That is nice, my 4r sits most of the time and does not get driven often. I have never had issues with rodents, but if these things have wiring to attract them, that will be an issue. I am in a parking garage, so maybe that will help, and I guess whether it is sitting or driving often does not seem to be a factor.
Broken 2010 4Runner - Rodents
- Thread starter HauKrazee
- Start date
Had the same problem with my '07 FJ - mice chewed the knock sensor harness.
$800 and insurance wouldn't even consider it.
Six months later - exact same thing! (and, I have no evidence of a mouse problem where I live)
This time, the dealership put in some stainless steel wool, blocking all places they thought a mouse could get in there. (Kept my fingers crossed that this fix did not cause localized overheating of the engine)
Google "Mice ate my Honda Pilot", and you'll get an idea just how big a problem this is!
It does appear to be pretty conclusive that it IS the soy-based insulation on the new wiring. The mice are not bothering older vehicles with old-fashioned wiring.
I bet there are ample numbers to support a group action law suit?
I could build a mouse-proof car ramp in my garage ......... If I had a garage!
This would not help me when I camp in the "wilderness".
There are many other solutions posted on the internet (moth balls, oil of cloves, jasmine, etc.), but for every person who swears they work, ten others cry BS!
The electronic deterrent devices apparently are quite effective at attracting mice!
Hopefully, someone on this forum will post a quaranteed solution, before the little bastards attack my shiny new Runner!
$800 and insurance wouldn't even consider it.
Six months later - exact same thing! (and, I have no evidence of a mouse problem where I live)
This time, the dealership put in some stainless steel wool, blocking all places they thought a mouse could get in there. (Kept my fingers crossed that this fix did not cause localized overheating of the engine)
Google "Mice ate my Honda Pilot", and you'll get an idea just how big a problem this is!
It does appear to be pretty conclusive that it IS the soy-based insulation on the new wiring. The mice are not bothering older vehicles with old-fashioned wiring.
I bet there are ample numbers to support a group action law suit?
I could build a mouse-proof car ramp in my garage ......... If I had a garage!
This would not help me when I camp in the "wilderness".
There are many other solutions posted on the internet (moth balls, oil of cloves, jasmine, etc.), but for every person who swears they work, ten others cry BS!
The electronic deterrent devices apparently are quite effective at attracting mice!
Hopefully, someone on this forum will post a quaranteed solution, before the little bastards attack my shiny new Runner!
03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
When I visit my son in Tucson AZ. I have to park outside. He lives on a large lot in the desert with a lot of rodents etc. When I had my 2011 Avalon there several years ago the rodents started eating the hood insulation near a wiring harness and there were rat terds on the engine cover etc. I freaked out but nothing was damaged yet. I read about this How to Eliminate Rats With Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets | eHow and thought I would give it a try. I put 4 bounce sheets around the engine compartment and did not notice any more terds over the next several visits. May just be luck but it is cheap to try.
gm350reratliff
New member
Mice and rodents have been chewing wiring before mfgs switched to soy insulation, although, I don't think that is helping.
Ducmonsta
New member
Because the OP couldn't diagnose it themselves. There's probably 2-3hrs of diag. Then it looks like you'll have to pull the upper intake assembly. Somehow find the factory connector for what appears to be the fuel injector harness. Which you'll never get from the dealer unless there's already a repair kit designed for the harness, which I seriously doubt. So now you'll have to rummage through some junk yards to try and find said connector. And believe me, junk yards know what they're working with. They understand the value of that connector. So now you'll have to talk them into letting you have just that one piece instead of buying the whole harness.
I've had the same issue with all my vehicles (2 old Hondas) and now my 2014 4Runner - just rat crap so far - no chewing. My neighbor feeds the squirrels (actually rats at night and squirrels during the day!) with trays of bird seed. Only thing that worked for me was parking the truck at least 10ft away from the side of the house (its always outside) as apparently rats don't like open areas and will always follow around walls & bushes etc. I did the whole bounce sheets, moth balls, cayenne pepper, ultrasonic plug in's - none of that stuff worked for me - open space did! The Odyessey had crank sensor wire chewed ($275), the CRV 3&4th gear solenoids wires chewed ($0 to splice back ) and the 4Runner just lots of crap & piss on the engine cover plate!
03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
I wish you wouldn't have posted this. I am going back to Tucson soon and was going to rely on the bounce again. Now I will not sleep good at night wondering if anything is eating my 4runner. Maybe I will try parking a little farther form the house. I will still put the bounce in anyways. Only problem with parking farther away is there are more of the cactus there that the rodents love.
Rats in the engine bay
In 2007, I ordered a new '07 Tacoma Sport AC 4WD, loaded. Took 7 weeks to get it. It had to stay outside, as my wifes ride, and my toy took the garage space. It had only 1125 miles on it. Got in one morning, left for a 10 mile trip down Rt 1 south. Six miles from the house, steam coming out of the hood. This can't be, I said to myself. I pulled off, and sure enough, steam everywhere, overheated. I called the dealer, they had a roll off up to get it.
I have to back up here. Six months before this, two lizards were copulating on the PC board in our pool heater. Burned the board up, fried the lizards, and after much talk, Hartford Insurance paid for a new heater, as it could not be fixed, parts not available anymore for that model, less the deductible, and they quickly canceled our homeowners policy with them.
OK. The Tacoma gets to the service department, I wait. An hour later, the SM comes out, shows me the bypass hose, I guess in the plenum, used for cooling, it is chewed in half, lengthwise. Rats. He told me to call my insurance company. I did, the local rep came out, said if the engine or major repair is needed, they would pay it, less the deductible.
They put a new hose in, checked everything, no damage, and a $144.57 bill, which I gladly paid. They told me it happens all the time. If you live in a cold climate, watch for cats that climb up into the wheel well, right after you park it and the engine is still warm.
Long read, but lesson learned.
LS
In 2007, I ordered a new '07 Tacoma Sport AC 4WD, loaded. Took 7 weeks to get it. It had to stay outside, as my wifes ride, and my toy took the garage space. It had only 1125 miles on it. Got in one morning, left for a 10 mile trip down Rt 1 south. Six miles from the house, steam coming out of the hood. This can't be, I said to myself. I pulled off, and sure enough, steam everywhere, overheated. I called the dealer, they had a roll off up to get it.
I have to back up here. Six months before this, two lizards were copulating on the PC board in our pool heater. Burned the board up, fried the lizards, and after much talk, Hartford Insurance paid for a new heater, as it could not be fixed, parts not available anymore for that model, less the deductible, and they quickly canceled our homeowners policy with them.
OK. The Tacoma gets to the service department, I wait. An hour later, the SM comes out, shows me the bypass hose, I guess in the plenum, used for cooling, it is chewed in half, lengthwise. Rats. He told me to call my insurance company. I did, the local rep came out, said if the engine or major repair is needed, they would pay it, less the deductible.
They put a new hose in, checked everything, no damage, and a $144.57 bill, which I gladly paid. They told me it happens all the time. If you live in a cold climate, watch for cats that climb up into the wheel well, right after you park it and the engine is still warm.
Long read, but lesson learned.
LS
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Update:
Dealer service dept says that it will be $800 to splice and fix or $6000 for new loom. I told him insurance would not pay for new loom and besides it is a problem due to manufacturers choosing this soy based wiring that causes the problem. So, I don't see that putting in a new loom is going to permanently fix the issue. My thinking was that I wanted to let him know that I've discovered this to be a much bigger problem than just my vehicle. Given that my deductible is $500, I asked if he could do the job for that, then we would not need the delay of getting an adjuster involved. He went for it. Hopefully will get it back tomorrow and still make the T-day trip.
Dealer service dept says that it will be $800 to splice and fix or $6000 for new loom. I told him insurance would not pay for new loom and besides it is a problem due to manufacturers choosing this soy based wiring that causes the problem. So, I don't see that putting in a new loom is going to permanently fix the issue. My thinking was that I wanted to let him know that I've discovered this to be a much bigger problem than just my vehicle. Given that my deductible is $500, I asked if he could do the job for that, then we would not need the delay of getting an adjuster involved. He went for it. Hopefully will get it back tomorrow and still make the T-day trip.
dekeman
New member
Where I live, squirrels are as prolific as trees. Last month, had a tenacious red squirrel and its mate push through the metal soffit on a dormer of my house. The happy couple then promptly made some mess of my attic. Spray-foamed their access point, which the little fackers tried to eat through again. Wife suggests using one of those old-fashioned rat traps baited with peanut butter, and leave it on the roof. Silly wife, I thought.
Well, I no longer have a squirrel problem. Three down, 3 million to go. Rats with tails.
Sorry if off topic, but I can relate to rodent frustration. Don't even get me started about raccoons.
Well, I no longer have a squirrel problem. Three down, 3 million to go. Rats with tails.
Sorry if off topic, but I can relate to rodent frustration. Don't even get me started about raccoons.
03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
There might be something to this soy based insulation. I gave my son my 91 Jeep Wrangler 3 years ago and it sets outside his house in the desert where my Avalon had some rats chewing on it. The Jeep sets outside all the time even with the top off and it has never had any rodent damage.
Rubberdown
New member
I'm glad that you are getting your car fixed for the minimum outlay of cash on your part, and hope that you have the no more issues moving forward. That being said, anyone that has worked on cars or been around them for any period of time knows that this has been an issue not just for wiring since the vehicles inception. If it's not a mouse eating wiring, it's a rat eating a hose, or some rodent building a nest in the engine valley which catches on fire and burns your car to the ground. That actually happened to me. It sucked. But it's part of owning a car and living in a real imperfect world. Anyone saying this is an issue from the manufacturer needs to realize this. Comments seen in this thread such as it's the manufacturers fault for using soy based insulation, or that maybe there are enough people suffering from this issue to have a class action law suit really grind my gears. Have comprehensive insurance that covers your damages. That is the responsibility of every car owner. If you choose not to have it, you choose not to be insured, and you choose to be responsible for the damages to your car. You even get to choose the cost of your deductible. Don't try and shun responsibility onto Toyota. I really want to start ranting about the decline of our society and whatnot but that has no place in this thread. Sorry for the derailment. Again glad your car is getting fixed and that it isn't costing you an arm and a leg.
Wow! I am 65 years old. Been working on cars as a street rodder since my teens. Been living where I am with these old cars for decades. Never had squirrels or rodents eat the wiring on my cars before. Then, given the number of reports that I have found of the same problem from all over the country reporting the same issue since Friday, when I began looking at this, I find extraordinary. There was even a report on another forum where a long time ago they tried making license plates on soy based materials and found critters (goats) eating and such mercilessly eating them. So, yep, there needs to be a scientific study conducted where soy based wiring and regular old type coated wiring is put in front of 1000 squirrels and we see which one they go to. But, based on what I have experienced and what I have read about this, I am betting the furry, teethy critters go to the later, soy based coated wires.
redkat
New member
I feel for you. I had the same thing happen to my 2012 Prius. Check out what I found after just under 32hrs outside! This was a $9300 insurance claim, main loom, inverter, firewall insulation, and other components ruined by a giant mother rat. I knew something was up when I saw debris under the car..when I lifted the hood up, a huge rat ducked deep into the engine compartment. We actually got the car started and pulled it back about 10 feet and the rat dropped out of the bottom and made a dash to the bushes, my dog immediately intercepted it, and tore into into it, biggest rat i ever saw, dog dropped it and I beat the living crap out of it whilst cursing at it at the top of my lungs!!! Prius was at dealership collision center for 2 months!!!! The damn thing was practically rebuilt. I had a 1K deductible and Metlife auto paid the rest. It was covered under comprehensive. Havent had any problems with the car since. Those vermin love warm cars and electrical wiring. The salt residue accumulating on wires is a delicacy for them. Dude...what an ordeal! I hope it all works out for you, I know what you are going through.
Attachments
Soy Based Wiring, Looms, Etc.
Never knew that about soy, etc. I had a customer in NC some years ago, biggest Turkey Processor in the world. Millions of turkeys go thru there, and process for most distributors in the USA and other countrys.
The feet all go to China. Now what in the hang do they do with those feet, eat them ? Maybe they come back in the form of bumpers? How about the turkey heads ? Purina has a contract with them, the heads and feathers all go in dog and cat food. Never did find out about the entrails.
LS
Never knew that about soy, etc. I had a customer in NC some years ago, biggest Turkey Processor in the world. Millions of turkeys go thru there, and process for most distributors in the USA and other countrys.
The feet all go to China. Now what in the hang do they do with those feet, eat them ? Maybe they come back in the form of bumpers? How about the turkey heads ? Purina has a contract with them, the heads and feathers all go in dog and cat food. Never did find out about the entrails.
LS
