Has anyone had their S2000 electrical wires chewed up by an animal?

I brought my car in to the dealership because the engine light was on and the idle was very rough. They told me that a chunk of cables from various engine sensors were chewed up by some animal. It's costing me $240 of labor to splice the good portions together.

I can do simple electrical stuff but I just let them take care of it since these wires go to the ECU and bad wiring might cause some major damage. I knew it wouldn't but asked if warranty covered it anyway... he almost laughed.

Has this happened to anyone else?
Are there sprays that I can spray on my exposed cables to discurrage animals from chewing on them?

 

My father-in-law had that happen to his Ranger. He had it fixed and it hasn't happened since. Unfortunatley I dont know if there is anything out there to help keep it from happening again.
Neal

 

Don't leave your windows down or the animals will get in. Don't put food in the car or it will attract the animals. If you want to get crazy you can put something really spicy and if the animal bite into it they will get a surprise.

 

Wow...never heard of this one.

There is such a thing as a pet repellant spray for both dogs and cats to keep them from chewing and clawing on things in the house. About $3-8 and should be available in any pet store or pet department of a store that sells pet supplies.

I've never tried the one for dogs but the one for cats is pretty revolting. There are two kinds; the organic one which doesn't work IMO but there is one with methyl-something or another in it and has a harsh, ether-like smell to it. Scent lasts for about 4 hours indoors and its shouldn't be so harsh you should smell it driving the car. You have to use it regularly for about a week to train a cat but couldn't tell you for anything out in the wild or outdoors.

 

I've heard of it happening, but it's rare. Did they quote you a price to replace the wiring harness along with a splice job? I'd hate to see a splice short out on something and fry your ECU in the middle of a spirited drive.

 

Squirrels. I would definitely suspect the unwholesome presence of the fuzzy little bastards. Back when we lived in the Boston area, my wife's car had some wires chewed through, which caused some idling problems. Easily diagnosed and fixed. They seem to love the taste of plastic insulation. An old VW Rabbit which spent a lot of time outdoors parked under an oak tree also had loads of acorns accumulated under the hood, as well as a large qauntity of turd pellets decorating the top of the battery and the engine. Moving to South Carolina has not allowed us to escape the squirrels. We recently spent about $2000 on a very extensive rodent-proof screening project to eliminate their presence in a large crawl space under the house, where they were tearing off tiny little pieces of insulation. I hate squirrels as much as Elmer Fudd hates cwazy wabbits.

 

I would contact an animal shelter or search on topic at Google for sprays - for cars I store, I use moth balls, put a wire mesh filled with rocks or a smashed flowerr pot (they hate chewing minerals, but do not have a problem with metals) in the tailpipe, seal off the intake the same way, and close the re-circ on the HVAC. I hate squirrels - rodents can be a real nuisance!

And wiring harnesses can be very expensive - a low impedance splice should not affect electrical continuity - however, sensors that run on low voltage or produce a low voltage (such as O2 sensors) can be materially affected.

Good Luck!

 

Mice, rats, squirrels, porcupines, all kinds of things like to nibble on your car. My little friends seem partial to radiator hoses. There are all kind of "solutions," mothballs, Bounce fabric softener, those plug in noisemakers. Best bet is to just try and eliminate food and water for them from your garage or wherever you park. Problem is, that engine compartment is warm and dry, perfect shelter for the varmints. It's a real mystery to me though what the attraction to rubber is for them though.

 

Check your garage or wherever your park for rats... I just recently heard on the radio.. rats love chewing car cables because it has some sort of taste and sent there attracted to...

 

I think it is a clear sign that you leave your car parked for way too long. You need to keep your car moving so those animals cannot get to it.