Keeping mice out your blower and air filter box

Been having major issues with the local mice getting inside the cowl, and down into the blower, so I did some research and came up with this solution to keep the little buggers OUT.

The fresh air intake ducting for the 2001 (and I'm assuming 200-2004 tacos,
and maybe some earlier ones)
is just above the wiper motor on passenger side.

My goal was to put wire mesh, (also known as hardware cloth) over the intake duct entrance, under the cowl

Taking off the wiper arms, and plastic cowl cover is pretty simple, lots of
other links on here to do that. If the wiper arms won't come off easily,
just tilt up the arm to vertical position and tap the bottom gently and they should slide right off. Worst case, you may need a small puller or PB Blaster.

Taking off the plastic cowl cover, I discovered that there was no easy access to the air intake ducting, as the existing holes are in the center and driver's side

I was determined to do this job, so I got out a small grinder with narrow cutting wheel, and cut 3 side of a small rectangle centered right above the wiper motor. I bent it down so that later I could push it up, and fasten/caulk it in place to keep most of the water out.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/8844344663_e492ffe84d.jpg

The real challenge is getting the wire mesh cut and shaped to fit the top of the duct to prevent mice getting in. I used 1/8 inch mesh, you could use 1/4 inch, but 1/2 is pretty big, and small mice might be able to get through it.

Here's the basic shape you'll need. Be sure not to let the edge towards the front of the truck to hang over, or it will hit the wiper arm mechanism.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2839/8844345359_61b780a464.jpg

After a few experiments I got the piece to sit pretty tighly around the duct top edges, and there was enough pressure to keep the top round section pressed tightly everywhere.

I then drilled several small holes, and used a series of 1 1/2 and 2 inch pan head metal screws with washers to tighten it down

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5460/8844344587_dc8bc2a74d.jpg

When finished, and it's fitting nicely, bend up the small rectangle you cut on 3 sides, put a couple of small screws into the exact corners to hold it tight, and seal up with caulk.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49520404@N07/8844344807/

For the air filter box, open it up and take out your filter.
Measure the size of the circle, where the round intake air port comes in,
Next, I cut a small circle of the mesh leaving the wire edges sticking out.
Gently press the circle into the hole, in a concave shape, and the small wires sticking out will dig into the plastic a bit and lodge pretty tightly.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49520404@N07/8844345393/



Last before putting the cowl back together was stuffing copper wool into the corners behind the hood hinge mounts, as I think this is the way the mice were getting in. Mice really hate wire as it's probably painful for them to chew on. May not keep them out of the cowl completely, but I'm down for anything.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3699/8844967416_1046d0be85.jpg


This will also prevent leaves, insects and other debris from entering your heat/air system.

Sorry if the post isn't too professional, pix were from old cell phone, but
you get the idea.



Key words
mice, mouse, rodents

 

Nice job man! Good write up!

 

I have had this same problem on all of my Toyota, trucks, and 4runners. All of them have the same basic problem since 1984- current. Mice get in thru the cowl area fresh air intake, build a nest, you open the fresh air door/vent, and you got a mess. The local toyota dealerships have the same problems with vehicles that sit on the lot too long. I also screened off the area, but not as well the above write up.Don't forget to screen the engine air intake. I've found acorns, nests, and dog food in mine. But our outside cat has thinned out the critter population since then.

 

Well, I had the same problem with mice building a nest in my blower fan and filling the air filter housing. What I did was to remove the air filter housing and cover the end of the intake snout with 1/4" galvanized mesh- that kept them out of the air filter completely. The fresh air fan was a bigger project. The front fender mount rails have many holes in them, these are where mice get into your front cowl as it drains down into them and then out to the ground. I removed both front fenders and cut the same 1/4" mesh into patches that I then glued in place with a urethane adhesive- don't use silicone adhesives as they will etch the paint and invite rust. This project took quite a while but it's been almost 2 years and no mice have come back.

 

Had a similar problem with a Jeep. I took the easy rout but seemed to work.
This was a wheeler that sat parked most of the time so this method wouldn't be ideal for a daily driver. I bought Botanical Rodent repellent form Ace, comes in little pouches, and placed them randomly under the hood. Moth ball would do the same but I can't stand the smell.

 

Excellent advice. Cut metal cover on both my Toyota Tacoma and my Toyota Camry (1991 & 340,000 miles so far) to gain easy access to blower motor inlet. Added metal screen to keep out mice. Thks for write up

 

Is this the same fix for 96-02 3.4L ? There’s gotta be an easier way???

 

Yes, and no, gotta cover the hole somehow, you could try going from the inside and remove the blower but a lot of people have tried this and they could never get it to stay well enough