- First Name
- Eric
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2021
- Threads
- 6
- Messages
- 225
- Reaction score
- 518
- Location
- Denton, TX
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 Toyota 4Runner
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
.357 Magnum. Gets rid of rodents and neighbors as well.
Sponsored
Fuel line goes from the high pressure pump at the engine, all the way down the top of the transmission then back to the fuel tank. Can't really gain access to the lines up above the transmission, so the rear driveshaft and transmission crossmember have to be removed to lower the transmission down.$1k to replace a fuel line??? Thats nuts. I doubt that is a $100 line and wouldn't think it would book for more than 2 hours of labor.
And that red cover is for the battery positive terminal, not the fuse box.
.30 cal air rifle might be the way around that. No concussion from a round being discharged and still a humane solution. Them boys in Florida use the air rifles in neighborhoods for invasive species mitigation so it's not unheard of as an option.This if he didnāt live in a apartment complex. Thereās always a Karen in the bunch
Maybe after the repair put some stainless braided covers on the hoses.
.30 cal air rifle might be the way around that. No concussion from a round being discharged and still a humane solution. Them boys in Florida use the air rifles in neighborhoods for invasive species mitigation so it's not unheard of as an option.
No, rats and mice have cover then.Yea my thinking with the cover at least was just to make it harder to get to the wires since both JCR and IAG cover the specific wire that got damaged. I figured it would be harder for a rodent to get between the cover and that fuel line.
But, I'll definitely try the moth balls and soap you recommended. Thanks!
In my experience, preventative sprays do work. I think shields would keep you from seeing the damage. Squirrels love my wife's Subaru, were building a nest on the battery, eventually shorting out the terminals and the battery went dead. Checking the engine bay weekly or monthly, cleaning out any acorns and leaves, and spraying a repellant that will not hurt the rubber and plastic (or a mechanic!) is now a regular maintenance item. Periodically, I do find squirrel signs, and your post will have me looking again today! Fall is here!Hi everyone, a few weeks ago, a strange fuel smell started coming from my bronco. I took it in this past Friday, Oct. 20th, for a diagnostic at one of the local Ford dealer's.
They told me that it looks like rodents (I assume squirrels since they're all over my apartment complex) got into my engine bay and chewed into the fuel line that I circled in the picture below to the point that fuel was being sprayed directly onto the motor while driving. The engine bay also had other signs of damage such asthe red piece on the fuse boxred positive terminal cover on the battery that I've circled below.
The total cost to fix is going to be roughly $1000 dollars parts and labors, not covered by warranty. I'm checking now to see if my insurance will cover it, they said that it would but wouldn't give me a direct answer on whether or not it would raise my premiums, but that's besides the point.
I've seen the following advice on some other forum posts (this one, this one, and this one):
I was also thinking about the JCR or IAG Engine Covers, since these covers will at least shield the specific part of mine that got torn up. The Ford one doesn't seem to provide much coverage, unfortunately.
- Rodent Repellent Spray or Sacks or home-made peppermint oil-based sprays
- Ultrasonic Devices (like this, this, and this)
- Shielding tape (not sure about this one and any potential warranty concerns)
- Bounce dryer sheets and/or Moth Balls
- Parking in a garage (not feasible for me as I live in an apartment complex)
My questions:
I appreciate all your help!
- Do any of these solutions sound like a better idea than others, assuming I'm correct in thinking it was squirrels that did this to my bronco?
- For the engine covers, will they cause overheating problems (especially the JCR metal one)? I'm concerned that Ford left the engine cover off for a reason.
- Would adding full-body skid plates help by making it harder for squirrels to get in from underneath? If so, what brand would you recommend?
- Are there any ideas I'm forgetting?
Ok, sounds good. I've ordered this along with some another spray that other's recommended. Thanks so much for the help!Just hosed it down around the wheel wells and suspension where I saw it going in and coming out of. Only applied once and don't know how long it's effective for. I saw it jump up in on the driver side and pop out on the passenger side 5 minutes later. Didn't see any chewing but hosed it down anyway. We feed the tree rats and it seems like they start messing with the vehicles when the feeders are empty. Spoiled rodents.
I'm going to call them up today and ask. Thanks for the advice! Hopefully they can do it. I don't care much about the cost as long as it won't happen again. Buy once cry once type of thing.maybe after the repair put some stainless braided covers on the hoses.