Rats chewed my car !! | FerrariChat

Rats chewed my car !!

Discussion in '308/328' started by Skindiver, Sep 22, 2013.

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  1. Skindiver

    Skindiver Karting

    Apr 22, 2004
    203
    JHB SA.
    Full Name:
    Greg
    #1 Skindiver, Sep 22, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    In the same garage for 15 years. Suddenly rats went on the offensive. Ate this wire. Its like a co axial cable with an insulated inner core and an outer. They are on both left and right so I suspect brake wear sensor or ABS. Car is 328 1989 with ABS. Showing the unchewed side in the pic. Do you know what it is ?

    Also co incidence ? or rats again, but leaking as in pic all along sill on left side of car. Dreaded long heater hose ?

    Thanks Greg.
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  2. Mike C

    Mike C F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Aug 3, 2002
    6,081
    Southeast USA
    Full Name:
    Mike Charness
    No rats, but mice droppings told me that I'd had little visitors get into my passenger compartment. I put few trays of d-CON around the garage, and within a few weeks no more mice and the d-CON trays stay full instead of bait contents disappearing every few days.

    That's what happens when you live in a wooded area...
     
  3. andyww

    andyww F1 Rookie

    Feb 7, 2011
    2,775
    London
    Yes that is an ABS sensor cable.

    We used to have issues with mice in our house and garage. I even found they were living inside one of my stereo speakers!

    We got a cat, end of problem :)
     
  4. ClydeM

    ClydeM F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 4, 2003
    10,465
    Wayne, NJ
    Full Name:
    Clyde E. McMurdy
    I had mice make a nest by the ECUs in my 308 over last winter. They made a nest, damaged the connector & chewed through an RPM Sensor. I didn't want poison to kill a mouse in the house, so I doubled the standard bait traps and tried dryer sheets in the car. Nothing the rest of the winter. We'll see this winter.

    There's a couple good articles on the net. If you garage your car, you can try surrounding it with 12" high metal sheeting. Supposedly they don't like trying to climb up it.
     
  5. Pizzaman Chris

    Pizzaman Chris F1 Rookie

    Mar 13, 2005
    3,919
    New Hampshire
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    Pizzaman Chris
    Have I ever told you guys "I hate meeces to pieces!"
     
  6. Saabguy

    Saabguy Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 28, 2012
    1,753
    Shreveport, LA
    Yup, we had one and exactly one cold day a few years back, I had been Christmas shopping so came back late. Go out the next day and a car that ALWAYS starts on the third crank didn't and I smelled gas. Pop the hood to find that a squirrel had made a quick home on top of my engine and chewed through the fuel line and many of the injectors lines.

    On a newish computer controlled vehicle..

    Rodents.. ya gotta hate 'em.
     
  7. andyww

    andyww F1 Rookie

    Feb 7, 2011
    2,775
    London
    We have at least 4 foxes living in our garden (normal for our area) and local foxes have been known to chew through rubber brake hoses which is always a worry! They also enjoy satellite TV/broadband cables, I had to encase ours in plastic conduit where it runs at ground level.
     
  8. 4right

    4right F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    When I purchased my 308 years ago, it came with an abandoned mouse nest in the muffler, along with a bunch of dog food that they had apparently brought in there with them. You cant even begin to imagine the amount of smoke that came out of the exhaust and the smell of burning dog food is still with me to this day.
     
  9. umsneeze

    umsneeze Formula Junior

    Nov 16, 2004
    449
    Knoxville, TN
    #9 umsneeze, Sep 24, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  10. Gordo308

    Gordo308 Karting

    Sep 2, 2013
    98
    Essex, CT
    Full Name:
    Gordon Laing
    Last year mice ate all the wires off my fuel gauge sending unit on my Alfa.
    I think the only thing that works are moth balls. But I hate smell and it hard to get rid of the ordor.
     
  11. pippo

    pippo Formula 3

    Sep 25, 2005
    1,913
    FL
    Full Name:
    pippopotemus
    right- the worst you can get with cats is muddy prints on top of the car body and a squirt of pee on the tires/wheels occasionally....LOL
     
  12. pippo

    pippo Formula 3

    Sep 25, 2005
    1,913
    FL
    Full Name:
    pippopotemus
    try to at least get the foxes during winter- fur is prime, and can at least bring in some $$. Pays for a few fill ups at the petrol station......
     
  13. shashi27

    shashi27 Formula Junior

    Jan 7, 2006
    988
    Long Valley, NJ
    Full Name:
    Shashi
    Worried foxes may eat my Yorkies not my wires. :)
     
  14. andyww

    andyww F1 Rookie

    Feb 7, 2011
    2,775
    London
    Although I have got some scratches on my car from the cat :(
     
  15. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jan 26, 2005
    22,352
    Indian Wells, California
    Full Name:
    Jon
    Hyperflow or OEM?
     
  16. vulcan300

    vulcan300 Karting

    Oct 30, 2011
    86
    43.652073,-79.382293
    Full Name:
    Jeremy G
    Mouse traps baited with peanut butter will do the trick. That way they won't die an decompose somewhere inconvenient. I had to go on the offensive after a mouse made a nest under an engine shroud in a car that was being restored. That could have turned into a Bon fire if I hadn't caught it before firing up the car.
     
  17. SoCal308GTSiQV

    SoCal308GTSiQV Formula Junior

    Nov 3, 2008
    585
    Ojai, Ca.
    Full Name:
    Chris
    When I first bought my car i lived high in the mountains. All kinds of critters from ground squirrels to chipmunks to big arse river rats to bear!. I used dryer sheets. I put them in the engine compartment, under the hood, in the passenger compartment and under the car cover. Never so much as saw any droppings!

    The mouse trap with peanut butter works good too, put some broken up alka seltzer chunks in the peanut butter, they eat it and since the can't burp, their stomach pops!
     
  18. Skindiver

    Skindiver Karting

    Apr 22, 2004
    203
    JHB SA.
    Full Name:
    Greg
    I repaired the wire. Soldered the inner, insulated it and then the outer and insulated that. ABS light goes on on starting like it should and goes off after about 25 seconds. I never paid attention before but is that about right ? Any advice on the leak in the pic guys ? Heater hose ?

    Cheers
     

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