Mouse in interior

[mooch91]

Hi all,

I've read a few threads about mice coming in to the 4runner through the cabin air intake underneath the cowl.

Yesterday noticed evidence of a mouse for the first time - maybe 10 droppings right in the seat belt fold of the rear seat. Vacuumed it up and put out a trap last night, and sure enough, I caught one (dead).

I did pull my cabin air filter yesterday and saw it was dirty, but still intact. I would think if a mouse came in through the cabin air intake, it would have had to somehow get through this filter by chewing through. Did not see evidence of that.

Can they get in and around the filter without destroying it? Or should I be looking for another route to get in? Looking to handle this before damage occurs.

Thanks!

 

[Drcoffee]

Same thing in the Sienna community. Some put a wire mesh over the air inlet to stop them getting in in the first place. I wonder how hard that would be?

Tacoma

 

[mooch91]

Don’t think it’s too difficult to put a mesh over the intake. There are some posts on here showing how it’s done. I was just worried that’s not the way they are getting in since I’ve found my filter intact. Maybe they are getting around it in some way. Wanted to check in for other possibilities first.

 

[alia176]

so, I live in rodent hell and have lots of experience in this field, unfortuantely.

I'd check the following items, in no particular order of importance:
- firewall holes where harnesses go through. See if they cut through the rubber boots and gained entry
-check the cargo area lower area, outside, where the bumpers are hiding the soft flap things that allow air to go through the cabin. Maybe one of yours is stuck in the open position or they've chewed through.
-you checked the fresh air intake filter for signs and there weren't any.
- use a flashlight along the tops of your frame chassis and see if they were able punch a hole through a floor drain rubber stopper things.
- using a flashlight also check the shifter boots for evidence of entry

In my 4runner, they built a nest on TOP of the headliner at the rear hatch door area.. Don't ask me why there but they did.

Let us know what you find. Don't give up man, this is WAR!!

 

[Wild Thing]

Mice don't like to be around mint and it's worked with problems in two cars of mine, as well as my neighbor's. Even works in my chicken coop and garage.

Here's one of the things I ordered to try off of Amazon. Works well in both my F-150 and 4Runner by tucking the burlap bags under seats:

Amazon.com : Grandpa Gus's Mouse Repellent; Peppermint and Cinnamon Oil, Freshen Air, Repel Mice from Nesting and Absorbs Leftover Odors in Homes/RV, Boat & Car Storage and Machinery (1.38 Oz x 4 Burlap Pouches) : Garden & Outdoor

In addition to this, buy a small vial/bottle of concentrated mint essential oil. Mix a little with water into a small spray bottle and spray your engine compartment, your ventilation system, your cargo bed area. Keeps the little buggers out... No more droppings. No more urine. No more chewed insulation and wires.

An easier, cheap fix that really makes a difference. Good luck.

 

[alia176]

Mice don't like to be around mint and it's worked with problems in two cars of mine, as well as my neighbor's. Even works in my chicken coop and garage.

Here's one of the things I ordered to try off of Amazon. Works well in both my F-150 and 4Runner by tucking the burlap bags under seats:

Amazon.com : Grandpa Gus's Mouse Repellent; Peppermint and Cinnamon Oil, Freshen Air, Repel Mice from Nesting and Absorbs Leftover Odors in Homes/RV, Boat & Car Storage and Machinery (1.38 Oz x 4 Burlap Pouches) : Garden & Outdoor

In addition to this, buy a small vial/bottle of concentrated mint essential oil. Mix a little with water into a small spray bottle and spray your engine compartment, your ventilation system, your cargo bed area. Keeps the little buggers out... No more droppings. No more urine. No more chewed insulation and wires.

An easier, cheap fix that really makes a difference. Good luck.

This is sage advice and one that I used to follow but got tired of keep dousing cotton balls with essential oil. Now I'm using elec gizmos that sends out hi freq sounds and turns on/off led lights.

Funny story: my wood shop was getting run over by rodents so I got an elec gizmo that plugs into the wall and set it on a shelf. The little f'ers chewed through the wire in order to turn off the gizmo. I can't imagine the pain they must've endured to chew through the wires while getting their ear drums blasted. Respect :bravo:

 

[Wild Thing]

The li'l bastards LOVE hot electrical wires, Alia, especially during winter. A year after I shelled out for nice treadmill and elliptical equipment to use in the garage - and before I started using mint - mice crawled under the treadmill and chewed through half the wiring just to build a nest where the wiring kept it marginally warmer at night. Had to re-wire the damn thing just to get it to work. $%^&#!!

This is sage advice and one that I used to follow but got tired of keep dousing cotton balls with essential oil. Now I'm using elec gizmos that sends out hi freq sounds and turns on/off led lights.

Funny story: my wood shop was getting run over by rodents so I got an elec gizmo that plugs into the wall and set it on a shelf. The little f'ers chewed through the wire in order to turn off the gizmo. I can't imagine the pain they must've endured to chew through the wires while getting their ear drums blasted. Respect :bravo:

 

[V8Man]

check the air outlet vents in the rear quarters. They are small louvers that can open to let air out of the cabin. Look behind rear tire.

 

[chili]

For me it was definitely the climate control air intake. The downside to parking outside near a bunch of oak trees. Oh the horror...

My fix was to put hardware cloth over the port into the cabin filter box. Just pull the wiper arms off and pop the plastic cover off and you can access it. I also put hardware cloth over the holes on either end of the area under the plastic cover where the wiper motor assembly resides, as that entire area was a mouse nest in our RAV4.

Quick edit as I know this will be judged harshly otherwise: I do check this filter every year. This happened over a single winter.

 

[mooch91]

OP back...

Caught second mouse in a trap last night.

I had some time to go over the truck today (though it was COLD) outside to see if I could find more indication of how they are getting in. My truck is still in pretty good shape on the body, no rust or anything that I'm aware of that would be significant.

I had replaced cabin air filter earlier in the week... still clean, no evidence it had been "pushed" past or chewed through.

There were no trails of turds from where I caught the mouse that might have given me indication.

I looked all underneath the truck, did not notice any missing body plugs, none of the penetrations (trans, wire harnesses, etc.) looked irregular.

Tried to get a look in the crack of the back seat where it meets the floor to see if there was any evidence of anything under it...nothing.

Hardest part to see was the vents behind the back bumper. Will need to take another look at those, but nothing obvious from the little I could see.

I'll reset the traps, may take to dropping some talcum powder in various places to see if I can see paths they might be taking.

 

[mooch91]

Did the “anti chipmunk” mod today just in case.





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[Wild Thing]

The mouse is white??

Somebody needin' to feed a snake is goin' to the pet store and throwin' extras in your 4R.

Or is this a case of Munchausen Syndrome By Mouse?
:lol:

OP back...

Caught second mouse in a trap last night.

 

[mooch91]

The mouse is white??

Somebody needin' to feed a snake is goin' to the pet store and throwin' extras in your 4R.

Or is this a case of Munchausen Syndrome By Mouse?
:lol:

Nah, that's the poor thing's undercarriage. He was a typical gray-brown mouse. Must've flipped when the trap snapped on him.

 

[Nobody Special]

What are the dimensions of that air inlet?
Length x width.

 

[mooch91]

What are the dimensions of that air inlet?
Length x width.

Closed it up so I can't measure, but I think it was about 12-13" long and 4-5" wide.

 

[Nobody Special]

Closed it up so I can't measure, but I think it was about 12-13" long and 4-5" wide.

Close enough!
Thanks.

I'm gonna grab some 316 stainless perf or mesh.
Don't want the rust with the salt in Winter.

 

[GoreBrain]

Dealing with mice in your vehicle can be a real nuisance! It's possible for mice to find their way into the cabin air intake and bypass the filter, especially if the filter is not tightly sealed or if there are gaps around it. They can squeeze through surprisingly small spaces.
It's a good idea to thoroughly inspect the area around the cabin air filter and the intake ducts for any signs of entry points. Check for chewed wires, insulation, or other materials that might indicate mouse activity. You might also consider placing traps near the air intake to catch any mice attempting to enter that way.
If you're looking for professional help to deal with this issue, I recently had a good experience with a pest control company. They were prompt and effective in dealing with the pests in my house. You can check them out here: https://pestcontrolcompanies.net/.

 

[Richmasse]

Once has mice living in the ducts somewhere and I could never get rid of the smell. Had to sell it was so bad!

 

[pants]

I've been fighting this for the last year or so. This past summer i sealed off the cabin air intake the same way others in this thread did and it seems to have worked.

Although they still camp out in my engine compartment and make a mess but they aren't chewing the wiring

The past winter they've been getting into the car again and i was pretty sure it was those air baffles under the rear bumper. This weekend i pulled the bumper and figured it out. I posted this to a reddit thread about the same. Those baffles - at least on my 4th gen - are wide open to mice. Fortunately they're also pretty easy to seal up.

In case you need to replace them the baffle part numbers for 4th gen are:
(L) 62904-35021 (R) 62903-35020. The new ones would be just as open to rodents and they're pretty expensive parts - i was quotes ~$175 each from my local parts desk.

I was able to clean them both up and secure them for about $10 (i had to buy the right screws). A few scraps of hardware cloth, screws, and silicone did the trick.

If you do this the baffles are really easy to remove, just push down on the top a bit and the clips that hold it in place will release and you can pull it out. It doesn't take much force.



https://www.reddit.com/r/4Runner/comments/1puuccg/4th_gen_cabin_ingress_options_aka_mice/