Short fuse & rodent control...

[Ron C.]

My '70 280SE got a new starter...it starts again..... And i realized that if fuse #6 is blown (And the heater blower is boundup !) you can operate the heater blower switch
and as long as the car is going down the road the heater works fine with the air flow from the vent cowling...BUT!! Fuse 6 is also for the cold start valve.. at least i don't have to fix that... Anyone no where to get the VERY short 25 amp fuse for position 6...?

NOW ...as i live out in the country and as i left the door open while i went in to wash up etc... A MOUSE moved into MY car...
not discovered until i was in town doing errands ...i offered to leave him in town but no go...

Any suggestions on how to rid my beloved benz of squatters....?

[gmask]

I guess it depends on how much of a animal lover you are ..otherwise I would suggest a glue trap.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Just make sure the little rodent has moved out before you fix that heater motor. Many years ago, I had a mouse decapitate itself in my 180b heater fan. I wondered why the fan stopped working until the smell!!

Happy Motoring, Mark

[gmask]

Originally posted by Mark DiSilvestro
I wondered why the fan stopped working until the smell!!

That why I reccomend a glue trap because if you use a poison there's no telling where the might be croak..otherwise I guess you could get a small nokill trap with some bait. The classic spring loaded trap is so-so and in most cases from my experience does not get the job done. This however is from dealing with mice indoors an dnot in cars but considering the confined space you really don't want a post mortem stench in your car.

A friend of mine tried using one of those noise devices to scare away mice and then later when I visited he had rats running around so those don't seem to work very well at all.

My first car actually had an ant mound in the one of the doors.

[Tomguy]

There's a new type of mouse trap (new to me anyway) made by victor with springs... put peanut butter on it, and the mouse rarely gets away! It's like a prison! MUCH more effective than glue traps - I've had them with just fur on them, and also had them flip upsidedown on fabric >_<

[300SDog]

You got rodents.... you got problems. My diesel project car (for sale at car forum) had behind the dash electrical short.

Poking around behind the console under the dashboard, i discovered chewed wiring harness wraps (sweet organic glue on fabric wrapping?) - and beaucoup mouse droppings, even a nest made from kick pad insulation material.

Kill the little critter bastard!!!! - before he chomps on something beyond the wiring to your #6 fuse network.

That little SOB could have relatives camping and enjoying meals time-share style in MB condo....... my recommendation is highly toxic, lethal hornet spray applied generously into wiring harness nooks and crannies behind the dash.

[gmask]

Originally posted by Tomguy
glue traps - I've had them with just fur on them, and also had them flip upsidedown on fabric >_<

I was thinking of the kind that is a box AKA mice hotel

especially if you're in the country.

It's not unusual for mice, attracted by the warmth of an engine, to enter thru the tailpipe and set up housekeeping as far north as the engine. Mouse pee, etc., not good for machinery. One solution? If a car is to be left for any amount of time, cut a slit in a tennis ball and use it to cover the end of the tailpipe.

Another friend left a '53 Packard limousine in his barn over the winter. The old hydraulic windows lost enough oomph so that one rear window creeped down enough for a raccoon to get inside...but not out again. Trapped by the division glass he/she spent an unpleasant time tearing up once-pristine mohair upholstery before he/she...succumbed.

Moth balls are another frequently used substance also effective in keeping mice away.

[Tomguy]

When I stored mine, I put oily rags in the tailpipe and the intake. Kept critters AND moisture out! But the mice did find their way into my heater box. It's gonna be a pain to free my heater flaps >_<