No more mice!

[Kanoe]

After 2x having mice get into the heater fan assembly, I finally got around to doing something about it.

1/8 in. galvanized mesh with fibreglass window screen under layer. Fits right over the air inlet port in the dash. Is't not the prettiest thing but it will never be seen again once it is put into place. Why didn't Toyota do this??

Surprisingly, it was easier to get the template than I expected. I worked upside down from below.

 

[nissanh]

Is this is for the fresh air inlet located right above the blower motor?

 

[Mark_BC]

No more Mr. Mice Guy!

 

[Kanoe]

Is this is for the fresh air inlet located right above the blower motor?

Yup. Had a mouse build a nice nest in there a couple of years back. All sealed up now.

 

[BackOff]

Toyota never figured this out... 4th gens are the same way, can get mice/rats in the cabin air intake.

 

[JZiggy]

[MENTION=102449]Kanoe[/MENTION]

Any pictures of this thing installed? This a great idea!!

 

[Kanoe]

No, no pics. You really can't see it once it is in place. From the outside under the wipers you can just reach it but not see it. From inside you can pull the heater fan out and look up the hole but all you can see is a bit of the screen mesh. Neither makes for interesting photos. Completely out of sight.

It's nice not worrying about mice anymore.

 

[Roamed YT]

Funny, I've never worried about mice with my vehicles (*knocks on wood*). Seems like a well thought-out idea.

Foxes, however... they're shifty bastards. Also SWMBO's spirit animal, it seems so they tend to turn up often...

Only had to dispatch one mouse here in PC this fall... so far.

 

[yotatech29]

Pulled my truck in the shop last week and I saw a huge rat sitting on my tire I went to shine a light on it and then it hopped in to my engine bay. Perfect. No electrical issue yet.

 

[Kanoe]

More work on the mice front.

I had always worried about mice/rats in the airbox. I have occasionally found a poo in there. I had visions of a chewed air filter and me not noticing it for months. Decided to do something about it.

I pulled the front 3/4 of the plastic fender liner (easier than I expected) leaving it attached by the door. I took out the air snorkel. As expected, it was dusty inside as I am sure they all are. As expected, there were mouse tracks in the dust on the bottom.

A scrap of 1/8 welded mesh wire and 3 large tie wraps should do it! There is enough clearance that the mesh does not touch the body at all.

I was worried about air flow, but after reading about jziggy using a prefilter I decided this is not an issue. I wonder if it'll whistle at high air volume but I doubt it.

 

[jross20]

Reminds me of the fix for 2nd gen tacos. Do you have installation pics?

 

[Kanoe]

and still more defense.

This one takes inspiration from RV'ers in Arizona. They use christmas lights around the RV on the ground or even flood lights underneath to keep the packrats away. As well, there is a product made in Arizona using a strobe to keep the rats out. Park rangers in Mojave leave their hoods propped up for the same reason I assume.

As we have camped in the 4runner for 6-8 months at a stretch on 3 separate occasions , I have had ample opportunity to experiment. I have been using a portable LED panel that I stick under the hood and connect to the battery. It works. Without it, critters come. With it on, almost never. The hooking/unhooking gets old though.

Hence, a permanent strobe light. Switched with a rear heater blower switch in the factory switch position in the dash. Low is for strobe and high is for fully on, as in under hood work light! The light draws 220ma which is quite a lot, but its duty cycle is 1/3 on and 2/3 off so it should be fine for a night or two. My old LED panel drew 125ma constantly and it was no issue to run it for 2 nights in a row.

Can't wait to try it out! Surprisingly, at night you really can't tell it is on. It illuminates the wheel well a bit and the ground a little bit but nothing obvious.

 

[ElectroBoy]

This one takes inspiration from RV'ers in Arizona. They use christmas lights around the RV on the ground or even flood lights underneath to keep the packrats away. As well, there is a product made in Arizona using a strobe to keep the rats out. Park rangers in Mojave leave their hoods propped up for the same reason I assume.

As we have camped in the 4runner for 6-8 months at a stretch on 3 separate occasions , I have had ample opportunity to experiment. I have been using a portable LED panel that I stick under the hood and connect to the battery. It works. Without it, critters come. With it on, almost never. The hooking/unhooking gets old though.

Hence, a permanent strobe light. Switched with a rear heater blower switch in the factory switch position in the dash. Low is for strobe and high is for fully on, as in under hood work light! The light draws 220ma which is quite a lot, but its duty cycle is 1/3 on and 2/3 off so it should be fine for a night or two. My old LED panel drew 125ma constantly and it was no issue to run it for 2 nights in a row.

Can't wait to try it out! Surprisingly, at night you really can't tell it is on. It illuminates the wheel well a bit and the ground a little bit but nothing obvious.

Can you recommend a strobe light model?

 

[Kanoe]

Reminds me of the fix for 2nd gen tacos. Do you have installation pics?

Not really. It looks exactly as it does in my hand except it is back in its place in the fender. You can see no part of this, it is completely hidden above the wheel well plastic. This is just a mesh over the factory snorkel we all have, nothing new.

 

[Kanoe]

Can you recommend a strobe light model?

Well, mine are Xprite LED strobes available from amazon. They are a little larger than I expected but OK. They get good reviews. I bought a red one also and installed that one as a second brake light on my little street bike. It has held up for a 10 day trip which was very wet and rainy. Time will tell how it lasts in the truck running 8 hours a night. Since it is on a bracket it will be a simple matter to swap it out if needed.

 

[Kanoe]

Well, here we are camping in the desert. Mixed success with the strobe. It works great, doesn't noticeably affect the battery. On the mouse front, mixed results.

First to state an interesting observation. We only have rodent issues when camping in existing campsites. If we stay in a random unused site in the desert or forest, no issues. I'm guessing this is learned behaviour for the rodents much like the bears in Yosemite.

Generally we will hear a scrambling in the engine bay sometime shortly after dark. They seem to like the warm engine block and who can blame them, 20 degrees f at night. Most nights flicking in the strobe sends them packing but not always. Last night one went everywhere (from the tracks on the dust). They don't seem to hurt anything but the sound drives me nuts when trying to sleep.

Anyone got any sure fire ideas to make the engine bay less attractive to rodents?

 

[jgue467]

That is so strange, I stay out in woods with the Runner around and rodents never get near it or campsites, sometimes they'll get into a travel trailer if crumbs are left behind but not an engine bay. It is an 'existing' campsite, use it over and over and so many mice out in woods, not to mention their hunters the snakes.

How about spraying it with some nasty poison like say flowery smelling roach/ant stuff? Do watch out though, bees get really mad when they smell the pyrethrum, ask me how I know.... :cowboy:

 

[Piney]

Barn cats. Lots of mice, voles, rats but not in the rigs, barns, outbuildings or house.

 

[brillo_76]

I been fighting the rodents for years. I used to mouse proof all my air filters with metal screens.

Areas of entry:

1] air intakes both your engine and your blower fan

2] your cabin vents. In the 4 runner it's under your driverside rear bumper. Rubber flap falls off and the mice move in.


Along with sealing off the big holes. I will put a chunk of Irish spring soap in the cab and put a bounty sheet and change it monthly or bi monthly. The fall and winter months are the worst in the northeast.


Also best to move your vehicles around about every month. The critters like the stationary rides. So keep them moving.


Nothing worse then opening your hood or turning on your blower. Finding severe damage from those buggers.


In the past. I had a mouse destroy an air filter. Destroy a cabin filter. Squirrels and chipmunks filling battery compartments with nuts and turned my fuse box wiring into confetti. Not to mention chew some wires from time to time.

I even had mouse eat holes in a seat once. The Joy's or rural living.

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk

 

[Kanoe]

Yes, I need to get a travelling cat and tie it outside at night.

I have secured the cabin air intake and engine intake with wire mesh (see page 1) so rodents are not getting inside the cabin.

They are really not causing any issues that I can see, just leaving tracks and swipe marks in the dust, occasionally pooping on top of the engine. The issue is that we live in the 4runner every night so even the noise made by the littlest mouse is loud when you are trying to sleep.

If I wasn't living in the truck in the desert I would not know that they are visiting.

I see you can get some 12 volt ultra sonic rodent repellers, I might get one of these and install it so it is on when the strobe light is on.

Thanks all.