Parking Brake won't release, MICE Again !!

[scanzel]

Last year my coach wouldn't rise up the air bags because of the mice eating two air lines, replaced them. This time I couldn't release the parking brake, kept hearing air rushing out when releasing the brake button. Finally found it, they chewed through one of the lines replace last year. Replaced it again. Thought I would post an fyi in case someone is having similar problems.

[robertglines1]

Where? Inside-tunnel?   Just curious in case it happens to me.  where to start looking.  Bob

[scanzel]

Inside the 2 1/2" white pvc pipe that runs from my battery cabinet to the front steps access door. Now that I have all the lines checked and repaired I will probably put some  expandible foam in each end to keep them out of the tube. Why they like the inside of the tube I don't know. The lines are exposed by the batteries but they always do it in the tube where you cannot see it but can hear it.

[luvrbus]

You need to protect from mice and rats the next time it could be your wiring they love copper also

good luck

[artvonne]

  When I was a kid I thought mice were cute. Then I owned an old C-60 dump truck, and one cold morning when I turned on the heater, got a lung full of bedding dust they built in the heater and peed and crapped in. I was sick for months. Then somehow they got inside my Mercedes 300SD and chewed wiring under the fuse panel. If I hadnt looked out of simple curiousity, likely the car would have gone up in smoke. I hate them with a passion. They are not only destructive, they are a serious health concern if you breath bedding dust.

 A mouse can get through anything their head will fit through, thats not much more than a 1/4 inch hole for a small mouse or a juvenile. And if they cant crawl through, they can chew through wood, plastic, sheetrock, etc., to reach the other side. They also are seeking insulated areas to bear offspring in cooler winter months, and if able, will get into walls, or vehicle cavities and cause even greater destruction. They also like to get inside stoves, which youll find the first time you heat it up and smell their urine and crap cooking.

 What you do not want to do is poison them. They will crawl off to those areas they were nesting, die, and smell to high heaven. Use whatever traps you can to kill them, simple spring snap traps are best and cheapest. Live traps are silly, they will just come back in or go breed somewhere else.  

 Try to block all access with sheet metal or metal screen

[bobofthenorth]

Standard equipment on the frenchy-bus is a half-dozen margarine tubs with mouse bait inside them.  There's a couple holes cut in each tub so the mice can get in.  I keep one in the heated bay, one in the driver's compartment, a couple more in the cold bays and a couple upstairs.  We've also got a 4-legged mouse killer onboard but he's not much use for the ones in the basement.

[luvrbus]

Bob, George is to fat to catch a mouse lol he is about like the one we have here 

good luck

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Dryer fabric softner sheets work well for keeping them out of things. Just replace them every 3 months or so.

[bobofthenorth]

Clifford - he's been on a diet.  So far in 4 years he has 2 kills.  I don't think he actually knows that he is killing them, more like he plays with them until they stop playing and then he loses interest.

Ed - don't believe it.  We've tried dryer sheets and moth balls.  They work fine as long as you have no mice.  Mouse bait works when you have mice. 

[pickpaul]

You have a Mercedes 300SD? Me too! A mint Black one I don't think I'll ever sell, well maybe I'd trade it for a bus :-) I've always thought of them as the MCI-9 of cars. Together with the 300D with the same engine they are unstoppable with lots still on the roads 25 years later.

Cheers, Paul.

[Tevo]

The previous owner of my bus had a mouse living onboard who kept chewing the lines coming out of the top of the front airbags. When I bought it, we got under there and changed those sections to copper and haven't had any issues since (at least not there).

[artvonne]

You have a Mercedes 300SD?

Cheers, Paul.

  Had is the operative word, an 81 that came from Honalulu of all places. I thought I always wanted a 350 turbo SDL until I saw some of the engine troubles. Hard to beat the old 300 motors, though they are being destroyed at a high rate by amatures running WVO. Ive owned 6 now, two gassers and four diesels. I would like to see a 2.2 diesel 4 cyl in a 126 body. Be rather slow, but sure would be economical while staying comfy.

  I will say again, using bait and poison, the mice will die inside a cavity somewhere. Last thing I want is the stench of rotting animal carcasses inside walls and duct work. BTDTHTS. Use a tin cat, spring traps, wind ups, live traps (if you have to), but the only good mouse is a dead mouse, or preferably far away from anywhere I live or breathe if they get away. I used to think sticky traps were cruel, but I would use them before poison any day.

[Hi yo silver]

We use softener sheets, "Fresh Cab" packets from Tractor Supply, and a half dozen conventional mouse traps, baited with peanut butter and placed outside, around the bus.  So far, so good. An occasional kill, no mice since we started this ritual.
Dennis

[Ed Hackenbruch]

 Bob, sorry but i do believe it because it works! Been using them for years and no more mouse problem.

[gus]

Dryer sheets help.

It is impossible to cover all the holes, forget that!

Place plain old mouse traps at every wheel, that is the only way they can get aboard unless you have lines attached. If so, trap them also.

Best bait is acorns. Small critters eat all the other baits.

If it appears I'm speaking from long experience, I am!

Never had an air line cut, interesting. Lots of wires though.

I presume these lines are the new plastic type and not the old original type? You may have to go to shielded lines!