Mouse bedding in fresh air inlet

Once the cowling is removed, the intake is exposed and ready to be screened. What is missing?

 

Mouse, mice, rat, rodent nest bedding in AC on cabin air filter

The smell started weeks ago and just kept getting worse. First I thought it was something I had carried to Goodwill, then maybe something on the mats, finally it was acrid and clearly urine.

Under the hood mouse dropping on the cover over the valves, and the inverter/motor control.

I tried washing that but it only got worse so I pulled the air filter and there was the nest. The air filter was clearly soaked in urine. The nest was built from a rag I kept under the hood to check the oil and from insulation chewed from at least two spots under the hood.

If you have any idea of whether this insulation is worth replacing I would appreciate the advise. Also if there are other places I should check for damage.

I have checked the air intake and it looks clean. There will be rodent deaths :rip: in my area if I have my way.

If I get the cover off and effect a rodent preventer I'll post images.

And to think before this I still had the delicious oder of fresh leather when I entered the car. Maybe Toyota sells a conditioner that will restore that smell, or maybe it will come back on its own now.

 

They also like other filters. Had one nest each on my 96 Camry, and two different Honda motorcycles. (all corrected with diamond shaped wire mesh)

 

Sounds like a service bulletin is in order? I've never had this in a car before. Sounds like something Totoyata should address.
Cost me $40 for a filter, and the dealer wanted to clean and disinfect the whole system for $100.

 

Put mothballs in a sock and stick it under the hood, the mice won't stay. There haven't been any nests built since I've been doing this.

 

Mothballs have been found to be a carcinogen ( Scientists May Have Solved Mystery Of Carcinogenic Mothballs) I do not think it is a good idea to put them anywhere in the environment, let alone the air intake of your car where you will get a nice confined concentration.

Confining them is a good idea because (before I was better informed about their toxicity) I have personal experience of squirrels taking mothballs out of the attic and putting them in the yard. A mouse may not be able to do this, but if they are the can easily get through a sock, so something more durable is recommended.

I have found that cleaning out the nest, and removing any sort of food, (for me it was bird seed and spilled dog food) from the area, and setting (and maintaining) traps ( I use live traps) has worked pretty good.

Interestingly enough I had occasion to clean the air intake on my 87 Toyota Landcruiser. What a difference. Solid steel, of course, but a raised snorkel (no alternative paths) capped with heavy steel mess descending in to a blower housing, also sealed, and with a drain connected to a pipe back out the fire wall, to let any water that go in out. No mice are going to get into that. I know the Prius can not be that secure but I think they could do better.

 

The underhood environment of a car is seperated from the air intake for the interior. There's already enough carcinogens in the interior.

 

Not sure what car you were referring to but a Prius draws cabin air from under the hood.

 

Cars draw fresh air from the cowl, which is usually seperated from the under the hood air by a weatherstrip.

 

Thanks that makes sense. Last time when I looked there were large gaps in the weatherstrip though. Not sure why.

 

Yep, you need that weatherstrip in case there's an exhaust leak or a fuel leak. You don't want to suck that stuff into the interior.