Headlight won't turn off
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 310
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From: West Chester Pa.
Headlight won't turn off
I tried to get in my truck and remote door lock didn't work.
I knew what that meant.
The battery was dead.
I put the charger on it and took my car out.
When I went out to check on it, it was dark and the lights were dimly lit.
I played with the switch and they wouldn't turn off.
I hope it's not related to this.
I don't drive that truck a whole lot. I went out to test the antifreeze a couple weeks ago and there were walnuts stuffed every where.
Damn squirrel moved in.
I got it cleaned out and everything worked fine,
I figured i dodged a bullet.
Ever since then I've been popping the hood every couple days.
Well last week they were back at it.
There were only about 4 walnuts.
I'm wondering if they chewed a wire or something.
Since it was dark there was no point trying to find anything last night.
I'm going to go look at it in a few minuets.
I knew what that meant.
The battery was dead.
I put the charger on it and took my car out.
When I went out to check on it, it was dark and the lights were dimly lit.
I played with the switch and they wouldn't turn off.
I hope it's not related to this.
I don't drive that truck a whole lot. I went out to test the antifreeze a couple weeks ago and there were walnuts stuffed every where.
Damn squirrel moved in.
I got it cleaned out and everything worked fine,
I figured i dodged a bullet.
Ever since then I've been popping the hood every couple days.
Well last week they were back at it.
There were only about 4 walnuts.
I'm wondering if they chewed a wire or something.
Since it was dark there was no point trying to find anything last night.
I'm going to go look at it in a few minuets.
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 680
Likes: 0
From: Michigan
I'm guessing it's partially related. Our trucks do not like it when we have bad batteries, with it being an 04, I would purchase a new battery before I did anything else. Then I would go through and check all your wires in the engine compartment. Not telling what the squirrels chewed on, pissed on, etc... But, I would say, yeah, they are related....
Hotshot
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 10,459
Likes: 10
From: RVA
That's A LOT of walnuts. I'll be lifting the hood more often now even though I drive mine daily.
Glad to hear that it was just the battery and not something more serious. I'm beginning to hate squirrels more and more each day.
Glad to hear that it was just the battery and not something more serious. I'm beginning to hate squirrels more and more each day.
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 415
Likes: 0
From: Jerseyville,IL
Had the same problem, but it was my alternator, drove the truck till the battery died and the truck died, lights lit up dim even with them turned off. Changed the alternator and charged the battery and all was fine.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 310
Likes: 0
From: West Chester Pa.
I did check my alternator, it's fine.
I Googled "squirrels nesting under hood".
Holly crap is it a big problem.
There was story after story of people getting thousands of dollars worth of damage to their vehicles.
The one persons car was only a couple months old and they destroyed the wiring harness.
They had to wait weeks for a new harness, and it cost three or four grand to fix it.
I'd be on killing spree if that was me.
I got very very lucky nothing happened, I hope.
I got two different types of repellent,
one of them is made with fox urine, and the other had peppers and a bunch of other stuff.
It's granules, so I made little pouches out of cheese cloth and tie wrapped them under the hood.
I Googled "squirrels nesting under hood".
Holly crap is it a big problem.
There was story after story of people getting thousands of dollars worth of damage to their vehicles.
The one persons car was only a couple months old and they destroyed the wiring harness.
They had to wait weeks for a new harness, and it cost three or four grand to fix it.
I'd be on killing spree if that was me.
I got very very lucky nothing happened, I hope.
I got two different types of repellent,
one of them is made with fox urine, and the other had peppers and a bunch of other stuff.
It's granules, so I made little pouches out of cheese cloth and tie wrapped them under the hood.
Hotshot
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 10,459
Likes: 10
From: RVA
Check out this thread from a few weeks ago. It speaks about some more "household" items that could also work to prevent invasion:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-the-hood.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-the-hood.html
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Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Just shoot the things. Eating them is optional. You can get a .22 CB long that sounds like an air rifle and is good to about 20 yards. A chewing squirrels shows up every now and then. They'll chew up rubber garden hoses (the expensive ones), wood siding, wires and bellows in the truck, then get in your attic and start on your house wires. Don't keep grass seed, the garbage can, or anything else edible in the garage with your vehicles either. It's about $500 to get mouse nests out of car or truck A/C units and sanitize them. All of this is personal experience.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2010
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Squirrels are one of the few reasons to have a cat. I had terrible problems with squirrels, chipmunks, mice, ground moles, etc. I adopted one of those polydactile cats (the ones with black lips and six toes). They are great hunters. I don't even have moths anymore!
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 310
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From: West Chester Pa.
I have two good hunting cats.
The only squirrels they go after are the real young small ones.
They do kill everything else.
I live next to a 12 acre field, those cat's are my only defense against all the critters in that field.
I shoot ground hogs in the same field from my kitchen window.
The squirrels mostly stay around front where the tree's are.
I have a darn neighbor that has 5 or 6 bird feeders that may as well be squirrels feeders.
They are between our houses, so are the trees.
I can't shoot that direction.
I've lived here 20 years, this is the first time I've had any trouble.
I bought a car when gas was real high, and I also have a 1991 F-250 so the truck sits a lot.
I've gone 6 weeks or more without touching it.
I guess that's why I never had the any trouble before, I drove the new one to work, and the old one a couple weekends a month.
That didn't help the battery any either.
I had a trickle charger for the old truck, I never got around to getting one for the newer truck.
Thanks for all the advice.
The only squirrels they go after are the real young small ones.
They do kill everything else.
I live next to a 12 acre field, those cat's are my only defense against all the critters in that field.
I shoot ground hogs in the same field from my kitchen window.
The squirrels mostly stay around front where the tree's are.
I have a darn neighbor that has 5 or 6 bird feeders that may as well be squirrels feeders.
They are between our houses, so are the trees.
I can't shoot that direction.
I've lived here 20 years, this is the first time I've had any trouble.
I bought a car when gas was real high, and I also have a 1991 F-250 so the truck sits a lot.
I've gone 6 weeks or more without touching it.
I guess that's why I never had the any trouble before, I drove the new one to work, and the old one a couple weekends a month.
That didn't help the battery any either.
I had a trickle charger for the old truck, I never got around to getting one for the newer truck.
Thanks for all the advice.
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