Intro from Montana: '73 2.0L rustoration thread Options

[bbrock]

My first name is Douglas, or Doug for short. I don't know any state employees who worked with wolves named Duane. I recall meeting a federal employee (USDA Wildlife Services) named Duane - they deal with wolf depredation issues. Maybe that's the guy? Interesting you mention wolves - that was the critter I was thinking about when watching your video. Same issues - just a different state and critter.

Starter problems really aren't a problem with light cars. Back in college, my '62 bug's starter quit working. I still wonder if the guy in the gold cadillac tells the story of pulling up behind a multi-colored VW at a stoplight in the rain. When the light turned green, a skinny blond in a dress got out of the passenger side, and a long-haired guy in khaki's got out of the driver's side. They started pushing the VW across the intersection, and after a bit, the blond hops in the car followed by the guy, the VW lurches and chugs off down the road. We made our dinner reservation, and we've been married 40 years!

It came to me first thing this morning. Funny how a good night's sleep can reconnect the synapses. Wayne Stevens was his name. Not Duane. He wasn't with the state and was early in his career at the time (just out of grad school). Seems like he didIt's funny, the ranchers I work with have really settled down about wolves because they've learned how to live with them. Not that they never cause trouble, but manageable. The same really goes for griz on ranches that have been living with them forever. It's the guys on the fringe of expansion that have trouble because both they and the bears are figuring things out. I could go on and on...

Great story! I can picture it perfectly!

[bbrock]

Starter is functional again. I started troubleshooting with the simple stuff. Cleaned battery terminals and tried to start the car. Nothing. Time to move to the other end of the starter cable. My lead suspect was the used Bosch starter relay that was donated by a member here.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-20845-1616640394.jpg)

I knew these relays had a history of failure and installing a used one was double jeopardy but I took a gamble. I jacked the car up, disconnected the battery ground, and bypassed the relay by plugging the starter switch wire directly to the solenoid. Then I reached into the car and turned the key. Nothing. Absolutely dead. Smart readers may have notices a critical step missing in my sequence. RECONNECT the battery ground. Doh! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) Okay, battery reconnected and turned the key. VROOM (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) I'll source a Ford relay following Mark Henry's procedure because I firmly believe the starter should be on a relay.

It's a beautiful sunny day here but has been snowing the last couple so the 3 miles between me and pavement are muddy. Probably going to have to remain garage bound. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[76-914]

Brent, you probably already know this but.............Those Bosch units require ~9v to operate. The Ford solenoid needs about 4v, IIRC. Caution: there are are cheap import knock offs. The OEM solenoid holds up well in rough environments. Glad to hear you have things in hand. I was afraid the next paragraph would tell the woe of a wrecked 914. I hope your dog makes a full recovery too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[bbrock]

Thanks Kent. I did not know the Bosch units require 9v vs 4v for the Ford unit. Good to know. I think anything to reduce load on the ignition switch is good. I just ordered a Standard brand solenoid per Marks recommendation.

As for the dog, he's clueless anything is going on, and it is possible that nothing is. The longer version is that he had a small mass under his jaw that was a mast cell tumor. We him in quickly after it appeared so that was good. After a round of CT scans, x-ray, and ultrasound, he was scheduled for surgery to remove the mass. A couple days before the surgery, the mass "degranulated" and ballooned into a soft, undefined mass of inflamed tissue. Surgery was postponed and he was put on steroids to reduce inflammation and shrink the mass back down. That worked and he had surgery a week later. Next, the tumor needed to be graded by a pathologist to decide if additional treatment was needed. The pathologist wasn't able to find any cancer cells in the mass sample and ordered another set. Still no result which left us to guess. If the cancer was low grade, then surgery would be the only treatment needed. If it was high grade, he'd probably only live 6 months without further treatment. Chemo works pretty well on this type of cancer so we decided the risk of not doing chemo was worth the expense and possible side effects. He finished his fourth of eight treatments last Thursday and so far has shown no side effects of the chemo, or any indications of cancer other than the lump. As far as he is concerned, Thursdays are the fun days he gets to play with other people. The only real trauma has been to my bank account. He's still a dork.

[930cabman]

A BIG DORK, probably like a pussy cat

[bbrock]

While I was under the car today, I attempted to fix a problem that plagued me all last summer. I could not keep the engine tin seals from pulling away and leaving gaps. That played hell on the 3 miles of gravel road I drive since one trip out would fill the engine bay with dust. Not good. I've read hog rings were used in some way to help keep those seals in place, but I wanted to just get something done so I drilled through the engine tin flange at the corners and through the outer side of the seal. Then I ran zip ties through to pull everything tight to the tin. It was a pain and I could only get the drill in the corners, otherwise I would have added zip ties halfway between too. Not exactly elegant, but I hope it helps.





Later I opened the glove box and found that even with the car stored inside a well sealed garage, a @$%^ing mouse had been in there chewing the shit out of things. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) I also found a wire on the console harness with insulation chewed. I was able to "fix" that with liquid electrical tape (I love that stuff) but it still pisses me off after all the work restoring all the harnesses.

[bkrantz]

I HATE MICE!

Besides the damage and waste they left in my car before I bought it, I have been battling mice in and around my house for 5 years. The longest fight has been in the crawlspace. Last year, they opened a new front on my elevated deck, setting up home on my outdoor sofa, under a rain cover.

[Superhawk996]

You're probably not going to like my solutions - neither of which are ecologically friendly.

1) Get some outdoor / barn cats. They kill lots of mice - but birds too.

2) Mouse poison in the little paper pouch /packets. I used to put three of these in the Miata when it was left in the Idaho field between trips. One packet in engine compartment where you can easily remove it. One inside the interior. One in the trunk. In all honesty, over the course of about 8 years, I only saw the packets in the trunk and the engine compartment chewed once each. They tend to love to chew the packet paper and the of course the bait which keeps them away from the rest of the car. I know these packets can have negative implications for birds of prey that can potentially ingest 1/2 dead poisoned mouse. Given the average frequency of attack (average one chewing / 4 years) I can't see that much risk but would feel very differently if I were burning though lots of chewed packets.

I'd be interested in other more environmentally friendly solutions but these are the two proven strategies I'm aware of.

The main strategy that has worked with the Idaho house (which had mice when purchased) was to remove all shelter and food sources from the crawlspace. Original owner had all sorts of crap (old windows, old wood remnants, etc) down there that was a prime breeding ground. I also tried to remove any tall grass from a 5' perimeter of the house. One the shelter and food sources were gone, the mice disappeared too.

[bbrock]

You're probably not going to like my solutions - neither of which are ecologically friendly.

1) Get some outdoor / barn cats. They kill lots of mice - but birds too.

2) Mouse poison in the little paper pouch /packets. I used to put three of these in the Miata when it was left in the Idaho field between trips. One packet in engine compartment where you can easily remove it. One inside the interior. One in the trunk. In all honesty, over the course of about 8 years, I only saw the packets in the trunk and the engine compartment chewed once each. They tend to love to chew the packet paper and the of course the bait which keeps them away from the rest of the car. I know these packets can have negative implications for birds of prey that can potentially ingest 1/2 dead poisoned mouse. Given the average frequency of attack (average one chewing / 4 years) I can't see that much risk but would feel very differently if I were burning though lots of chewed packets.

I'd be interested in other more environmentally friendly solutions but these are the two proven strategies I'm aware of.

The main strategy that has worked with the Idaho house (which had mice when purchased) was to remove all shelter and food sources from the crawlspace. Original owner had all sorts of crap (old windows, old wood remnants, etc) down there that was a prime breeding ground. I also tried to remove any tall grass from a 5' perimeter of the house. One the shelter and food sources were gone, the mice disappeared too.

Yeah, you don't want to raise these "solutions" with a wildlife biologist. Especially one who's expertise is the human impact of rural development on wildlife. I'm not not going to go into the impacts of outdoor cats (a trillion birds killed in the US every year) and rodent poisons on wildlife (not just birds - most commonly dogs, but foxes, weasels, etc too), but it is devastating. BTW, the odds of a bird of prey ingesting a poisoned mouse are about nil but the list of species that will scavenge a poisoned mouse is large.

Dealing with mice is inevitable with where and how we live. As you know, our landscape is native vegetation to minimize our impact on wildlife habitat. The main mode of entry into the house is mice hitchhiking in cars pulled into the garage. Typically the mice are caught within hours to a couple days by one of the live catch traps we always have set. The live traps are not because we don't want to kill the mice, but because they can catch a dozen mice without resetting. If we have to leave a car outside in the driveway overnight, we can count on catching a half dozen mice beginning within minutes of pulling the car in the garage. It's just part of living here.

Of course, a mouse can do damage in two days. My mistake on the Porsche is that I had accidentally left a window rolled down with the car cover on for a couple months. That's how the little bastard got in.

[rhodyguy]

Invest in a battery powered mouse trap placed bit aways from the car. You never have to touch a dead rodent (unlike a conventional spring trap). You just dump them in the garbage or bury them in a hole. Remember to check the trap daily when you first start using one. Spring time is 'pinky' season. You don't want ANY pinkies. They just have more pinkies. Repeat. Cardboard boxes with paper in them make swell birthing rooms.

[Superhawk996]

. . . we can count on catching a half dozen mice beginning within minutes of pulling the car in the garage.

Really? That is crazy.

Makes me glad I'm doing a detached garage / shop.

[rhodyguy]

Rat bait/poison is the worst! The rodents die a squirming death, other creatures eat them. Then the predators die a squirming death. Then you bury the predator to keep scavengers from eating them and dieing. The cycle continues right up the food chain.

[bbrock]

Makes me glad I'm doing a detached garage / shop.

That is the dream. And one large enough to store the whole fleet and provide shop space so no car ever has to spend the night outside.

The bottom line is that healthy wildlife habitat comes with an abundance of mice and other annoyances like all of our shrubs "pruned" by moose, but well worth the tradeoff IMO. If it means the occasional annoyance of a mouse in my impractical luxury sports car, so be it.

[914_7T3]

Brent, sorry to hear you have been going through a rough patch and hopefully it will all be in the rear view mirror soon.

Have you looked at something like this for your rodent problem?

Loraffe Under Hood Animal Repeller Rodent Repellent Ultrasonic Rat Deterrent LED Strobe Lights Keep Mice Away from Car Pest Control for 12V 24V Automobile...on Amazon.

I might give it a try. When I dropped the stone guard to change the oil on the sedan last Saturday, it was apparent that I have critters taking advantage of the engine heat down there. Luckily, no nests or chewed wiring.....

[KELTY360]

Dryer sheets! For years I had mice invading my garage in Renton. They really liked living in the back seat of my Mercury ragtop and for awhile a friends 911 coupe. After hearing about dryer sheets I put them under seats and in glove boxes, trunk, etc. Never had a problem since. Sounds crazy but it works.

Glad to see you post buddy. Keep doing what you’re doing and it will all work out. Glad the pooch is doing well.

[930cabman]

Cat

[bbrock]

I've read several studies testing those ultrasonic devices and none showed that they work. Same goes for deer whistles. Dryer sheets do work. There is also a product called Cab Fresh you can pick up at many hardware stores that works. The problem with both is that you need to keep them fresh.

Next person who suggests a cat gets called a dick (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif) (For anyone who missed it, getting called a dick is a badge of honor in this thread: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&...t&p=2801518 ) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[bkrantz]

I am thinking about some snakes.

[bbrock]

I am thinking about some snakes.

Now you're talking my language! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

[DBF]

I keep traps set in my storage unit, garage and in the house year-round and I rarely see signs of mice. Given the tunnels in the snow and other sign, we have plenty living in the yard, so that tells me they get caught quickly when they venture indoors before they have done any damage. Yes, there is an argument that the bait attracts the mice into places they might not normally travel, but after 40 years of no mouse damage in the house or cars, I'm thinking the traps are effective. Nice to read so many people share my views about not letting cats roam free and why we should never use poison. One other reason why poisons are bad is when the mouse dies the terrible death, they may be in some isolated area in the car where you can't get the corpse, and then you get odors. I forgot that I had set a trap in one of the rooms in my basement but discovered it when the dead mouse started decaying. It is amazing how stinky a little decaying mouse gets!