My 99 LS threw a check engine light and had a loss of power a few days ago. The code was a knock sensor error (both banks). When I opened the hood, a rat had take up residence there. Since it was covered under comprehensive, I took it to the dealer for repair. My latest contact was they were going to "try to keep it from being totaled". One rat can total this car? Not really needing advice, just ranting.

 

It can def chew up the wire harness.

 

That is a shame. Hope they can revive it.

 

If it's just a loss of power and check engine light, I'm sure the damage is minimal.

 

the knock sensors are very helpful, but not critical, especially if you are good about running premium gas and don't mind backing the ignition timing off just a couple of degrees (retard it)

besides, I think their diagnosis is bogus on the "totaled" part, because a rat cannot physically get to where the knock sensors are or their pig tails are located in this model, and that is the big money job, so that means the rat just severed a wire that is going to the sensor that is not in such a bad spot, any good electronics man can splice in and solder a new piece of wire for $100, and maybe even less!

 

Yeah...."totalled" seems a little bit overexaggerated to me. Sure, a rat could chew up some of your wiring harnesses that are atop like your air flow stuff for example, but like LScowboy said, no way could it get down into where the knock sensors are.

Just think, wherever the rat can get to without moving anything, you can more than likely get to very easy, which means that what hes eating for a meal probably isnt anything that would "total" your car.

But Rats! indeed.
*shiver*

 

I live on a heavily wooded lot, and to prevent rats in the engine compartment, I spray the engine area and the underside of the car with an alcohol and highly concentrated habanero pepper extract mixture, then when the rat tastes the wires, their mouth is on fire!

this is the habanero extract I use

 

Yeah, i think the only engine electrical fault that would total the car would be if the engine looked like this:

 

I am gonna have to pass on fixing this one - beyond my capabilities!

 

LOL... too funny LScowboy... thanks for the laugh this morning... needed that.

 

sounds like one more confirmation of the worst aspects of going to a dealer for service.

 

The only service I go to the dealer for is watching the parts guy go to the back and come back with two quarts Toyota Type T-IV ATF. Then I haggle price, pay and leave.

 

if you will let it drain overnight, you may be able to get as much as 4 quarts to drain out!

 

I think that picture must be where someone had rat damage AND a whole bunch of leaking ECU capacitors; boy, is that stuff corrosive!!

 

don't know what you guys are talking about, that 4cyl is a couple tubes of JB-Weld away from being fine.