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Engine flush/mice deterrent

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C

CMC

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A friend of mine suggested that the next time I drain the radiator, to run through a water/vinegar solution before adding new antifreeze. He said it works just as well as a lot of expensive flushing solutions. Now I'm not quite sure what percent solution to use but can anybody think of any obvious problems using vingar?
Next question - is there any good method for keeping mice out a car? My TR6 will be used only sparingly over the winter and it will be stored in a covered barn. There will of course have mice nesting in many parts of the barn.
Thanks for any input, Chris
 
Don't know about the vinegar, but I have opinions about mouse nests in Triumphs.

I have had the best results when I don't use a car cover and open the bonnet, boot, and glovebox. I think the little buggers are looking for places to build their nests that are hidden, so why not expose as much of the car as possible?

I also distribute dryer sheets throughout the car.
 
We get both house mice and roof rats around here. My experience has been that they will do significant damage in a car, even if they don't make a nest. Apparently anything you've touched, like the gearshift knob and the elbow rail, tastes good to the little buggers. But since I've started using "rodent bait", the kind that comes in green blocks and is rated for indoor/outdoor use, I've had no trouble at all. For long storage, you could just put them in the car, but I keep them scattered around the perimeter (where they will be found before the car is).

As far as the vinegar, I'm inclined to agree that it will work at least as well as the commonly available "fast flush", mostly because the fast flush doesn't seem to do any good at all. Vinegar is very dilute acetic acid, so even used full strength isn't likely to do any damage as long as you flush thoroughly afterwards.
 
White vinegar will do some good. As Randall says, the "flush" stuff commercially available is anemic at best.

Dryer sheets seem to work for the rodent deterrent but bait and traps work best. We have yard cats so poison is off the list here. Decon makes one-time use traps, too.
 
DuPont makes an inexpensive flush. It has worked very well for me. Also, and maybe more importantly used a rust inhibitor additive when you refill the radiator. It will keep the block/head from rusting in the water passages. The rust inhibitor is usually combined with a water pump lubricant as well. Both products are inexpensive.
 
vettedog72 said:
DuPont makes an inexpensive flush.
Click to expand...
I believe that would be the old 2-part flush (acid plus neutralizer), correct? If so, do you have any idea where to buy it? None of the stores around here have carried it for years; and a quick Google just turned up others saying "It used to be available" :frown:
 
Irish Spring soap - I cut up a couple of bars and put them in all the usual hiding places. This has worked well for 5 years.
 
angelfj said:
Irish Spring soap - I cut up a couple of bars and put them in all the usual hiding places. This has worked well for 5 years.
Click to expand...

I tried the Irish Spring soap as a deterrant, O Twin, but found mouse tooth marks in the bars. Seems like the soap actually attracted the mice instead of repelling them.

Prrobably made them sick, though.

The dryer sheets work better, in my opinion.
 
Twosheds said:
angelfj said:
Irish Spring soap - I cut up a couple of bars and put them in all the usual hiding places. This has worked well for 5 years.
Click to expand...


Prrobably made them sick, though.
Click to expand...
The irish Spring actually has been working.

BTW My Italian grandmother introduced me to Ivory, you know,
99 and 44/100 percent pure stuff. But, er I usually deserved it! :devilgrin:
 
Twosheds said:
I tried the Irish Spring soap as a deterrant, O Twin, but found mouse tooth marks in the bars.
Click to expand...

Perhaps Mama Mouse caught them using potty words.
 
I tried the moth balls thing once. won't ever do it again. Didn't do anything to keep them out (still chewed up my seats beyond repair) and made the car smell horrible. That smell just doesn't go away. Best thing I have found is a 5 gal bucket with about a gallon of antifreeze in the bottom, drill a hole in each side of the top of the bucket to pass a dowel thru. Run the dowel thru a soda can and put some peanut butter on the can. make a small ramp from the floor to the dowel but dont let it touch. Mice will go up the ramp, across the dowel to get the peanut butter but then the can spins on the dowel and drops them into the antifreeze. End of mice. And you wondered what you were supposed to do with the used antifreeze when you flushed the cooling system.
 
Hey folks,
Thanks for all the suggestions. Sounds like the only foolproof method is to entomb the car till Spring! I went on a google site and one fellow said he surrounded his car with a 24 inch high sheet of aluminium (mini wall of china) dug several inches into the ground. The mice can't climb it, eat through it and hopefully not bound over it. Being I've got a dirt floor in the barn, just covered with plastic sheeting and lots of room I just may try it. Now I just need to locate about a 40 foot roll of thin aluminium. I'll have to fashion some type of removable rear section so I can back it out on those nice sunny winter days. Chris
 
You want to buy "trim coil". This is the material used by siding contractors to cover the trim on a house when they install vinyl siding . The standard roll is 24" by 50'.

The mice have just started getting into my house and garage for the winter. I have put the standard mouse poison packets out. That usually takes care of my problem.

Although today I had a bat in the house so you never know what will show up next.
 
There's new stuff out called Store It Right-mouse pouch. www.NorthernExplorer.com Ph# 1 888 681 1443 It's sold by NAPA. Havent tried it,but it's a botanical repellent for all the greenies. AS for soaps,my mother taught me to appreciate the bouquet of a soggy bar of Life Bouy in the 60's for my verbal transgressions. Bon Apetite'
 
shoot, down at work we are on a first name basis with the little critters, to the point where they come take food out of our hand.

Come in Monday moring and they are standing there with their napkins tucked up under their chins and a spoon and fork in their paws waiting for us. :laugh:
 
<hoping steve doesn't work in a restaurant :smile:

Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd
 
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