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Mice got in (but not through air filter)

Discussion in 'General Tundra Discussion' started by Fitzf15E, Jul 1, 2022.

  1. Jul 1, 2022 at 2:21 PM
    #1
    Fitzf15E

    Fitzf15E [OP] New Member

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    Was up at hunting camp for a couple days, and up till this trip had usually been spraying rodent repellant around the truck when I got there (thanks to the multiple threads about mice eating air filters), but with the new rock driveway and no issues over the last couple months I skipped it as I had a lot to get done and was only going to be there a couple days. Apparently that was a mistake. I go to throw my gear in the truck this morning and see that a box of Kleenex that was under the seat got shredded, with the trail leading up to the firewall behind the gas pedal. YGBSM! I open the glove box to check my air filter only to find it looks perfectly normal. So, if they didn't get in via the air filter, how else would they get into the Tundra?

     
  2. Jul 1, 2022 at 2:29 PM
    #2
    Retired...finally

    Retired...finally Utilizing that doctorate of procrastinatory arts

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    Don't know about your case but stupid me bought a bag of sunflower seeds that had a small hole in it. Even stupider me left it in the back of our Honda Element overnight. Next morning I found mouse dookies on my front seat. Set a trap and caught one that night. All was well until the car sat out in the hot sun all day at the boat ramp. Stinko city. Pulled the interior out and found three more dead baby mice.
     
  3. Jul 1, 2022 at 2:47 PM
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    TILLY

    TILLY Gently Used Member

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    My guess would be that they got in the way they usually do through the holes in the firewall, but just decided not nest in your filter area. Once they get into the filter area they can get into the cab through the ducts.
     
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  4. Jul 1, 2022 at 3:37 PM
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    Fitzf15E

    Fitzf15E [OP] New Member

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    The only food in the truck was a Hammer Bar on the center console still sealed in its wrapper, and they didn't touch that.

    Ref Tilly's comment: holes in the firewall? Shouldn't those all be sealed? Across the last ten years my old Silverado and our SUV have both been parked in this same area for weeks at a time during hunting season, yet neither of those has ever had a mouse get into it. The Tundra has only been up there a half dozen times in the last three months and they've already found a way in.
     
  5. Jul 1, 2022 at 4:21 PM
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    TILLY

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    Maybe I should have phrased it better than I did, sorry. The holes are actually under the windshield cowling part of the firewall. There's a Screen Mod those of us who have had this problem do to prevent them from getting back in. If you need pics on how to do it let us know. Good luck.
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2022
  6. Jul 1, 2022 at 5:45 PM
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  7. Jul 1, 2022 at 6:55 PM
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    Fitzf15E

    Fitzf15E [OP] New Member

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    No issues. I've seen these mesh pics on the other threads, but mistakenly thought they addressed the specific problem of mice getting in via the cabin air filter, which isn't how they got into my truck. So there are apparently ways through other than the cabin air filter and all the other shielding Toyota put up around there isn't doing much good.

     
  8. Jul 1, 2022 at 7:19 PM
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    TILLY

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    :monocle: Still not sure you understand what we're trying to tell you.
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2022
  9. Jul 20, 2022 at 7:14 PM
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    flyingdock

    flyingdock New Member

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    I’m having the same issue! Access without coming through the cabin air filter. I will have to take down the firewall cowling and screen some access points. Any advice on screen and how to fix it in place? Thanks!
     
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  10. Jul 21, 2022 at 4:14 AM
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    RustyShackle323

    RustyShackle323 New Member

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    I’d be interested in the screen that @Retired...finally used above!
     
  11. Jul 21, 2022 at 4:27 AM
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    Retired...finally

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    It's called hardware cloth. 1/4" Available at any good hardware store, Lowes or Home Depot. Cuts easily with tin snips but do wear gloves. My roll was held tight with a thin wire which can be used to hold the two layers sandwiched together over the biggest opening. I didn't want to drill holes so I cut a piece for both the inside and outside and twisted small pieces of wire around the two to hold it together.
    It's handy stuff. Industrial flyswatters for Carpenter bees, sliding door protectors for when you kid brings his screen destroying German Shepherd and just used some to make a Mole Crab rake for the Gulf.20220717_180526.jpg
     
  12. Jul 21, 2022 at 4:32 AM
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    RustyShackle323

    RustyShackle323 New Member

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    Thanks for the quick response!

    I got a mouse in the garage and found it chewed the insulation off of a few sensors on my Camry. So, now I’m on the defense and offense trying to get rid of it but at the same time prevent any further damage to my vehicles. The Tundra sits in the third garage quite a bit as it’s the “trip” vehicle and gets driven very little in between. So, may do this to prevent that little bugger from getting inside the truck.
     
  13. Jul 21, 2022 at 5:55 AM
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    Retired...finally

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    You're welcome. I battle those creatures too. Neverending fight.
     
  14. Oct 23, 2022 at 3:52 PM
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    woundedpig

    woundedpig New Member

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    I just found a nest centered above the cabin filter. Over just a couple days (still hot in Texas), air flow from ducts went from normal to a dead stench. Got the nest out by slowly withdrawing the filter suctioning right and left while crushing the pleats of the filter and using a flat profile Ridgid vacuum adapter. A corpse came out, which i did not further investigate. Truck had been in a tight garage for weeks previously while we were away, but had been parked outside for a few days.
    There is nothing amiss in the cab itself or under the hood.

    I have a 2021 Tundra Crew Cab with the same mesh as this link. I see no other entrances through the firewall that are disturbed. Toyota seems to have done a better job closing up the firewall c/w previous years.

    So...... How did this critter get in? The mesh should have been good enough to protect the air intake. I don't see any debris under the mesh using a high intensity light in a dark environment.

    Thoughts

    Yhanks

    David
     
  15. Oct 23, 2022 at 5:40 PM
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    TILLY

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    The mesh that you're looking at on the plastic cowl is only there to let air into the ducts, it doesn't protect mice from entering the cabin. If you look at the area behind where the hood hinges are located, you can see a gap where they can get in. The only true way to keep them out is to remove the plastic cowl and add some mesh directly to the holes that are cutout on the firewall. Good luck.
     
  16. Nov 8, 2022 at 4:59 PM
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    Caveman

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    @Retired...finally the mice got me too!! Hey how did you gain access to the back side of the firewall? Did you have to remove the windshield wipers along with the plastic cowling and the large metal cover that goes across the firewall?
     
  17. Nov 9, 2022 at 1:48 AM
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    wing-2

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    Is there any truth the rodents being attracted to "Soy Wiring"?
     
  18. Nov 9, 2022 at 3:15 AM
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    cran2

    cran2 New Member

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    0F1A7C23-86CA-4714-B415-730DACD02E93.jpg I had a rat issue last winter. Chewed through a wire harness before I got him with a peanut butter special! Anyway, after a $700 repair, I added one of those strobe light/high frequency deterrent devices and covered a/c intake with the metal mentioned above because I had dropping on the cabin filter.
    Not cold here yet, but I’ll also be spraying around our vehicles with the peppermint spray too.
    Fingers crossed!
     
  19. Nov 9, 2022 at 3:43 AM
    #19
    bfunke

    bfunke Tundra Curmudgeon

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    I found the little bastards chewed up the red terminal protector on my 2000 so I looked closely and found they left a couple hickory nuts under my intake. If the get my knock sensors, I’m gonna be mad. Watch kitty must be sleeping on the job
     
  20. Nov 9, 2022 at 4:17 AM
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    Retired...finally

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    I ordered a wiper puller tool from Amazon to pull the wiper arms off. Using masking tape mark on the windshield where the tips of the wipers rest before removing. The plastic cowl was the problem since I couldn't figure out how the clips worked. I finally used a mirror to see what needed depressed on the clips. Can't remember if they needed squeezed side to side or front to back but a small mirror will tell you. A couple of the plastic trim tool to pry up on the black cowl while you squeeze the clips helps. Don't be a big dummy like me and drop a trim tool into the abyss that is our engine bay. Maybe tie an idiot string like the winter mittins that had a long string between them? I used commonly available 1/4" hardware cloth which BTW has an over abundance of had cutting sharp edges after you take the tin snips to it.
     
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