RATS! source for the OEM Toyota soy wires? Want to run a rat-proofing test. - Page 4 - Toyota 4Runner Forum

ElectroBoy · 01-21-2021, 06:15 PM

Rodents have been chewing and eating wire coatings long before soy based formulas were used. They may not even always be hungry when they do it. It’s an instinctual habit to chew anything that has an edge or something small enough that they can get their mouths around. Rodent teeth keep growing their whole life so they have to gnaw to wear them down.

I’ve noticed that ranchers often leave the hoods of outdoor parked vehicles open to discourage rodents. They say it’s not so much the light but that rodents don’t like being exposed to predators.

CavPro · 01-21-2021, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElectroBoy

Rodents have been chewing and eating wire coatings long before soy based formulas were used. They may not even always be hungry when they do it. It’s an instinctual habit to chew anything that has an edge or something small enough that they can get their mouths around. Rodent teeth keep growing their whole life so they have to gnaw to wear them down.

I’ve noticed that ranchers often leave the hoods of outdoor parked vehicles open to discourage rodents. They say it’s not so much the light but that rodents don’t like being exposed to predators.

I have two inside/outside cats that sleep in the garage at night. Both the hoods are left open, 1) so they dont scratch the hoods getting up or down 2) access to anything that might be trying to live in there. Everyone laughs when they see my hoods always open.

Nobody Special · 01-21-2021, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElectroBoy

Rodents have been chewing and eating wire coatings long before soy based formulas were used. They may not even always be hungry when they do it. It’s an instinctual habit to chew anything that has an edge or something small enough that they can get their mouths around. Rodent teeth keep growing their whole life so they have to gnaw to wear them down.

I’ve noticed that ranchers often leave the hoods of outdoor parked vehicles open to discourage rodents. They say it’s not so much the light but that rodents don’t like being exposed to predators.

Well aware.
But to say the more recent increase does not correlate to the use of soy wire is incorrect.
Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes, Ford, Chevy/GMC...

Nobody Special · 01-22-2021, 12:36 PM

On hand...

WoolWax - from Kellsport
Cosmoline - from Comsmoline Direct
Quicksilver Corrosion Guard Rust Inhibitor - from Amazon
WD40 Specialist Corrosion Inhibitor Spray - from Amazon

Waiting for:
CRC Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor - from Amazon 3rd party
WaxOyl - from RoversNorth

Kellsport is weird because this Kellsport just canceled a "heavy" hoodie I ordered back in July)

ElectroBoy · 01-22-2021, 05:47 PM

If you’re really serious about this, you’ll need to design a scientific test that others can repeat and verify your results.
Here’s some thoughts:
Get some pet store rats and cages. One caged rat is the control, supply it with plenty of food and keep it happy. Give it a block of wood to chew, some soy wire and some traditional plastic wire. See what it prefers.

Set up another caged rat but don’t feed it quite as much to see if hunger makes it go for the wires.

You may need to repeat this with several rats to get a big enough sample size to analyze.

Or you could just throw a bunch of wire around a dumpster and see what happens.
Good luck, let us know the results.

Nobody Special · 01-22-2021, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElectroBoy

If you’re really serious about this, you’ll need to design a scientific test that others can repeat and verify your results.
Here’s some thoughts:
Get some pet store rats and cages. One caged rat is the control, supply it with plenty of food and keep it happy. Give it a block of wood to chew, some soy wire and some traditional plastic wire. See what it prefers.

Set up another caged rat but don’t feed it quite as much to see if hunger makes it go for the wires.

You may need to repeat this with several rats to get a big enough sample size to analyze.

Or you could just throw a bunch of wire around a dumpster and see what happens.
Good luck, let us know the results.

Anyone can test.
You just need access to a known rat/mouse.rodent infestation.
Where I work is perfect.

I am thinking of stapling the wires to a 2x3, and for each product, have one bare control, one coated with products, one coated with peanut butter, and one coated with product then in peanut butter to see if they stop.

Just depends on how much wire I get, but I may not have enough to do a degradation test to see if, say a product works, will it eat the sheathing itself. If it/they do/does, then it is worthless to spray.

Nobody Special · 01-22-2021, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irish Mike

I was able to grab a section today. I put a sharpie marker next to it for scale. I dont think it will be more than $5-$10 to ship. Here is a pic so let me know if this will work.

I am interested in what you find out as we deal with this all the time. Let me know an address and I will try to get it out today.

Best,
Mike

If you are able, I may need some more wire.
Two batches like the original if possible.
I am not 100% certain I will need them, but just planning ahead and throwing it out there.

I picked up a few more products that *may* require more wire for the degradation part which will be a LONG time...

I over-ordered and may do another rust test, this time documenting it weekly.
Up over $600 so far.

Bucket with rock salt & water, then some peroxide, vinegar & salt...

If any of you are Youtubers in the NY/NJ area, I can give you the rust test, explain what I did, you can do the presentation and have your crack at a few cents from the views.

Winter46 · 01-23-2021, 08:03 PM

No. I left the dealer and drove straight to True Value & purchased. Put on immediately.

It has happened again. All the lights are on, no acceleration. I’m about to push it over a cliff. 4th Runner. 😡😡😡

Nobody Special · 01-23-2021, 08:07 PM

I think you have the wrong thread, Ace.

No biggie.
They can be a beeotch with the Christmas Tree dash.

Nobody Special · 01-23-2021, 08:27 PM

Dubya Dee is tiny.

Lucky thing I took the pic as Amazon pickers gave me spray paint in the order instead of what I ordered.

Nobody Special · 01-26-2021, 09:14 PM

Picked up the wires today after work and the rest was waiting when
I arrived home.

The NH OIL SPRAY MOUSE OUT was interesting, so I picked it up.
Found it Sunday night and two days later it is here. Not bad.

Depending on working late this week

, I may get to doing all this this weekend.

Draggin · 01-30-2021, 11:59 AM

I got damaged three times. Twice in the 4r engine harness (2016) and once in a jeep grand cherokee air duct/cabine filter in about a 6-8 month time span

Solution
- Hood open about 3-4 inches. I found a plastic container 4" high to crack it a bit but not full open
- rat repellant on the under carriage (not sure if this made a difference)
*** TRAP AND KILL THEM*** get rat traps in a plastic container and use peanut butter. Source out nests and destroy. <---this worked

Skip the science experiments.

Nobody Special · 01-30-2021, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draggin

I got damaged three times. Twice in the 4r engine harness (2016) and once in a jeep grand cherokee air duct/cabine filter in about a 6-8 month time span

Solution
- Hood open about 3-4 inches. I found a plastic container 4" high to crack it a bit but not full open
- rat repellant on the under carriage (not sure if this made a difference)
*** TRAP AND KILL THEM*** get rat traps in a plastic container and use peanut butter. Source out nests and destroy. <---this worked

Skip the science experiments.

So skip the experiments????
Does this mean I have to go to friends & families houses ahead of time and set out traps everywhere? Then I can go there a week after? and not have to worry?

What about where I work that is a rat-infested shithole where my vehicle can literally sit for days depending on what is going on in the world?
(Their $12k/yr extermination contracts should have cleared up this issue up by now by your logic. Maybe they should hire you?)

Guess I better order peanut butter and traps by the pallet?

Nobody Special · 01-30-2021, 04:48 PM

Okay... so we have some storm coming in to the NYC area that the media is all over with estimates and days.

First it was supposed to be Sunday-Monday, now Monday-Tuesday with 0-16"

of snow possible. No joke, that was their range earlier in the week.
(And I have no clue if I will spend the night there. No use in traveling)

I am going to have to push this back until Wednesday or Thursday as I am not sure if they will bury this project under mounds of snow where I have the location in mind.

I am shooting for Wednesday that way I have Thursday and Friday back at work to check up on it. I am 100% certain I will see some action on the following day when I go back.

Nobody Special · 01-30-2021, 10:48 PM

I used some of the thin wires cut into small pieces and now they are soaking in all the products.

I'll wait till they congeal or whatever each will do when pooled up like that and wipe them down the day I get the coated results.

They are fine wires, like 22/24 gauge, so I am not sure if anything will show up in pics with a phone camera.

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