Mouse nesting in airbox

[Kurt]

What's Runaway Ralph riding -- Zundapp?

[Bun-bun]

Mothballs -- just let them rattle around in the airbox?     I've used them to keep skunks and porcupines out of outbuildings, so they work.  Would keep me out of enclosed spaces, I know.

Yup, just let 'em rattle around in the airbox. Believe me, you'll never hear 'em. Now, don't go fill the airbox up, just one or two.
You can even put 'em in a little mesh bag, like they use for wedding rice.
I've got a little sack'o'mothballs in each one of my vehicles airbox' and I change 'em every fall. I had a rat make a nest in my truck one winter, did over $1500 damage before I found the problem.

[NAKID]

Make sure if you get screen, you get metal screen. The fiber stuff won't stop them, you'll just be giving them more material to build with.

Also, most rodents can get into holes as long as their head fits...

[scduc]

Dont forget to check the wiring. Those little teeth chew on everything.

[Bigbore4]

Dont forget to check the wiring. Those little teeth chew on everything.

I work (in service) for a company that manufactures generator sets for RV's.  RV's routinely sit, especially in the winter.

I didn't bother quoting the better ideas, but the best advice was traps and plug the holes.  I am not convinced mothballs work, but it is a cheap try.  Save some old pantyhose from your missus, sister, sig-other, whatever, and wrap the mothballs in that.  Solves the rattle around issue and makes retrieval ever so much easier.  Actually the vicious little bahstahds can squeeze through a hole the size of your little finger.  Any screen small enough to be effective is too restrictive.  Although if you opened the airbox, the screen wouldn't take back what you gained, but it is restrictive.

Anyhow, the nest is nothing.  The chewed wires (oddly enough, generators have a lot of wires in them) are really bad, example the 94 Impala, but worse, wherever the little darlin's make there home, they also generally construct a restroom.  That shit (and pee!) is really caustic!

Trap em, and secure your storage area.  Eliminate any food access, do not store pet food in the bag in your garage.  I do not have one first hand report of success on mothballs, or dryer sheets, but have "heard" they work.  The dryer sheets smell way better though!

Look your wiring harness over really well, take preventive action and GOOD LUCK!

[Smokescreen]

I think the rat terrier idea, or if you prefer, a pretty new Bengal Cat would do the trick.  Unlike so many other cats, bengals don't often gift their owners with the rodents they catch...  they eat them

[Kurt]

Thanks again -- Dave and everybody.  I picked up some 1/8" hardware cloth today, will see about screening the box, for one thing, and traps, etc.  Just thinking about chewed wiring on the bike sends a cold chill ... no chew signs yet ... but ... .  (It's a detached garage, so I won't go the kitty route.)

One NEDOC member reports success with the dryer sheets, FYI:

"Yup, happened to me a few years back. Eric at BCM (formerly) was amazed that the bike ran at all at low rpm's.  The air cleaner was maybe 70% covered by mouse-related stuff. A new element smoothed things out considerably.  I heard that mice don't like the smell of those dryer fabric softener sheets. So, I put a couple of them into the cut-off legs of panty hose and stuffed them into the air intakes. I drape the legs of the hose over the gas tank to remind to remove the sheets before take off.  I know, it sounds a little weird, but it's an easy fix.  I've also heard that mice don't like the smell of moth balls, but neither do I, so I went the dryer sheet route.  No problems since."

[Bigbore4]

<snip>  I picked up some 1/8" hardware cloth today, will see about screening the box  <snip>

1/8 hardware cloth is only about 80% net free area, in other words 20% restricted.  Instead of going flat over your airbox, build a hump or bubble top to increase total area by 20% to ensure no restriction.

[Kurt]

1/8 hardware cloth is only about 80% net free area, in other words 20% restricted.  Instead of going flat over your airbox, build a hump or bubble top to increase total area by 20% to ensure no restriction.

Thanks again Dave -- that's kinda what I had in mind -- will post pics when done.  Meanwhile, setting mousetraps.

-Kurt

[NAKID]

If it's cloth, it probably won't do any good. The mice will chew and claw right through that too...

[Bigbore4]

If it's cloth, it probably won't do any good. The mice will chew and claw right through that too...

"Hardware cloth" is the industry term for steel screen mesh.  Should have mentioned that!

[the_Journeyman]

I'm gonna remember this.  I killed an entire nest of mice with my Dad's '87 Suburban.  Not sure how I didn't kill the motor too.  Sucked the nest into the filter (the old round ones).  Heavily damaged the filter, looked like it had been squashed.  The thing couldn't run quite right, so I hammered down.  It downshifted and slowed down.  Took it back to work (worked at a bus/county maintenance shed at the time) and we found it.

JM

[ICON]

Yup, this happened to me too. I had a post on it on the other board. The little guy took my padding from inside of the tank and shoved it in the air box. I'm thinking the little guy came aboard my bike before or at the Dealer. I had it shipped from back East to Cali. Crap and piss all over my air filter. I never saw a sign of a mouse in my garage after that.

It's heart must have stopped beating when the bike was turned on. Out of sheer terror.