Mice in cab. HELP!

[MikeO]

Took the 3yo boy to Burger King and when I came out there were two baby mice on the passenger side floor. At first when I saw them they looked dead but they weren't. Then I hear the squeaking of the rest of the litter.



To be safe (didn't want a p1ssed off baby mouse climbing all over the boy and scaring him half to death) I called the wife and she picked up the boy in the car.



Removed the two offenders and left them in the rain to die at BK (or to be used as chicken nuggets).



I can hear a few more of them in there and I assume they are in the heating system because they aren't behind the glove box.



So... where should I start and what do I need to block off to prevent this from happening again?



TIA,

Mike O.

 

[JApplegate]

sounds like our lucky bus #13. . got in accident then all the electronics started going hay wire!... . (we all blame it on the mice).....

i have no suggestions on how to help you,. . but suggestion... catch them before they starting eating your wires for dinner

 

[Pawpaw]

Moth balls or crystals will chase them out. Just be sure to use plenty of them.



It won't be any fun for you either, but it works.

 

[MikeO]

OK...figured part of it out...

... they built two nests. One in the driver's side cowl drain/fresh air vent area. That also explains the water on the driver's side. That's all vaccuumed out now. Oh... and I want to find the engineer who designed the fresh air vent mechanism for the driver's side - he needs to be taken out behind the wood shed.



The other nest is in the heater core. Looks like they got in on the passengers side vent. I can hear the little buggers in there now.



Is there any way to remove the bottom half of the heater/condenser box without removing the whole thing like you used to have to do on the older one that separated front to rear?



TIA again,

Mike O.

 

[1stgen4evr]

Open the heater air intake

Well you might not like this method but I did it to mine and it has not been a problem. Also lets me vacuum off the A/C evaporator when it gets cloged with dog hair. (yes, I have a dog that goes with me wherever I go) Jack Russell. Sheds constantly.



I used a four inch hole saw and made a hole in the front of the air channel right in front of the evaporator. I use black duct tape to cover the hole and vacuum things out about once a year. The book says that you can get that air channel out only by removing the dash. Saw a post that says otherwise. The hole works for me.



Don't bait the mice in the truck. Keep bait outside the truck area and you can usually eliminate the problem from reoccuring. Mice/rats like to urinate and deffacate on everything and that draws other rats/mice. You may be in for a long battle.



Got some suggestions for disposing of the mice but might offend someone.



1stgen4evr

James

 

[MikeO]

Update - THREE NESTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right... three nests.



First nest was on the driver side cowl drain. That side was PACKED from the bottom of the drain all the way to the windshield wiper post! Well... that fully explains the water on the driver's floor! No mice but it was quite the nest! Intersting stuff they used... about a year ago I removed a bunch of grey carpet from my house. It sat in the bed for a week before I could get to the dump. That was the majority of the nest.



Second nest I found was in the passenger's side cowl. Same deal as the drivers side but this one had the offending mice in it. I removed three more from this location. Half the nest was in the cowl half was in the A/C condenser. The remaining offender was in the A/C condenser (fresh air side). We don't need to get into details but suffice it to say that he is gone.



The other nest (and quite frankly the worst) was between the heater blower motor/housing and the protective rubber cover. Yikes... this thing was ultra stinky and had a little tunnel in the middle and everything. The little bugger even managed to chew through the foam and had full access to the cab through a little hole. The stench from this nest is still in my nose.



To give you an idea of how much stuff there was in there... the three nests completely filled up my previously empty wet-dry!



OK... in order to fix everything it was clear that the whole heater core/condenser/blower assembly had to come out. Holy cow! Whomever designed that thing should definetely be shot in the knees and left to die!



After removing half the dash, I discovered that you CANNOT take the dash out without removing the windshield! The dash is held down by 7 screws from the top that are only accessible when the windshield is out! I removed everything in the dash including the radio, gauges, warning lights, light switch, ashtray, etc, etc, etc. to figure this out.



With nothing but a mess or wires and vaccuum tubing, I figured out a way to get the damn thing out in one piece (that's the only way). I took pics and I'll post them soon.



Before I reassemble things I will epoxy some 1/8" stainless screen on the outside of both vents to prevent this from ever happening again. I will also use this as an opportunity to clean everything in the dash and I'll be using some DAP foam spray in some areas as a noise/insulation/anti-rattle solution.



Anyway, it was ugly and it's almost over!



Mike O.

 

[keimmmo]

Just toss a big 'ol black snake in the cab... your mouse problem will be history in short order!



Steve

 

[BarryG]

I feel your pain. Many years ago I was driving a car that I had just picked up in Conn and was heading home back to Minnesota with it. I was on the turnpike just getting to White Plains NY and had been hearing a squeaky rattle and had been trying to figure out what it was and then in rush hour traffic on that narrow 4 laner a freakin mouse jumped out of the drivers side air vent right into my lap. Scared the heck out of me. I had some of the same enjoyment after I got home tearing everything apart removing several nests and looking for chewed wiring which I found.

 

[JApplegate]

i'll rent you my cat. . no animal has made it past my cat... . snakes, mice, rats, birds, and cute rabbies... .

 

[DOUGMartin]

Not to get off topic but yeah thats about the only thing cats are good for. My neighbor has a hole bunch of our door cats hat wonder around the yard when my dog isnt out. Only nice thing about it is i dont worry about mice in the truck or snowmobile or anything else.

 

[The patriot]

Originally posted by JApplegate

i'll rent you my cat. .

ROFLMAO. I love it!!

Eric