Mouse Attack

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rick
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Mouse Attack

Post by rick »

I think it was Sylvester The Cat who used to exclaim, "I hate those mieces to pieces."

Faced with a beautiful Spring day I had fired up my '61 this afternoon and eased out into the driveway to let it warm up for a while. When I headed out to the local gas bar to check the air in the tires I was smacked in the nose by a very, very strong mouse nest odor. Brother!! This was the Lincoln's fourth winter in the garage and the first time the mice have found it. At the first stop sign my grandson shouted, "Hey Grampa, there goes a baby mouse!!" and sure enough there was little mouse who'd bailed and was sprinting away from the car.

So we did a cursory search to no avail (pulled the rear seat and searched under the front seat, tore the trunk apart...... nothing. So, I'm assuming they have located in the HVAC system once again. When I bought the car it had spent the years from 1989 until 2018 in a Los Angeles storage facility and upon arrival here in Canada we cleaned out two extremely packed mouse nests from both Hot Air Chambers located behind the front wheel well metal covers which I'm very ticked off to have to remove once again in order to go digging.

Besides calling Mouse Busters, what are your favorite mouse avoidance tactics?? Moth Balls??? Any Tips?
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Lee
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by Lee »

No advice on prevention, but if you don't find their nest in the HVAC, probe around the headliner. That's happened to me twice.
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by papawayne »

Headliner, for sure, you'll see the holes. I have had pretty good luck with dryer sheets. Another guy has good luck with peppermint infused cotton balls. But, if the mice are going to get in, the mice are going to get in. Wayne
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by frasern »

They will find the deepest holes possible! They got into the roof of my Buick, they nest in the edges, and chew the headliner. I have removed it and cleaned out around the edges, I will now spray Por 15 or the such into the perimeter. Touchy job, as I don't want overspray on the interior, but if I don't, they will be back.
They leave their scent everywhere they go, and will return years later. the urine rusts and etches anything metal, painting that will seal the smell, and reduce the chance of re infestation.
Also, on my '77 F250, the heater was packed full of nest when I bought it. I removed everything, cleaned and bleached it and re-assembled it. They were back the next spring! I took it apart again, cleaned it and spray painted the inside metal parts and they have never returned, but I have stored it better, so maybe both reasons.
I have said it before on this site, but man I hate mice!!!
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by frasern »

I left my Explorer at the farm for a couple of months when I was changing the transmission, They nested in the roof, glovebox, exhaust, I don't know where else but they were relentless! They even peed on the electronic compass in the roof and fried it! Last year, my diesel truck sat outside for a while when I was rebuilding the engine, when I started it there was mouse nest everywhere, they had made a nest in the tailpipe!
I can't express just how much I hate mice!!!
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by LithiumCobalt »

Sounds like you guys need some barn cats
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by frasern »

There used to be garter snakes at the farm, I don't know how many mice they ate, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend! Then, last year a cat showed up, he wouldn't touch a mouse with a ten foot pole, but he ate all the snakes!
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by Dan Szwarc »

Bounce dryer sheets on the tires and in key areas of the engine bay.

They stink to high heaven and keep critters away.

Remove before driving.
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by jtheye »

We have acres of walnut, acorn, cherry, filbert and other nut and fruit trees. Mice, packrats, squirrels are everywhere. Nests? What are those?. For my Continental I purchased one of the zip up car bags. Seems to work so far. I've tried everything mentioned in previous comments and non of them have worked for me. I set traps in the shops. Try to keep things picked up. Leave hoods open and so far, the car bag has worked. Not a guarantee, but a pretty good deterrent.

https://www.autoanything.com/car-covers ... cpc&utm_ca
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by Mike »

I had a mouse in a car I was driving years ago. Scared the crap out of me. It ran from seat to under dash and I thought did I just see that? Nah.. then it ran back again and all I could think was please don't run up my leg😳
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by frasern »

A long time ago, still in my 20s, I knew a girl with a Mustang, she inherited it from a family member. It was in driving condition, so she plated it and started to drive home, got a couple of miles before a mouse appeared. It ran around a bit, then up her leg, and she was wearing a skirt so... Anyway, she managed to stop without crashing, but the car sat right there until a tow truck showed up, she then paid to have a very thorough clean up done, and never drove it again without pants!
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by kelly2257 »

Pulled my '66 Vert out of storage to resume restoration, and found this.
I think the mouses died of overeating and high cholesterol :roll:

Seriously, careful cleaning up around the droppings; mask up. Another restorer I know recommended hosing the area down with 70% ethyl alcohol, apparently a little better than ipa for this purpose. Conveniently this is available under the brand "Everclear" which I guess has other uses as well.

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rick
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by rick »

Well, this week when I get those heater cores opened up I'll take photos of what I find. Last time around I didn't bother because they were L.A. mice. :grin:

These mouse mansion photos will go into my album of disasters alongside the timing gear teeth lining the congealed oil in the bottom of my 19 years of storage Oil Pan.

Although, under the drivers seat I did inherit a room key from the Beverly Hills Hilton.
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by Dan Szwarc »

I stored a 66 convertible in a barn literally crawling with mice. We loaded the car up with bounce sheets, parked it on a plastic tarp and surrounded all four tires with cayenne pepper.

No evidence of mice were found in spring.
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Re: Mouse Attack

Post by rick »

Update: No longer a mouse smell in the car after sitting for three days. So went for a drive and no mouse smell. Ran the heater, next the fresh air and finally the air conditioning..... nothing. Then I put the drivers window down and got hit with the mouse odor again. Not sure it means. The simplest thing would be for them to be in the door somehow. The back seat heat ducts do flow through the front doors and I guess that would still bring the heater core plenums into play.
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