Damn Squrrels!!!

[Bigell]

What’s up folks!!?? I have a p0302 code, stabilitrak and flashing engine light on my 2011 Tahoe. Checked the #2 coil, no sparks, bought a coil and planned to replace it. Opened the engine cover and the wires were chewed right through. Now my dilemma is do I change the wire harness for all the coils on that side ( their sold as one piece with 4 wires) or just the one wire/coil . Any info would be great!! Also, how the hell do you get to the wire harness??!! I included a pic....

 

[OR VietVet]

No pic opens up and I would do all on one side.

Welcome to the forum from Oregon, after all this time.

 

[Danny3737]

Sure it’s squirrels and not a rat?

 

[OR VietVet]

Squirrels love wiring insulation. Not sure about rats. Here in the PNW there are nutria that get in there too.

 

[79jasper]

I would try fixing that one by itself.
A buddy's dad had a beaver get wires in their cobalt ss.

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[Danny3737]

I’ve seen several rat nests in engines over the years. They will chew anything and everything up. I saw one that got a little crispy when it chewed through a wire harness and I can tell you it didn’t smell like chicken.

 

[Bigell]

No pic opens up and I would do all on one side.

Welcome to the forum from Oregon, after all this time.

Thanks

 

[bill1013]

Dead rats have a smell all their own, cooked or otherwise. Very distinctive smell. And they love to eat wire insulation and just about anything else they can get their jaws around. Put a block of poison out, with a smudge of peanut butter on it, and watch them disappear! Disgusting little varmints.

 

[Tinlizard]

Had the same issue with squirrels. Replacing the wiring just for the single injector worked fine for me, that was two years ago and it still runs great. I simply spliced in new wires.
As to the squirrel issue, I bought some pepper spray varmint deterrent at home Depot and gave all of the exposed wires a good dose. No more squirrel problem - just remember to wear gloves when working on the engine from now on.

 

[JonnyTahoe]

They can climb up into the engine bay in seconds. I used to park my other truck outside for a few years and when I would open the hood to add fluids I could see little foot prints.

 

[Jimmyy]

I had squirrels under my hood. Lucky they didn't chew any wires. Glad I didn't have a fire.

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

why wouldn't you fix the wire? get shrink wrap tubing, your soldering iron and patch that section of wire.

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[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Yes, varmints eating wiring is in part due to the transition away from oil-based wire insulation to plant-based wire insulation (soy beans). The plant-based wire insulation actually attracts the varmints to chew them up. One of the down-side trade-offs on going 'green'.

I've put rat poison in my portable garage, where I house my truck, as I've had both mice and squirrels 'visit' it in the past month.

I'd go with the recommendation to try to fix those particular wires first, before considering replacing the entire wire harness.

 

[bigrhino]

I use Rodent Defense spray. I spray the engine compartment once a month with it.

 

[gooffeyguy]

Earlier this year, my brother's Dodge Caravan SRT wouldn't start. He had it towed to the dealer. They had to replace the wiring at the fuel pump harness, it had gotten chewed up.

So they just don't chew on wiring in the engine bay, they'll chew on wiring up under the vehicle too.

He started putting little bean bags filled with moth balls in front and behind each tire after parking it to keep them from climbing up the tires/wheels

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[exp500]

I never lost any wiring from them, but the chipmunks and hundreds of Hickory nuts stashed in every possible access. I never got them out of the hood of an old 82, even tried flipping it around. Finally some hungry mice found them>!

 

[Hrocks]

What’s up folks!!?? I have a p0302 code, stabilitrak and flashing engine light on my 2011 Tahoe. Checked the #2 coil, no sparks, bought a coil and planned to replace it. Opened the engine cover and the wires were chewed right through. Now my dilemma is do I change the wire harness for all the coils on that side ( their sold as one piece with 4 wires) or just the one wire/coil . Any info would be great!! Also, how the hell do you get to the wire harness??!! I included a pic....

Had similar Stabilitrak and TPS codes on my '10 LTZ this spring. Rodents chewed through TPS and other wires under the engine cover. Thought the codes were related to a TSB on the TPS, so I took it to a dealer. (my VIN was not in the TSB) They re-flashed my computer after they spliced and shrink wrapped a couple of wires and all was good. $250 Being that they got it in/out in about 2 hours, I thought it was a deal compared to what I had envisioned.

 

[EddieC]

We had a squirrel nest built atop our Tahoe engine overnight.
Usually the issue is field mice that are active at night though.
Wife's Wrangler had baby mice born in the glove compartment! We ended up having to trade it in when they got in the heater box that had no access. What a stink.
When we had a motor home that sat it was an open invitation.
The joy of living in the country.

 

[csNC]

I had a squirrel build a nest on top of the second battery platform near the front driver's side under the hood. I removed the nest and discover two baby squirrels inside. The mother came back, gathered them, and carried them off. No damage to wiring, but I don't park the Tahoe in that location anymore. I haven't had a repeat, and I haven't used any chemicals so far, but may eventually do so. The mother squirrel is still around here and gets into the garage every chance she gets.