How to deal with mice in engine bay

I went to check my fluids and found a nasty friend has been making a home in the engine bay. Left a nice pile of insulation on the engine cover for me.

No known wiring concerns yet, thankfully, just the first signs of insulation gathering.

I’ve read a few kinds related threads on it, but curious if anyone has some tips and tricks they’ve had good success with, to keep them deterred. I don’t love the idea of spraying stuff every week. The Honda wiring covers seem like a possible step worth considering. Curious of other input though.

 

mothballs, mint oil on gauze, and very accurate gun shooting

 

Peppermint oil has worked great for me. I have deer, fox, squirrels, raccoons, and fox that I’ve seen. I also put a k&n cabin filter in, it has steel mesh on it.

 

Live traps are legit too! https://www.webstaurantstore.com/jt...125zooED1CHgd6danzERe3a58Z2KhXCxoCxiQQAvD_BwE

Especially with this: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tomcat-mouse-attractant-gel-1-oz-bottle

 

Since the critters are already in that area, I would definitely check the cabin air filter to see if they've made it inside yet.

 

One in each of my vehicles, set and forget it.

https://mouseblocker.ca/product/mouse-blocker-pro-12-volt/

 

Turbo Rat Destroyer PRO?

 

If my truck is parked for a time I can see seeds from chipmunks that have been stored in a side engine crevice just below the cover.
During the pandemic when truck was basically parked, they chewed through the black rubber tubing for the winshield washer fluid. That was fun finding out.
They also shredded the cabin filter. Good thing the blower motor is an easy unplug unscrew and drop to clean out below the dash. I now pull the cabin filter if its going to be parked for a time.
Not going through that again.
I have read if you leave the hood open a bit un latched they won't enter. If your truck is covered in a secure area maybe thats another option. I don't have the option to try that.

 

Those little f-kers destroy my backyard and chew up every vegetable or berry wife plants. I shoot them with pellet gun like it's my day job, but they keep coming.

 

Check this thread for mouse guarding

https://www.tundras.com/threads/mouse-rodent-proofing-stage-one.44679/

 

My problem is I think it’s happening at my work parking lot. I’ve seen mice around there often enough, but never had a problem even with my other similar production year Toyotas there.

We have a couple stray cats in our neighborhood, and while my wife hates them, that have seemingly done a good job at keeping the mice at bay. I haven’t seen much evidence of mice around our home in the many years we’ve been here.

I need a fix that’s confined to the engine bay/truck because the presumed problem area I can’t control with traps and such.

 

wonder if this would mess with my Cat's head since the truck is 12 feet from the house?

 

I have it and the inside cat nor the outside cats care about it.

 

Kinda ghetto, but you can carry some rechargeable lanterns and place one under the truck when you park and pop the hood and put another in there. Mice and rats love the dark and hate well lit areas

 

Peppermint oil from Amazon. Drill a hole in the top of a pill bottle lid to allow a controlled release of vapor. I used 3/16 on my first go. Still had plenty of oil left after 7 months so I might open it up more.

 

Our cat pays in no nevermind

 

NHOil makes a mouse deterrent spray. I live in the NE and mice in the engine bay is considered "normal" it seems to work on my truck.
https://nhoilundercoating.com/product/mouse-out/

 

I keep a DIY bucket mouse trap in my garage year round. It's not the most PETA friendly trap, but it's hands down the most effective. *Picture is from the web, but you get the idea*



Aside from that, I have gotten my truck sprayed with Krown rust preventative for 5 year in a row. Knock on wood, but they've left my truck alone, and it's parked a lot. I barely put 5000 miles it in a year. I don't know if they just hate the oily texture, or the smell, but that shit gets everywhere and I'm hoping they just don't want to chew on wires that taste like oil.

 

I do something similar and put an inch or so of antifreeze in the bottom in the winter. In the summer, I'll take the MIG gun and fill it with Argon/CO2 mix. Since I have no dogs the antifreeze is safe.

 

Yup, I've done the same for the winter. I just have to be sure to empty it often in the summer otherwise that "death smell" can get pretty bad in the summer heat lol

 

You do know dryer sheets are a way of women marking their territory.

 

That seriously made me laugh out loud.

 

This is Tippy - she loves me and she loves Tundras. She hates meeses to pieces and keeps my fleet safe. Good kitty Tippy!

 

Discovered the start of a nest about 2 years ago. Cleaned the mess out of the engine bay and zip tied cotton balls with peppermint oil in each corner. Refresh it with a few drops every month or two. Haven't had any repeat visitors since. Works for me.

 

Bastages! Peppermint oil has not been effective for me, but an ultrasonic unit (so far) seems to be working. I would also consider the steps in the "mouse proofing" link above to prevent cabin intrusion.

 

Were you having problems before, that this eliminated? I looked at reviews on Amazon and they are all over the road (big surprise! ha), though mostly positive. They also said it was not ultrasonic and some indicated it was quite audibly loud. Can you hear it easily? I definitely need something that works. Been using pepermint oil and mothballs so far.

One tip for folks getting critters into the cabin air filter — you can buy fine copper mesh. Rodent’s hate chewing it— causes a galvanic response in their mouths. I have wads of that stuffed into the cowl openings under the windshield that direct air into the cabin. Absolutely no problems, and no critters for 3 years there. I do get some in the engine bay, though so looking for further solutions.

 

Why doesn't copper wire stop them?

 

Yeah, that’s a good point, which I also started thinking about. I know they supposedly like the insulation mostly, but I also see people posting on how they chew through wires. The copper mesh is very flexible and easily stuffed into voids and crevices. Maybe it’s just the barrier that helps, maybe they don’t know how to get their mouth/teeth around it. Not sure, but I do know that nothing has gotten into my cabin air filter cavity and I have found mouse scat in the engine bay.