Critters chewing rubber hoses in my engine!

[Pajamarama]

Did some work on the Fit today. Wife asked me to take a look and see why there was little/no pressure from the nozzles whenever she pressed the washer fluid button.

Well, found my answer -- something had chewed a good sized hole in the washer fluid hose! I looked around and also found teeth marks on the hose that goes from the radiator cap to the coolant recovery bottle. I don't believe this hose has a hole in it though. Pics are below.

What would you recommend for:

a) repairing the washer fluid hose? I might be able to get a replacement hose, but it looks like it would be hard to get at. I was thinking about wrapping it with some kind of waterproof tape.

b) temporarily wrapping/taping the coolant recovery hose until I can get a replacement?

 

[JHZR2]

To repair, Id just cut it smooth on either end, and get a generic barbed fitting that is designed for that hose ID. Insert the barb into both ends, use two small clamps and done.

To prevent it? Im all ears!

 

[sasilverbullet]

Hm, rodent, beaver? Set a trap near your car.

 

[Mr Nice]

Spray lemon scented Pledge on your engine parts / hoses ?

Park it in your garage ?

 

[zzyzzx]

Rats find Hondas to be particularly tasty.

 

[friendly_jacek]

I'm hearing a lot about these issues lately. Is this a new thing? What changed?

 

[JZiggy]

Aren't some newer eco-friendly materials also tasty to critters?

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
I'm hearing a lot about these issues lately. Is this a new thing? What changed?


They use soybean based materials instead of oil based materials.

 

[cmorr]

Honda actually makes a rodent deterrent tape. I wouldn't suggest using it to mend your hose by itself but living in a rural area I find it useful against small pests ( especially field mice) as an outer deterrent

I have Groundhogs and usually trap 5-6 per year, for some reason they like the black wire and the braided loom on oxygen sensors (3) separate cars) and a alternator control wire on one.

http://www.bernardiparts.com/Honda-TAPE-RODENT-19MM-20M__4019-2317.aspx

 

[ChrisW]

Make sure to protect the blinker fluid hoses, wouldn't want those to go out suddenly

But on a serious note, what another user had mentioned, simply splicing with a barb would be ideal however looking at the picture you show, it looks rather close to where it enters that plastic shroud area. On the radiator overflow hose, if you don't mind a non-formed hose, I'd cut as close to the damage and re-fit the hose provided enough slack. The overflow hose I'd say is less important than the wiper fluid as the overflow hose isn't pressurized, unless Honda has changed that in past years. Both of these hoses they sell at the autoparts store in pre-cut lengths in plastic clamshell packaging. I'd then think about wrapping my hoses in split-loom or stick-on/roll-on sandpaper.

 

[Rick in PA]

Possibly a squirrel? Watch your gas hoses. We had a squirrel chew a couple of holes in the gas hose on our van. I saw him under and around the van before the incident. It sprayed gas all over the engine. One spark and we would have lost the van. Not kidding.

 

[Ducked]

Get a cat. Or a Boa Constrictor. It'd only chew on that once.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: Ducked
Get a cat. Or a Boa Constrictor. It'd only chew on that once.


This!!! I had mice get into my hybrid camper. I had to replace tent ends at $600 bucks when it was only 1 1/2 years old. I got 2 female sister cats( outdoor). They keep the place picked clean, no mice in my camper, I think even the smell of the predator around keeps them away.

 

[spk2000]

I recently saw 2 chipmunks climb into my wife's Montero. I immediately opened car door and one ran off. Then started car and second one bolted. Don't want them camping out in house either. If they are small critters those stciky paper traps are hard to beat in well placed strategic locations where they are moving through. I think the cats are best though they will keep on catching.

 

[Trav]

As someone posted good strong split wire loom covering.
Dog or cat hair in a nylon stocking under the hood.
A big toilet bowl cleaner mint in a nylon bag or one of these..

http://www.kemo-electronic.de/de/martendefense.php

I know you probably cant read it but the picture tells it all. Ultra sound with high voltage metal plates you place around under the hood.
It activates when you turn the car off,

It doesn't kill them but it gets them break dancing for a while under the hood. they don't come back.

 

[Pajamarama]

Just fixed the washer fluid tube. Was able to cleanly cut on either side of the chew marks. As I suspected, the tube was almost exactly the same size as the 1/4" drip irrigation lines made by Rain Bird. So I got an inline barbed connector to splice the two together.

http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/dripDistribution/BarbTransferFittings.htm

Thanks to whoever suggested the barbed fitting!

 

[zzyzzx]

Obligatory:

 

[ChemicallyChargd]

My father had to replace a wiring harness in his 05 f250 due to a rat that chewed it up. Cost to replace was around a couple grand. What we did to keep it from ever happening again was we put a handful of mothballs in a pantyhose sleeve and tie wrapped it in the engine compartment. Rodents hate the smell of mothballs and its well known that they keep mice, rats, and rodents away, lots of people spread em around they're porch for this very reason. Though they somehow fade away so it has to be periodically checked.
-srv

 

[artificialist]

My dad's had this happen to him years ago. He had a 1992 Nissan Sentra.

Homeowner's insurance paid for the repairs.

We had an extreminator kill all the mice in our house. Unfortunately, we had neighbors who were complete losers, so sometimes their mice would wander on our property.

 

[morris]

was they good eating?