1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

After my usual weekly drive, i always pop the hood to let it cool off, especially now since its the summer. Well i noticed something after i drove it friday afternoon.



This is the stack of wires (looks like it was taped off originally, maybe by factory?) that looked like it was melted and split open.

You can also see by the intake filter another wire, where the plastic wire conduit was also melted at one point.

My question is, what could have caused this? And what wires are in that stack?

I played around with the car. Checking my headlights, turn signals, parking lights, fans and they ALL work. But that split stack of wires doesnt look normal and i know something went wrong with that split.

Is there such thing as wires running hot enough to burst open like that? Wouldnt it just blow a fuse or relay instead? Or should i look into something rubbing against it with excessive heat that might have done this? Even though i have checked already, ill check again.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

TpCpLaYa

iTrader: (10)

looks like a rat or mouse got into that area

afterburn27

iTrader: (5)

+1

Unfortunately they love to nibble on wire insulation.

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

LOL are you guys being sarcastic?

My car is parked outside, under a cover. I doubt rats have any way in there.

And my main question is what wires are damaged?

TpCpLaYa

iTrader: (10)

not sarcastic AT ALL. Ive seen lots and lots of ppl with problems here on the board, only to discover messed up wires, and a nest a little later....ha

but i would GUESS those wires might be for the fan relays or the pop up lights. Thats what's in that area.....there is also a relay box in the front right there that they might run to.

afterburn27

iTrader: (5)

Hah, yes they can. They can even sneak into the interior. I have the rat/mouse nests and droppings all over my interior to prove it. Moral of the story is don't leave your car parked outside for long periods of time. The only thing my car cover did was provide some more chewing material for the bastards.


Sorry, I don't know the answer to that off the top of my head.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

That pic is so close that its hard to tell which wires they are. I know the fan wires are in that area from the relays and that is what the mess of orange and red colored wires look like. The ends of those wires are blurry so its hard to tell if they are clean cut or chewed up. Perhaps someone long ago was screwing around trying to test fan wires?

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

Nah, that stack of wires didnt look like that a month ago.

Here is the pic from last month.



You see that curved stack of wires? How neatly it is?

Well that, plus the wire conduit near the intake filter is now burnt (or chewed lol).

I really hope those wires arent for the front relax box. But everything works so far. My fans, fuel pump (because i can still drive the car). Damn what else is in that box? I hate being paranoid.

jeff p

best thing to do for rats is set a trap under the car and bait it with some peanut butter the rats love it and will get zapped quick by the trap. its cheep and works well. good luck!

Jeff

drga55

Looks like you have a rat camping out in your engine compartment. If you want to be sure, look around your engine compartment to see if there are any rat droppings. Cause if there is a rat living there, you will most definately smell it and see it.

kiwi fd3s rs

Ive seen damage from a rat that had chewed through the brake master reservior, over flow coolant tank and one side of the battery.. Turned up on a tow truck at work, customer complained his brakes suddenly failed. Didnt know insurance companys cover rat damage either . Deffinantly lay the rat traps!!!

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

lol ok ok ill do the rat traps to really find out if its rats.

My main concern ultimately is WHAT wires got damaged?

Does anyone know? Its the group of wires right next to the passenger manual **** for the headlight.

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

Well i inspected the group of wires and sure enough, it leads to the relay box in the front of the car.

Theres a air pump relay, TNS, horn, AC and fuel pump relay.

All of the above work on my car so i assume the wires were not chewed enough to where it doesnt make contact with each other anymore.

I think im gonna go ahead and purchase a soldering kit and solder the wires back together.

O as far as the rats, i didnt see any rat crap and i was shaking the car. I believe if they were still in there somewhere, they would drop out and run away.

Im gonna set traps under my car anyway to single out that possible factor for my wires.

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

Ok bought a cheapo solder gun with some resin core solder.

Here is what it looks like before i started.



I played with the camera settings so the pic is clear now.

Anyway, as you can see the black with yellow stripe wire is completely broke.

The blue wire with the white (or silver) spots is also completely broke.

Those are the only 2 wires i soldered together.

The other 2 wires, a thicker black one and another thicker blue wire with the orange stripe had some cuts in it but wasnt as bad so i just electrical taped it tight.

Does anyone know what the black with yellow stripe and the blue wire with the white (silver) spot go to?

c00lduke

If I remember correctly the black with yellow is for the fan relays but i may be wrong

danameisoj

iTrader: (6)

Best is to do what you've begun doing . Fix the wiring and seal it all back together.

All types of animals can get inside the engine bay. The dying on the wires attracts rats ,ants, squirrles ect. They just eat away at it and cause all types of wiring complications.

Its one of the many things you see and hear about when being a technician.

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

Yeah i guess im a bit skeptical at first because this is the first time this happened to me EVER.

But now that you guys mentioned it, im putting the pieces to the puzzle together.

Next to my car is a gate, which divides my rear section of my yard where my car is parked and the rear yard of my neighbor that lives on the next street.

There is always a mess of dirt and small rocks near my car by the gate. I always sweep it but after like a week, i notice there is another mess, like some small animal is going under that gate.

Anyway i bought 4 tomcat brand mouse traps. SUPER strong as i almost got my dumbass hand caught in it already setting it up LOL.

Those little suckers are going down. Cant wait to set these up tonight.

RotorRyan

iTrader: (3)

haha keep us updated on your rat hunt.

SayNoToPistons

Any luck with your rat infested property, Rob?

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

Actually no.

As weird as it sounds, i wish it was rats.

Its already been a week since i set the traps and i check every morning anxiously, hoping to find at least one (i set up 2) and nothing.

Now i dont know what would cause the wire to break like that.

SayNoToPistons

I don't know, man. They look like rodent bites to me.

chillininfl

Maybe you've been sabotaged? :o

MrNizzles

iTrader: (5)

Definitely a small rodent chewed that up.. I've had several rodents get into my engine bay on other cars so I know what it looks like. Even with a car cover, which only covers the top part of the car, rodents can get into the engine bar from underneath the car. My older BWM had a nice family living in the airbox and they also found their way, somehow, into the inside of the car, I think through the glove box as the Cheezits found in the airbox were then scattered in the glove box and then the rest of the car. No, I didn't have a left over box in the car.

As far as the traps, don't trap the neighbors cats, or you'll have a even bigger issue to deal with. But the rodents may have already moved on.

And you might want to check the engine bay before start up... cats, rats, squirrels, and especially skunks, leave a nasty mess when getting tossed through the belts!! and stinks to high heaven ...

good luck

Troux

iTrader: (6)

Those are all cooling fan relay wires. The black/yellow comes from the ignition switch and the blue (ignore the siver spots) goes (through a couple relays) to your battery for power. A bunch of stuff goes to that front relay box, but the branch you're looking at is JUST for cooling fan relays.

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

^^Thanks for the tip. At least now i can rest my mind knowing it wasnt for my fuel pump.

But yeah i dont think its anything other than a rat possibly.

Because you figure with the hood closed, there isnt much space to go where the wires was chewed.

I just cant believe when i finally set traps, no rats come.

I just cant wait for fall/winter.