THE RATS TAKE OVER...................


My Audi is an 84 Quattro S with 176,000 miles. I really like it, but it has been having some starting problems so I have had it up on some front wheel ramps so I can get under and trace some problems, starter and wiring.

I am in Tucson AZ, you can see the rest of my site by cliking on the menu at the left, and have a packrat problem. They love engines that are not being used.... they have shelter and are insulated from the hot sun,  and there are lots of little nooks and crannies to build in, hide in and store their food.

It has been sitting on the ramps for about 4 months and yesterday I decided to start the trace down the problem. I opened the hood and this is what I found...

Rats in the audi

 

Actually it was worse... but I started to destroy the nest and then realized ' what a photo...'  The center part, all brown is just fine shredded fiber from palm trees I have that were made into a little cocoon that actually had a rat sized hole entrance hole in for a little nest inside. There are parts of Cholla cactus, seeds from the trees here, twigs, even a carcass of a dead rat. I put out poison for them and have been a little lax about it lately. Gotta start again...

So I cleaned  up the engine compartment and got a new battery and then noticed that the cover for the heater blower motor had some stuff in it. I pulled back the black plastic cover and this is what I saw...

Blower motor nest


So I cleaned it all up, spliced a few eaten wires back together, put in a new ignition switch, installed the new battery and started on the starter motor. I could not get the top bolt off. I must have spent a couple hrs swearing, grunting and groaning but it would not budge so I had to get the car taken to my local Audi shop, actually my new local Audi shop, European Auto Technicians.

The tech used his new palm sized air hammer and 10 seconds later the starter motor was off. It pays to have the right equipment. He replaced some corroded battery cables and the car was purring, ready to drive.

I just have to keep the rats away from it now...