharpen their teeth on anything in site. The prevention is simple. Fox urine! You can buy it at most hardware stores. Put a liitle on a wash cloth and put it under the hood. Rodents won't go near it!

 

That's a good idea, heard about it after using mouse traps.
Jeff in TD someone already eluded to it, rodents will store food near the damage wires. Mice will carry seeds, berries and smaller nuts. Rats and squirrels larger ones. If you can determine which rodent or animal did this, it makes it a lot easier to get rid of them. My father-in-law traded cars every two years but usually drove his pickup and left the car on the carport. One day on a trip to the Dr, I turned on the blower motor and hood insulation blew out the vents. When I opened the hood you could see where the mice had been building a nest at the heater intake plenum. Dogwood tree berries were scattered about under every hiding place. Dogwood berries! I didn’t know mice would eat them.

 

You might think about trying a bit of C-4 under the hood. It'll get rid of all the rodent problems.

 

they make electronic repellers, can't attest to their performance. what does seem to work is clamping one of those springclip worklights under the hood and keeping it on while the truck is parked. have to kind of leave the hood up too otherwise it becomes attractive to other critters due to the heat.

 

I don't have squirels where I live, or at least I haven't seen any. From the tight spots where I've found damage, I think I'm dealing with a mouse/rat sized animal.

No sign of additional damage since I retaped everything. They seem to leave the convoluted split wire harness material alone, so I will put some over everything I can.

I've looked in the air intake, over the fender liners, and in the nooks and crannies of the body for a nest, but haven't found one. No signs of entry in the cab.

I suspect, like someone suggested, that the critter is attracted to heat. In the winter I often walk or bicycle to work, both for the excercise and to avoid starting the truck to drive 2 miles. The block heater would always be plugged into the timer, though, in case it is just too nasty out not to drive.

Since I've not seen any sign of damage since taping everything up, I haven't put out traps, not wanting the bait to attract a problem that may have already gone away on its own.

Mainly, I thought people reading the board might want to look for this kind of damage whenever you check something under the hood.

 

Good post. Thanks for the heads-up. I wonder what flavor tape DC uses? Nat

 

Had the same problem, except more. Make sure you check you air filter too! The critters got into mine and 2 good size holes in it.
Never dreamed they could get into such a small tight space. Must be good tasting filters!

 

In some areas of the country SNAKES.they LOVE a warm/dark place to hang.