Driving with mice
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,470
Likes: 729
Speaking of rats
My dad had not driven his Crown Victoria in weeks. So, I finally drove my parents to another town. As soon as we pulled out of their driveway, I started smelling gasoline. It got worse and worse.
After a few miles of this, I pulled into a gas station, left the engine running and raised the hood. I was shocked. A giant rat's nest was on top of the engine next to the air filter. While on the engine, the rat had chewed holes in two parts of the fue line, as well as a vacuum line. A steady stream of gas was spraying on the engine and on the nest made of dried leaves. I ran back to the driver's door and turned off the engine and hoped the car would not catch fire.
We could have been blown up, along with the gas station and the Middle Eastern guys running the gas station. They were nice enough to let us park the car overnight. We returned the next morning with a $1 hose and two tiny C-clamps. We replaced the damaged portion of the fuel line and drove the car home. My dad traded the Crown Vic for a Fusion. He now keeps rat poison in his garage.
Mice also chewed holes in the fuel line of my pickup truck.
After a few miles of this, I pulled into a gas station, left the engine running and raised the hood. I was shocked. A giant rat's nest was on top of the engine next to the air filter. While on the engine, the rat had chewed holes in two parts of the fue line, as well as a vacuum line. A steady stream of gas was spraying on the engine and on the nest made of dried leaves. I ran back to the driver's door and turned off the engine and hoped the car would not catch fire.
We could have been blown up, along with the gas station and the Middle Eastern guys running the gas station. They were nice enough to let us park the car overnight. We returned the next morning with a $1 hose and two tiny C-clamps. We replaced the damaged portion of the fuel line and drove the car home. My dad traded the Crown Vic for a Fusion. He now keeps rat poison in his garage.
Mice also chewed holes in the fuel line of my pickup truck.
Racer
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 443
Likes: 0
From: Pueblo Colorado
Getting rid of the dogs actually took care of this one. Plus lots of poison and rat traps.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 638
Likes: 0
From: Plano TX
Mice are actally ATTRACTED to the smell of dogs since it almost always means left over little tid bits laying around. While 95% of mice will move out upon just smelling a cat. If you don't have a cat go pet your freind's cat(watch the jokes here guys) with some tape wrapped around your hand (sticky side out) Set the peices of tape around your garage... This won't always get rid of all of them but you will notice a LARGE decline in numbers. And go pet the cat every month or so to get fresh smells... Ok now the jokes!
And haha... waaaaaay too easy. I'll let the others have fun with that one.
Racer
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 443
Likes: 0
From: Pueblo Colorado
I also noticed after years of seeing some cars attacked by mice that almost every last one of them the owner let a dog in the car! The other 2 had food wrappers in them! So stop and think about what you allow in your car if you live around mice.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 1
From: Weymouth Dorset
even if I wanted to they wouldn't fit
And I don't eat in my car either
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
From: San Luis Obispo California
These mice can be dangerous, my best friend's step-dad had a mouse eat the master cylinder out of his 2005 Dodge Viper, and was out putting the car through its paces when he realized that the brakes felt 'spongy.'
Racer
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 269
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver B.C.
As We Pulled Out On The Freeway He Swerved To The Side Of The Road Jump Out In Full View Of Passing Motorists Shucked His Gun Belt, Pant Belt And Jerked His Pants Completely Off, People Were Honking And Running Off The Road As He Shook A Great Big Rat Out Of His Pants, I Liked Ot Have Died Laughing And Wrecking My Patrol Car. Dont Eat In Your Vette.
Racer
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 443
Likes: 0
From: Pueblo Colorado
Here's a happy thought: the mamals most likely to
survive the next mass extinction are mice and rats -
they weren't around when the dinosaurs went.
survive the next mass extinction are mice and rats -
they weren't around when the dinosaurs went.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 452
Likes: 2
From: Lynnfield MA
I had one chew a hole in the shift boot and take up residence
over the winter a few years back.
I went to the hardware store and bought one of those plastic
"humane" mouse traps, put a pea-sized blob of peanutbutter in
the back of it, then taped that to a piece of 2x6. The traps
work well, but are too light, and the mouse can sometimes turn
them over and escape, that's why I duct tape them to a piece
of wood.
Anyway, next day I had my intruder, alive - but not for long.
I put the trap back in that night with fresh bait just to make
sure there was only one, but that was it.
over the winter a few years back.
I went to the hardware store and bought one of those plastic
"humane" mouse traps, put a pea-sized blob of peanutbutter in
the back of it, then taped that to a piece of 2x6. The traps
work well, but are too light, and the mouse can sometimes turn
them over and escape, that's why I duct tape them to a piece
of wood.
Anyway, next day I had my intruder, alive - but not for long.
I put the trap back in that night with fresh bait just to make
sure there was only one, but that was it.
2nd Gear
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
If I may this may help some of you. Like us, mice like a roof over there head. If you are storeing your car indoors for extended periods of time, unhook the battery and leave the hood up. This for the most part will keep them and other small critters out of the engine bay.
