Interesting Discovery Under Hood Fuse Box...

[SilverSport]

while running down a BO229 fault code on my 2005 GMC Denali I checked the under hood fuse panel (under the lid) and found what appeared to be a cup and a half or more of tiny bird seed/grass seed (tiny and black one side and light/white the other half) under the lid of that fuse panel/box...I wish I had taken a pic before blowing the mess out of there...

no signs of animal infestation, no signs of mouse or larger animal droppings and nothing else under hood that doesn't appear to belong there...

I've owned this SUV for a little over 2 months and this is the first I felt to check the fuse box under hood (under the lid) and it hasn't been out of my care since buying...

any idea how this much seed would find its way under the lid of the under hood fuse box???...

Bill

 

[PG01]

while running down a BO229 fault code on my 2005 GMC Denali I checked the under hood fuse panel (under the lid) and found what appeared to be a cup and a half or more of tiny bird seed/grass seed (tiny and black one side and light/white the other half) under the lid of that fuse panel/box...I wish I had taken a pic before blowing the mess out of there...

no signs of animal infestation, no signs of mouse or larger animal droppings and nothing else under hood that doesn't appear to belong there...

I've owned this SUV for a little over 2 months and this is the first I felt to check the fuse box under hood (under the lid) and it hasn't been out of my care since buying...

any idea how this much seed would find its way under the lid of the under hood fuse box???...

Bill

Mice or chipmunks. Believe it, they are in there.

 

[OR VietVet]

Like @PG01 said. It does not get in there any other way. Look to see if you can seal the perimeter with foam tape.

 

[adriver]

while running down a BO229 fault code on my 2005 GMC Denali I checked the under hood fuse panel (under the lid) and found what appeared to be a cup and a half or more of tiny bird seed/grass seed (tiny and black one side and light/white the other half) under the lid of that fuse panel/box...I wish I had taken a pic before blowing the mess out of there...

no signs of animal infestation, no signs of mouse or larger animal droppings and nothing else under hood that doesn't appear to belong there...

I've owned this SUV for a little over 2 months and this is the first I felt to check the fuse box under hood (under the lid) and it hasn't been out of my care since buying...

any idea how this much seed would find its way under the lid of the under hood fuse box???...

Bill

I would pull up the fuse block itself (the entire thing).

Four bolts on the corner bracket for an 05.

On the fuse panel, there are just two notches that you need to pull the base out for on the out-side. Then a couple tabs to pull out engine side. You don't need to disconnect wiring, and you don't need to be delicate in pulling it up and tipping it in. (If you really wanted to, for the first time, you could disconnect batt -, just in case something is damaged, but you should be able to see it). Check out the wiring under the panel. You might have something chewed through that you didn't notice yet wasn't working. You could have marks on the wiring, or even chewed though and exposed wires that NEED to be addressed. If it's been there a while, you're probably going to find some fluff, maybe the mouse that put it there.

 

[Mean_Green]

no signs of animal infestation, no signs of mouse or larger animal droppings and nothing else under hood that doesn't appear to belong there...

You found the pantry.

Potty is down the hall.

 

[SilverSport]

I'll see about taking out the fuse panel...a thorough check of the under hood and surrounding areas find zero poop or urine traces...no other traces of the "seeds"...nothing under hood looks damaged but I'll continue to monitor.

Thanks everyone

Bill

 

[Jocko PDX]

I have had this happen twice. Caused damage. Just as an fyi, this is covered under most insurance under the comprehensive..

 

[salisburyv]

happened to me when i stored my sports car for the winter. Ended up blowing the motor..... not fun. now i tuck dryer sheets in there, seems to work.

 

[89Suburban]

Also see if you can look under the intake with a flashlight and a camera. That is another known spot for creatures to take up residence.

 

[OR VietVet]

happened to me when i stored my sports car for the winter. Ended up blowing the motor..... not fun. now i tuck dryer sheets in there, seems to work.

In March of 2022 I retired from a self storage facility I ran for 9 years. I told all new tenants that to protect against rodents, scatter drier sheets in there and it does work. Replenish about once a year and all was good.

 

[swathdiver]

When renting storage units, we put down borax along the perimeter and often put the boxes on pallets. This I think helps reduce mold on non-airconditioned units and one time would have prevented loss of stuff when a tornado ripped the roof off and water flooded the floor by about 1/2 an inch.

We use borax in the garage too. I didn't know drier sheets also work against rodents.

 

[OR VietVet]

When renting storage units, we put down borax along the perimeter and often put the boxes on pallets. This I think helps reduce mold on non-airconditioned units and one time would have prevented loss of stuff when a tornado ripped the roof off and water flooded the floor by about 1/2 an inch.

We use borax in the garage too. I didn't know drier sheets also work against rodents.

Yes, drier sheets work and I know about the granulated soap around the edges. The rodents don't like the smell or walking across the powder.

 

[nonickatall]

Mice or chipmunks. Believe it, they are in there.

But If, a mice or chipmunk, then with a pretty good taste for cars....

so to speak: truck afficionado rodents..

 

[Fless]

The borax is deadly to ants, and they carry it back to their nests.

 

[SilverSport]

in my case, no animal infestation...no damaged wiring, no feces, no urine...no nothing...it has not returned and I still check it often...possibly something done when under prior ownership...

a previous F150 I had I used mothball packets to keep squirrels out who had tried to make their Winter home under its hood...only downside was smelled like Grandma's house every time you drove it...

Good luck with yours...

 

[lyncht1967]

as others have said, check underneath of fuse box as well. get some peppermint oil (rodents hate the stuff) from dollar store and squirt some underneath and in top part of fuse box..had a critter once a few years ago..did that..and nothing since. i re-apply every other oil change

 

[SilverSport]

good advice if you have critters...

Bill

 

[BatsTDK]

I had something similar happen in my fuse box... suddenly noticed gnaw marks on the tops of the fuses and some poop in there. Unusual for me in Southern California.