The thanksgiving mouse

07TrailyLS

Original poster
Member
May 7, 2014
423
Toledo ohio
Happy thanksgiving guys. I’ll get right down to it. I have a mouse living in my truck. I noticed it about 5 days ago and it appears he’s been lurking for quite some time after cleaning out some stuff I’ve had in my glove box and rear hatch area for the last few months. he’s chewed a 2”x2” piece of plastic clean off the inside of my glovebox compartment on the radio side! Lol. I set a non lethal trap tonight and am hoping to catch him. Now here’s the problem. I THINK he chewed through my air bag warning light wire(s)..The light was never on before and just recently it’s always on. I was hoping someone could point me to the location of the wire(s) so I could check to see if he actually chewed through it.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,260
Ottawa, ON
All airbag wiring has yellow sleeving on it and yellow connectors. There should be some directly above the glove box for the airbag itself and there is usually some more behind and/or under. You can't miss it.

You should get codes read for it to pinpoint the issue.
 
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07TrailyLS

Original poster
Member
May 7, 2014
423
Toledo ohio
Thanks moose. If it’s directly above the glove box I can guarantee I’m going to be splicing and soldering chewed wires this weekend... yay
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,260
Ottawa, ON
Yep. For safety sake, disconnect the battery and unplug the airbag to not get an accidental deployment. If the light still won't go out, you'll have to pull the airbag codes.
 
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07TrailyLS

Original poster
Member
May 7, 2014
423
Toledo ohio
Ok. Pulled the dash and the plastic in the back. Not good... he ate through my rear seats under my kids car seats. Through the c pillar lower plastic by the seat belt. He ate through the passenger rear turn signal wires, the cigarette lighter ground and the front passenger seat black wire on the 16 pin connector. He also ate through the lower portion on my drivers seat storage flap in the rear. I don't Drive the truck anymore as I have a company Silverado that I drive everywhere. How my wife didn’t notice this over the last few weeks is beyond me. But he’s caused hundreds of dollars in damages. I’ll be spending next weekend splicing 5 new wires in really hard to reach places. The birch of it is he’s still in the truck somewhere and I CANNOT for the life of me fine his nest. The pick and pull down the street has some early gen gmt360’s that I can get black leather out of very cheap. Guess I’ll have to pull the trigger on that before the winter comes in too harsh. When it rains it pours.
 

Redbeard

Member
Jan 26, 2013
3,466
Suggestion on getting rid of the new tenant. Over on you tube there are videos using a 5 gallon bucket to capture said varmints. They show running a steel wire across the top of the bucket and place a pvc pipe over said wire. The pipe then acts like a bearing which you place some peanut butter on the middle of the pvc pipe. When the rat or mouse try to get the food the piece of pvc rotates around due to his weight then dropping into the bottom of the bucket. The water in the bottom of the bucket keeps him to heavy to then jump out of the bucket. Seems to work very effectively.
 
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cornchip

Member
Jan 6, 2013
637
Not sure exactly where, but in the rear of the body there should be a couple of rubber flaps that let air pressure out of the cabin (drivers side rear). That's likely where it's getting in. I had a mouse that found a chocolate bar left by my wife in the front passenger door pocket. It also made a nest by shredding a roll of paper towel. Never seen it after I removed it's home.

Every vehicle we've parked in this driveway has also been home to chipmunks. They move in during the fall and nest on top of the engine. Found a mummified one on my old Buick 3800 between the valve cover and intake.
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,260
Ottawa, ON
Apparently, putting Bounce dryer sheets everywhere is a good repellent. RV owners swear by them.
 

07TrailyLS

Original poster
Member
May 7, 2014
423
Toledo ohio
Vacuumed the hell out of her today and cleaned everything! No sign of any nests. I’m about 100 percent sure it was coming in from the rear bumper area where those 2 plastic round sealers were. I pulled them off because my hatch was filling with water last summer and that allowed it to drain. Put them back on. Fixed all the wires except for the one under the passenger seat on the 16 pin connector. Spent 30 minutes figuring out how to depin one single pin on that damn thing and finally gave up lol.
 

Reprise

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Jul 22, 2015
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Suggestion on getting rid of the new tenant. Over on you tube there are videos using a 5 gallon bucket to capture said varmints. They show running a steel wire across the top of the bucket and place a pvc pipe over said wire. The pipe then acts like a bearing which you place some peanut butter on the middle of the pvc pipe. When the rat or mouse try to get the food the piece of pvc rotates around due to his weight then dropping into the bottom of the bucket. The water in the bottom of the bucket keeps him to heavy to then jump out of the bucket. Seems to work very effectively.

I've not seen the vids, but....this works for rats, too? The only way I'm thinking it does is if the bucket is half filled with sulphuric acid...lol.
 

07TrailyLS

Original poster
Member
May 7, 2014
423
Toledo ohio
Well. It’s been 2 days and there’s no sign of him, it or whatever. So now I’ll be scanning pull a parts for black leather. I really want to get new carpet while I’m at it but can’t justify the 400 dollar price tag...
 
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Reprise

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Apparently, putting Bounce dryer sheets everywhere is a good repellent. RV owners swear by them.

And oil of peppermint. A few drops on cotton balls, placed in strategic locations, work very well. Much better than moth balls (camphor), which work, but the smell lingers on. One year I used them on the S2K, when I stored it for the winter in a rented space...DDW b!tched half of the next summer over it. I deserved it, too.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,260
Ottawa, ON
Never mind cheese. Peanut butter is like crack to them. Works like a charm. Here's the proof:

mms_20170426_122938.jpg

He looks kinda angry.
 

marinegrunt

Member
Oct 13, 2012
110
Well. It’s been 2 days and there’s no sign of him, it or whatever. So now I’ll be scanning pull a parts for black leather. I really want to get new carpet while I’m at it but can’t justify the 400 dollar price tag...

When we purchased our Envoy I installed indoor/outdoor carpet over the stock carpet just to keep the original looking new. If I remember right it was only like $60. I pulled the seats and trim before installing so it looks like it came that way. It has been in there for a long time and still looks good so is pretty durable.

I also agree with peanut butter on a good old trap. That's how I catch all mice that get into my shop each fall. They definitely can't resist it.

IMG_0007.JPG
 

07TrailyLS

Original poster
Member
May 7, 2014
423
Toledo ohio
Just out of curiosity. How well does they indoor/outdoor carpeting sit on the slopes and creases? Did you have to do any cutting to get it all to sit flat?
 

marinegrunt

Member
Oct 13, 2012
110
Just out of curiosity. How well does they indoor/outdoor carpeting sit on the slopes and creases? Did you have to do any cutting to get it all to sit flat?

It laid down pretty flat even when new. I purchased some pre cut stuff that was in a small roll. I think it was 6' x 8' and had to buy two rolls due to having the xl. Since I took the seats out I had the two seams meet under the seats so you can't see it. The only cuts I made were along the edges. All cuts are under the trim. The only place it didnt lay completely flat was in the middle row where the floor has the hump. It had a bubble on each side of the hump but isn't bad at all. There might have been some other spots but it got better with time. The pre cut stuff might not have as thick as a backing as what's sold by the foot. I also did this in my Sierra and will probably do the same to every future vehicle I buy.
 

07TrailyLS

Original poster
Member
May 7, 2014
423
Toledo ohio
I like the idea. Might give it a try.
 

mrrsm

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Oct 22, 2015
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The Related Thread:


Engine Wiring Destruction and Rodent Nesting Images added below come courtesy @christo829

With the changes in the weather coming and encouraging Rodents to literally *Move Indoors* this Thanksgiving Mouse Story deserves revival for those of us who not only go Camping and may occupy Cabins for vacations... or even Sleeping Bags... but also for those who may decide to start to work on Disabled Vehicles while on their Holidays... Beware these Cautions for Cleanings outlined in these Videos and review the attached images to avoid getting infected with... The Hanta Virus...from Mice and Rats:


 

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