Had to share this story with everyone...Im past the irate stage, so smart-a$$ comments are ok.

I went to start my 09 Ram a few weeks back and it didn't turn over, i unplugged the negative terminal to "Reset" the PCM, still nothing.

I had to have to towed to the dealer. After an hour, they called back and said "Don't get upset when i tell you this, and I'm not joking, but an animal got into the engine compartment"

They went on to tell me that a rodent got up under my hood, made a frekin nest, and chewed through13 wires in the main wire harness. MOTHER F'ers...

I dont drive the truck during the week since my wife and I work at the same company. But i have never even heard of this until now. So now i have a BB gun and will be taging squirrels at will. I think going outside with a 44Magnum loaded with 250 Grain Black Talons would be frowned upon...

But what the hell, the Truck was out of commission...

End result was that they fixed every wire back to NEAR OEM quality, and wrapped the entire harness in rubber tape and electrical tape..But that's not going to stop a damn squirrel...

So, perhaps this might be a warning to you to check things out this winter....

 

They're tastiest when battered and fried but don't overcook 'em.

 

Yummy...I like the stew too!

 

The little turds did the same thing to my 09... Not as bad as yours but they chewed my gas tank vent tube. Threw a code and the dealer fixed under warranty.

 

in order to penetrate their perimeter, you'll need a disguise. i would suggest:

or if you have a bird dog:



good luck and god bless

 

:icon_ razz:

 

I won't razz ya. I know how you feel. Up where I am in NH we have the grays and the reds. The grays pretty much stay away from the cars. But those damn reds will chew anything if left alone long enough. I had an MG that I would park in my driveway during the Summer. But when winter came I had to pack Bounce sheets all over my engine compartment to keep the Reds out. (They don't like Bounce fabric sheets, BTW) Reds are noisy things too. well basically I got a good pellet gun (Can't shoot a gun in a residential area) and there are far less squirrels in my neighborhood now...No more problems with chewed plastic or wiring.

 

Damn tree rats, happens a lot around here if you park something outside too long without moving it.

 

I had something similar happen to me. A mouse made a nest in my wifes car battery area. He chewed through the wires that connect to the knock sensor. Took me weeks to figure out why her car would idle fine, but was down on power and fuel mileage. The computer thought the engine was pinging all the time!

 

Look at my avatar, that is my old Chocolate Lab "Thor". When he was a puppy, he liked to lay on the cement driveway under my old GMC truck. One day I started the truck up and the dash lit up. Thor had been hanging out under the truck and decided that the wiring harness to the transmission would make a good chewing toy. Boy was I pissed, he also chewed up my neighbors phone lines into their house.