924Board.org

dgKnecht · Joined: 17 Nov 2002 Posts: 42 Location: Palatka, FL

hi guys, long time no see......
i let my 924 sit for almost two years

rats got in it,

i think i got all the feces vacuumed out, looks like they left the seats
alone, i'll know more when i remove them and look at the undersides.
there is a hole in the passenger side carpet right in the corner between the
torque-tube and the firewall, bunch of styrofoam crumbs there, guess that is
where the nest was. Also found some piles of leaves in the engine compartment,
and the air filter is gone

they ate the foam around the shifter then ate through the boot to get inside.
wish me luck guys, i need to inspect every inch of dash wiring and engine harness,
also will have to totally flush fuel system and oil.
Then maybe new carpeting and seat covers?
--if i don't get discouraged and just part it out.
_________________
78 924

--all of us have been through some bad times.....i once had a job where i had to drive a Chevette

-nick · Joined: 16 Nov 2002 Posts: 2699 Location: Cambridge, MA

^ why I never park alongside Boston Common

You should have see the size of these visitors last night, sheesh.

Seriously, sounds pretty ugly. The foam around the torque tube under the shifter goes a long way to keep out noise, heat, and exhaust. I don't envy you.
_________________
1980 931S
15psi boost, MS-II, EDIS, 951 IC, custom intake, Ford 5.0L throttle body, Forge BOV, WB o2, G31 w/LSD, 964 wheels, 968 rear sway, Bilsteins, 200# Welt. springs. A laptop, and a partridge in a pear tree.
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet

Stampedetrail · Joined: 29 May 2005 Posts: 274 Location: Fairbanks, Alaska

There's supposed to be foam around the torque tube below the shifter? I have to check this out!
_________________
1977.5 924 "Martini" head / New Old Stock rebuild
1985.5 944 Why? Because I can.

Smoothie · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:02 pm Post subject: Re: rat-mobile resurection

924guy · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:52 am Post subject:

smoothie hit the nail on the head, i recently went through some safety training that covered rodent /pest control, some of it was rather scary. a 50/50 solution of bleach /water in spray bottle should neutralize the "threat." don't forget the gloves and mask...

sounds like a great project, looking forward to seeing the progress...
_________________
Eric
78 924
82 931 SE "smokey"
99' VehiCross
Y2K Honda Insight
http://www.cardomain.com/id/924Guy
Performance by Pasha

Paul · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:02 am Post subject:

Great info, I'll take those deer mice more seriously going forward! We usually catch a few each fall in our basement.
_________________
White 87 924S "Ghost"
Silver 98 986 3.6l 320 HP "Frank N Stein"
White 01 986 "Christine"
Polar Silver 02 996TT. "Turbo"
Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.

jazz guy · Joined: 26 Nov 2002 Posts: 434 Location: Colorado

In Colorado, there are usually several cases of hantavirus each year. Most do not have a happy ending. As mentioned previously, it is spread from mouse droppings and secretions. IIRC, deer mice are the major carriers, though not all are infected.

Definitely use a bleach solution or antibacterial/virul cleaner to gently spray the droppings before moving them. Avoid cleanup methods that allow particles to get airborne, as this is when they become a real hazard.

No need for undo alarm, but it is something to keep in mind.

rat · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:28 am Post subject:

I like how you tell him this stuff AFTER he's already hoovered the thing

Smoothie · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:55 am Post subject:

Wow, what a timely coincidence - an actual rat?!

nyuk nyuk nyuk

Yeah a topic starting with "what should I do?" rather than "here's what I already did.." would have been better in this case.
There've been a few instances of mice and rat encounters mentioned here over the years. Plus one that could be used as a natural rodent control - that would be about the guy that found a snake in his engine compartment. As far as mice/rats are concerned, Joe once found his vent ducts full of pellets that were either put there by hoarding mice (most likely) or they were D-Con poison pettets put there by a previous owner to get rid of rodents (or a villain trying to get rid of Joe

). In another case, mice or their junk was found in a clutch or transmission bellhousing area. I think they've been found in with air filters as well.

It was quite a few years ago that I first heard of hanta virus on the news. Since then, I always go in with a spray bottle of bleach+water and give the area a good spraying first, and wear a respirator. -Then wash the clothes with bleach added.
_________________
"..it's made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff."

'82 924T, US version, dark green metallic, 5 speed Audi 016G gearbox

dgKnecht · Joined: 17 Nov 2002 Posts: 42 Location: Palatka, FL

Smoothie · Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:46 am Post subject:

It depends on what the carpet is made of. If it's a dyed material, then no - (or yes, but plan on re-dying it). If it's made of something like polypropylene, then you can dump bleach on it all day and it won't loose the color (my Jeep Cherokee has red carpet that's apparently made of some "poly" material - I've sprayed bleach all over it with no affect on the color). -But there's been discussion several times here about re-dying the carpet and that it works, so apparently our OEM carpet would loose its' color with bleach.
-But test an inconspicuous area first, then either bleach and not worry, or bleach and re-dye, or try the steam (you're talking actual hot steam right? (some cold water carpet cleaners call themselves and what they do "steam cleaners" and "steam cleaning" even though no real steam or hot water vapor is involved)). I'm pretty sure that heat kills viruses.. That's how the human body deals with them, right?
_________________
"..it's made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff."

'82 924T, US version, dark green metallic, 5 speed Audi 016G gearbox