Late last night, I was tracing C177 back through the wiring harness, when I stumbled on a strange sight. The harness had been chewed on in several places. Repaired harness ! Truck cranks and starts every time. Bonus.........Cruise control now works again!!!!!!
Thanks to all for their input. TJC, Macrobb, and of course, Fixnstuff for spending hours on wiring diagrams to find the problem.
Thanks guys,
Peter A.

 

i was hungry ..

burp .. sorry

"micky mouse"

 

WOW, that's great to hear! I really like the cruise control in my truck and glad that yours works now. That makes the effort worthwhile.

I'll tell you the best way I know of to keep mice out of the engine compartment (based on researching the problem on the web for a friend of mine a few months ago) HOPEFULLY they didn't build a nest in the blower motor plenum (or whatever it's called) I've found mouse nests inside the squirrel cage blower fans before.

I am curious as to the approximately location where they chewed into the harness??

First: I was going to apologize for not getting back to this topic quickly, my wake/sleep schedule is very erratic and I am up to my ears in projects that need to be done. I last looked at this topic at 3 AM while I was taking apart a Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC welder, in my bedroom (the only place left in here with enough room) to fix a couple of things and service it. I was too tired to write a post then but I did look at related schematics and didn't find anything related to that circuit that could cause the problem.

You were smart enough to find the problem without any further assistance! The next step I would have advised would have led to checking the power to that wire from the ignition switch, which you obviously do have and that would indicate that the problem was in that wire or it's connectors.

Small animals chewing on wires is probably more common than we think, especially when the vehicle is parked off of the street, near tall grass, weeds etc., so it's a good idea to check for that when we find wiring issues.

Rodents generally chew on things, like wood to keep their incisor teeth sharp and to keep them from growing too long - sometimes for nesting material. Wire insulation appears to be a convenient thing to chew on and I've even read the theory that they are after the copper. Oxidation and copper salts that form on exposed copper, (for the mouse, a perceived source of minerals). I'm not sure if there is any scientific evidence supporting that theory. It doesn't matter enough for me to research that question.

Based on researching this problem quite extensively on the web a few months ago and comparing lots of different solutions, I found that the most effective solution is simple and inexpensive:

PEPPERMINT OIL! For some reason IT REPELS MICE. Maybe Peppermint leaves are toxic to them, I don't know (Probably so, because I've read that other animals also avoid peppermint plants and the odor is surely a defense mechanism of the mint plant and those defensive chemicals tend to be toxic. I've heard that even dogs avoid peppermint plants). You can usually find Peppermint Oil in a small bottle at Walmart or Grocery stores.

Next you need a small container to put some cotton or small cut pieces from a gauze pad (used for medical bandages) into the container after putting some vent holes in the small container. THEN, put some Peppermint oil into the cotton and it's ready to use. You don't have to use a huge amount of oil, just enough to wet the cotton fibers which will hold the oil and allow more air to pass through.

I've read where people have used an empty but washed (cleaned) chewing tobacco can with holes punched in the top. You can use any sort of small container that you can put vent holes in, even half of that size should be big enough, like a small breath mints container or whatever, just make sure it's been washed out and doesn't contain any unwanted material or odors.

I think that one treatment of the cotton lasts about 2 or 3 months, maybe longer. Then you just have to add some more peppermint oil to the cotton from time to time.

You can order a large 4 ounce bottle from Walmart online for $9.99 and FREE shipping. It includes a 'pipette applicator' which is like an all-plastic eye dropper. That should last a LONG TIME. I am not personally endorsing, recommending or advertising this brand or this source to obtain it. This is for reference:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Best-Pepp...852#about-item

Put it in any convenient place under the hood, away from direct engine heat so the heat won't evaporate the oil too quickly and it will last longer. I would also suggest away from direct air blowing from the fan if you drive the vehicle frequently. If the vehicle is being parked and/or stored most of the time then It doesn't matter much where you put it. Although one is probably enough, if my truck was being parked with the front end near a patch of tall grass or weeds I would be tempted to use two small containers, one on each side somewhere above the fender wells.

I'm glad you got the problem fixed along with the benefit of having a working cruise control!

 

I found the Mouse/Rat lunch leftovers on the driver side harnesses.there is one leg of the harness that leads up to the cruise control, and the other appears to go down to the neutral safety switch area. Altogether 5 wires had been chewed through. It was probably dinner rather than lunch.
Thanks again for all your help,
Peter

 

i've seen alot of mice .. the small brown variety ..

but last year ... out in the shop .. i saw a RAT ..

dang that thing was HUGE ..

but it was just that one hadn't seen it since .. all my life

i've never seen a real live wild rat before just the pet store variety ..

it was 1/2 cat sized .. HUGE

 

This stuff - https://www.farmandfleet.com/product...repellent.html - works. Cheaper if you buy by the case on eBay.

 

2 common species in the USA: 'Black Rats' aka 'Roof Rats' and 'Brown Rats' aka Wharf Rats, Brown rats are larger and can be grey or brown. Black rats, aka 'Roof Rats' are climbers. You probably saw a 'Brown Rat'

If you see ONE there are at least 20 more nearby because they live in social groups and replicate like crazy! Females have about 5 litters per year of 7-14 offspring and the female offspring are sexually mature in just 5 weeks so they can produce many more. Under 'perfect conditions' ONE female + offspring can produce about 900 rats in just one year! They are most active right after dark so they are not seen very often and they are very intelligent and cautious. If you place a trap out they will avoid it at first because it is something 'new' in their environment.

For mice or rats, repellents are only partially effective, sometime not working at all.

Poison is the most effective way to kill them but undesirable and unsafe in many circumstances, Even if pets and other animals can't get to the poison an owl, hawk or cat can capture and eat a rat that is full of poison. I remember a very large Bald Eagle back in my home town that was killed by rat poison.

Snap traps are second best and Victor brand (in business for 115 years) has been cited many times as making the most effective snap traps.
They also make a repellent using Peppermint oil as the main ingredient. 115 years in business and that is the main ingredient they chose for a 'safe' repellent.

Seattle is rated at or near the top of US cities that have the most rats.

I feed the wild birds outside and they showed up here to eat the spillover of seeds and ground corn that the little birds wouldn't eat. They were actually attracted by many large bags of garbage that a neighbor was putting outside because he was too cheap to pay for garbage service. He siad he was taking it to his mother's apartment complex and putting in the dumpster but he only did that every 2-3 months.

I don't like to kill any animal so first I tried a baited live trap. They usually won't come near them at first until they eventually accept it's presence. I caught 1 big rat, was going to put them in a 5 gallon pail and transport to a wild area for food for owls, hawks or other preditors. While trying to put this one big rat in a 5 gal. pail and get a plywood cover on top[ of it, I accidentally tipped the pail a bit to the side and the rat escaped. THEY CAN RUN VERY FAST! After that they never entered the live trap again! They remember things!

Finally, I got another big one with a snap trap (Not a Victor brand) but the snap mechanism just wacked it in the head and the rat was about 5 feet away from the trap lying on it's back looking like it was having a seizure. After a couple of hours it was dead and I buried it in the yard.

After that I had no success with the snap traps. THEN I had about 5 baby rats out there every day! They grew very fast! I finally had to resort to rat poison. They were too wary of the pet-safe containers that the poison was in and they would not go in those so I took the poison blocks out, broke them into pieces and put them into about 7 different rat holes that come out from under my very large storage shed and 2-3 rat holes under the slab that the home is built on.

The next day ALL of the rat poison was gone! That was enough poison to kill 80 rats!

I haven't seen a single rat since but I'm going to put more poison in those rat holes. I did find one of those dead baby ones (which were rat sized in just a few weeks) just yesterday by my shed door.
It was surely killed when I used the poison a couple of weeks ago and I just didn't see it dead in the grass. I just put it in a plastic bag, tied up the bag and put it in my garbage can.

I also have a LOT of mice. They've been a big problem for the 9 years that I have lived here and have been living in the walls and the attic space (evidenced by old 'Decon' brand rat and mouse poison packets I found in the attic). I've also had to resort to poison to get rid of them.

I didn't want to kill them all but I do want to feed the birds. My bird feeder is hanging right in front of my sliding glass door and they are a joy to watch. If my landlord figures out that the spill over bird seed is providing food for rats and mice I imagine that he will forbid it.

He knows it is a problem here. He is a multi-millionaire business attorney/slum lord who probably lives in a very nice home and he told me he found a dead rat in his driveway the same day we were talking about rats. They are all over the place out here. In Seattle I've seen them running across streets at night.

Like I said, there are probably a lot of them near your place and your neighbors have probably seen them. Rats, as cute and as intelligent as they are "as pets" are not a good thing to have living near or in your home. There are common diseases that they can spread, through 'rat fleas' and rat feces which can get on pets and into your home.

 

The main ingredient in that one is Balsam Oil. Same principle as the Peppermint Oil.

When I did my research I read hundreds of user reviews at many websites including web pages devoted to this topic. I concentrated on the negative reviews because positive 5 star reviews generally say the same thing.

In the end, based largely on the reviews I picked the Peppermint Oil as the most effective 'natural' repellent, even if it is just marginally better but that is certainly not PROOF. It's also the least expensive to use over the long term.

What this all points to is that natural repellents are not always effective. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't work. Scientific research has shown that both of these oils are effective in reducing rodent activity but none of the 'natural' repellents are completely effective.

I really don't know which of the two is more effective, if either. There are probably unknown environmental reasons why sometimes a natural repellent works and sometimes it doesn't. Mice and other rodents are probably environmentally conditioned in different ways depending upon their local habitat. IE: I theorize (logical guess) that if they live in a habitat with Balsam trees Balsam oil might not be an effective repellent, or if they live in an environment where mint plants grow, Peppermint oil might not be effective.

Another factor for me is a very limited Soc. Sec. income (LOW income) so I would try the Peppermint Oil first as it appears to be the least expensive option to maintain.

The product you suggested has 1609 reviews at Amazon. 50% are 5 stars. 20% are 1 star which is usually a "zero" star rating and another 9% are 2 stars. So one and 2 stars add up to 29% of users who found it not to be effective. Among the 1 star reviews there are some very good ones with tests and actual photos of results. In one case the mice were using a repellent packet as a dining table! In another case rats ATE the contents of the packets. Of the 1609 reviews there are 1,027 positive reviews and 582 critical reviews.

Here is a link to the critical reviews if you want to see them:
https://www.amazon.com/Earthkind-Bot...0&pageNumber=1

By the way, Pest Exterminator websites will ALWAYS tell you that NO repellent ever works because they want your business to come and rid you of these pests. In SOME cases pest exterminators are the best and most effective option. Bed bug infestations are a good example.

 

huh .. that's pretty interesting .. this one was deffinetly of the brown variety ..

no way it could possibly have jumped or climbed .. it was fat and brown ..

maybe alot live in seattle because they arrived in the boats at the port ?

that's distubing that in only a few weeks a baby transformed into a full size rat . but i believe it ..

though .. i don't have anymore here .. i'm sure of it .. i live way out in the woods and have no nearby neighbors so it's not an ideal environment for an animal that co habitates with humans .. there 's alot more natural predation and i'm sure he's been killed by something by now ..

i haven't seen any but that one and it was last year .. he looked lost ..

i have bought those big rat traps before .. but for possoms . not rats .. they would get into where my chicks were nested - tear a hole in the chicken wire and eat the birds .. so i put these around and along the path and it'd knock em down ..

i got one killed .. and if i remember .. i thing one lost a leg .. and many got away with severe injuries i'm sure .. but .. it's a possom .. that's like normal for them to be all messed up .

we here in tennesse .. nobody has garbage service .. like those plastic garbage totes and recycle bins .. nope nobody has them..

we don't recycle .. it all goes into the trash can .. there are 3-4 trash convenience collection points in each town / city / county or nearby .. where a few bedraggled men operate big compactors .. just throw your trash in the pickup and stop off and toss it into the crusher ..

that sucks about the nasty neighbor bet that attracts em' ..

plus you know it's a large animal when it requires a barial service instead of just a salutatios chuck off with a shovel ..

i've heard all kinds of stuff recomended for repelant but i'm not sure any of it works .. i heard ivory soap repels them .. so i put some bars in my engine compartment .. and mice actually ATE the soap .. chewed it right up .. so .. well maybe it did work as a slightly more delicious distraction - saving my trucks' wiring ..

i might try the pepermint though .. but i'm not optimistic that any odor can deter an animal that is at home in a pile of rotting trash ..

thankful we don't have any bedbug type creatures .. but we do have swarms o skeeters .. i got bit by one last week .. in January ! .. but it was 70 degrees .. but still !

 

Ever seen their paws/claws? I've seen big, fat rats run right up vertical iron drain pipes as if they were horizontal.

 

Out here in the high desert of Nevada we have Mice and Rats running around every where. When Iam coming home late at night, I see them zipping across the road quite often.
The houses are far apart, no street lights, it`s sage brush etc... and not much else.


We have Kangaroo Rats, long back legs, short front and a long tail.
Then a brown one, maybe 6 - 7" long, long tail with a tuft of hair on the end. seems what I Catch mostly. Kangaroos are difficult to trap.


I get these dang things in my Pump House and both shops, They sure do make a mess.
I use to put out the Decon in the shops, and seems to work, but now it is off the market. (Banned)
I found some electric Rat and Mouse traps by Victor. The Rat Trap uses 4 "C" Batteries and really Zaps them.
They also make a smaller one for Mice, but don`t waste your money on one. $26, and only caught 2 mice in several months.
Picture shows it with the lid up.




The Rat trap is around $50, but search on Google, and I have seen them 3 for $29 ea or so.


These traps really work, check out this video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEAMT7eU35k



Even caught 5 ground Squirrels Dang things were getting the Bird seed. So it really has some OOMPH. No Iam not putting my fingers in there to see how much.


The kangaroos I think it is, is getting the bait some how w/o getting zapped. Was using peanut butter, kind of messy, found throwing in some bird seed work good.
I did get a Brown rat and a Kangaroo on top of him, not sure how that one happened.


I even tried using Moth ***** thrown around the shop, and a couple parked cars out side, I have the one`s in a bag under the hoods. Seem to work, no evidence on rat droppings.
However, in the shop the Mice crawl over the bags to get the Peanut Butter in the snap traps.


As long as the discussing drifter to Rodent elimination, thought I would throw in my 2 cents.


I will agree that Rats can and will climb up on anything, get into everything, even through the smallest opening.

Charlie

 

We had a couple rats IN the house once. Used that ^^^^^ Victor trap. It worked on both, but it was... unnerving, I actually heard one of them step in and get the shock. I guess it was mercifully short.

 

When I moved into my new (to me) house it came with 2 barn cats, I have not seen a live rat or squirrel since I moved in 2 years ago and all it costs me is a little cat food

 

mehhhh. i use a ruger 10-22 with CCI stinger subsonic rounds.
takes care of mickey and his larger cousins, and keeps my aim straight.

 

^^^^ Um, down there, those aren't mice or squirrels, those are seals. Must be hard to keep your ammo supply stocked; how often does a supply ship come?