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Rat nest and engine fires

winnietrey
Explorer
Explorer
Kind Of a follow-up to my cayenne pepper post, of the last few days.
Rats and rodents, seem to love the engine valley of my V-10. Two seasons ago I saw rat signs when I popped the hood. So I pulled the doghouse cover, and found quite the rat condo. Engine valley was chock full of tinder dry maple leaves, and 1 dead rat. Whom I believe may have died as a result, of the neighbors putting out rat poison.

But after a bit of a search, it appears rodent nests can indeed catch the engine on fire. I tend to think it is true, but really don't know.

So my thought, class c owners, at the start of the season, probably a good idea to pull the doghouse cover, and check
5 REPLIES 5

seaeagle2
Explorer
Explorer
Rumor has it, new cars use soy based wire insulation, the vermin are rumored to be attracted to the taste / smell of it..
2014 F 250 Gasser
2019 Outdoors RV 21RD
"one life, don't blow it", Kona Brewing
"If people concentrated on the really important things in life there'd be a shortage of fishing poles" Doug Larson

CavemanCharlie
Explorer II
Explorer II
Never had rats but, I once had mice build a nest in the engine compartment.

The problem is not just the stuff they leave behind but, the can chew on the wires under the hood. That can also cause a fire

It's not just a problem of fire it can also be a problem because on these modern computerized vehicles a break in even the casing of some wires can cause the computer to get all out of whack.

Lwiddis
Explorer
Explorer
You bet that twigs, leaves and foliage can catch fire from engine heat. These darn covers that manufacturers are installing prevent easy inspection.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

Artum_Snowbird
Explorer
Explorer
I bought a used V-10 class C that had sat for a couple of years. I drove it home almost 400 miles pedal to the medal on a cool and rainy day in November. A few days later I took a light to the engine department and saw what you found, maple leaves. I started gathering them from the front with a vacuum cleaner and got a decent bucket out. Next day I took the doghouse off and got another bucket. Literally packed but no bodies.

It took an hour, and a bit more to clean up the mess. Having said that, I remembered when they asked me when I bought insurance for the year they said "Do you want new replacement value?" It was a lot more but they assured me that I could cancel that when I wanted and revert back to the insurance based on what I paid for it.

Next time when I am offered new replacement value, I will take it for a couple of months until I am sure the new to me rig is not going to blow up or burn down. Scared the Holey Bejesus right out of me when I realized how close it was to a total write off.
Mike
2012 Winnebago Impulse Silver 26QP
2005 16.6 Double Eagle
2018 Jeep Wrangler JK
previously Snowbird Campers,
Triple E Motorhome and Fifth Wheel

midnightsadie
Explorer II
Explorer II
2005 f150 parked in my pole bldg ,don,t drive it much ,critter built a nest in my fresh air intake, short story my insurer paid $1300. to have it cleaned out and running.