Mouse Kills Cobra!

[Pops]

A friend of mine stored his Cobra this winter and the mice crawled thru the side pipes and built nests in the cylinders. He went to start it and it would not turn over. Then he pulled the plugs and put it in gear and rocked the car and the motor started to free up. Art then tried to turn it over with the starter and seeds and mouse nest came out of the plug holes! He stopped then and had it hauled to the shop and they are going to tear the top of the potor off and see what damage there is. He finished this car last year and it is a nice Cora kit car and has a new 302 in it. A classic case of the little guy winning. :eek:

[magindat]

That sucks!!!

Guess he built a better mouse trap!!!

[merc]

I bet he didn't have cats on the exhaust to catch the mouse.

[ckadiddle]

I bet he didn't have cats on the exhaust to catch the mouse.

You are cracking me up today!
:lol:

[Mike Poore]

I bet he didn't have cats on the exhaust to catch the mouse.

Great qiup, and a good point. :cat: Now there's a valid reason to have cats. :cat:

[vkirkend]

Can Mice actually reach the cylinders from the exhaust????

[arejayesss]

Can Mice actually reach the cylinders from the exhaust????

Ask Richard Gere (sp.?) about small rodents and tight places.

[Dragcity]

If the exhaust valve is open, I see no reason a mouse cannot get inside the combustion chamber. I'd bet there is an open exhaust on that Cobra rep. Open mufflers, open headers, open exhaust valve = mouse in cumbustion chamber.

I've seen nests in Carbs before.

I better go check the T-bird...

[Bluerauder]

:laugh:

I bet he didn't have cats on the exhaust to catch the mouse.
Your one-liners are priceless. :up:

[Pops]

This is a Cobra kit car. It has side pipes and no cats. One of the reasons I posted this is the fact that many of us us have older collector cars and store them in the winter. I think that covering the exhaust may be a part of the storage duties we need to do. I will post what is wrong with the motor and the amount of the repair bill when they come in. Never thought mice could damage a motor, although they are tough on the wiring!

[Bigdogjim]

A bar of Irish Spring will keep them out. Cut in to 1/4 and placed about:)

[Dragcity]

A bar of Irish Spring will keep them out. Cut in to 1/4 and placed about:)


Yes BigDog - that's what I do. In the engine bay, on top of carb, trunk, interior. I doubt they would make it up the exhaust wiht the resonators and mufflers in the way. Not that the 390 would give a crap if there was debris in there.

[Shora]

Is there something more permanent them soap that one can put in the engine bay?

My brother keeps finding what looks to be rat or mouse poop on his engine bay when he leaves the car over night next to our office.

Seems like it or they are using his engine bay for shelter. His is worried about his wiring.

Mothballs maybe?

[hot-rauder]

my first car had mice in the carb.... got it out and fired the car up no problem.... its the ones that got into the heater eventually that made the problem.

sorry to here about his misfortune with the cobra... i love those cars.

[Pops]

I dont know what you could put under the hood short of a cat or snake. Its tough to remember to them out. I Think that the other things that they said to use would only be for long term storage as heat would create melt down problems.

[MarauderMark]

Its amazing how much money one can spend from a mouse .Keep moth balls handy for next year..

[magindat]

Put a rubber glove over the exhaust tip. Always did this on stored ATV's. No critters!

[Pops]

It would be fun to watch that when you start it in the spring!

[magindat]

Put a rubber glove over the exhaust tip. Always did this on stored ATV's. No critters!


It would be fun to watch that when you start it in the spring!

:eek:
:laugh:

[hot-rauder]

Put a rubber glove over the exhaust tip. Always did this on stored ATV's. No critters!


Ya put a glove on your pipe!;)

[Bigdogjim]

Is there something more permanent them soap that one can put in the engine bay?

My brother keeps finding what looks to be rat or mouse poop on his engine bay when he leaves the car over night next to our office.

Seems like it or they are using his engine bay for shelter. His is worried about his wiring.

Mothballs maybe?
The soap works all winter. Put a 1/4 of bar in each half of the front and back 1/2 bar in truck and cut another in half for the engine compartment. It is the scent that keeps 'em away:)
For some reason only the green Irish Spring works:banana:

[CRUZTAKER]

Its amazing how much money one can spend from a mouse .Keep moth balls handy for next year..

Mice did >$600 damage to my new Focus over the summer.

Chewed through one main harness, one large ground cable, and the front left brake hose. The brake hose burst the first time I unknowingly hit the pedal on the way to work.

The rest is history.

Soap for me and mine now.;)

[Joe Walsh]

:laugh:.........:laugh:....... ...:laugh:...........:laugh:



I bet he didn't have cats on the exhaust to catch the mouse.


Ask Richard Gere (sp.?) about small rodents and tight places.




Can Mice actually reach the cylinders from the exhaust????

^^^^^.....Yep! I'm glad that you posted this......^^^^^^
My brother and I keep the Cobra under a car cover in his garage, but the cover would not stop a mouse from getting into the sidepipes.
There is NOTHING to stop them from going into the Cobra's sidepipes and crawling up a header's primary tubes and past an opened exhaust valve.
A big exhaust valve held open by a high lift cam would leave lots of room for them to move in and set up house.
Although I don't know why they would choose an oily smelling cylinder...:dunno:

[finster101]

Bone crushing power comes with a price. For the tech that works on it sake I hope they weren't at home at the time. Removal is never a fun process. Don't ask me how I know.

[03blackvegas]

I hate mieces to pieces.

[JonW]

If you store you car indoors, get a couple of those ultrasonic pest repellers. They really work.

[my_rodder]

I have a friend that uses dryer sheets. I guess they work as well.

[Shora]

The soap works all winter. Put a 1/4 of bar in each half of the front and back 1/2 bar in truck and cut another in half for the engine compartment. It is the scent that keeps 'em away:)
For some reason only the green Irish Spring works:banana:


Mice did >$600 damage to my new Focus over the summer.

Chewed through one main harness, one large ground cable, and the front left brake hose. The brake hose burst the first time I unknowingly hit the pedal on the way to work.

The rest is history.

Soap for me and mine now.;)

Use Green Irish Spring for long term storage over winter. Check!

However, what would one use on a daily driver?

[davidholland]

Mice are a huge problem,I had them in my Ranchero when it would sit for awhile they loved the blower motor,turn on heat or a/c and all kinds of crap would come thru the vents. My Dad had a LHS driven everyday at least 70 miles and each night the little buggers would re-build their home on the intake. Everyday we would remove it,they build it back. finally they moved on.

[PhastPhil]

For some reason only the green Irish Spring works:banana:

Unless they are Irish Mice, then they love it !

Seriuosly, I use the Irish Spring in my '40 Buick. It really works, and when I take the car out again it has that Fresh Manly smell ! :P

I also start it once in a while and the smoke fumigates the place ! :eek:

[GreekGod]

If you store in a garage, running the engine with the door closed will kill rodents...I had a one-eyed sealpoint Siamese that cleaned the mice out my garage, and the 7 acre greenhouse next door!...the big, fat, lazy neutered male Tuxedo cat I have now is too busy getting his beauty sleep to do any hunting.

[Pops]

Its been awhile on this one and I am trying to get pictures. Heres the diagonsis on the motor. Its full of sticks, Mouse turds, Sand, Gravel and rat poison. Due to the fact that they got the motor turned over I am told the cylinder walls are scarred. The insurance company will be looking at it later this week. It sounds like it gets a new motor. What a shame as this was a FRP crate motor with 600 miles on it.

[Raudermaster]

Wow that sucks. At least the ins. is paying for it.

[xopher]

This never crossed my mind. Been storing the MM in what I assume is a mouse-free enclosure since November. If they're already nested in the cylinders, I'm screwed anyways. Will soap or any other smell clear them out if they're still in residence?

[imorb1994]

This never crossed my mind. Been storing the MM in what I assume is a mouse-free enclosure since November. If they're already nested in the cylinders, I'm screwed anyways. Will soap or any other smell clear them out if they're still in residence?
if you have stock exhaust they can only go as far as the catalytic converters.

[xopher]

if you have stock exhaust they can only go as far as the catalytic converters.
Yeah, I'm dumb. Thanks for the correction. {wipes green soap off his hands}