The Prius jinx continues. How can an animal get up inside the engine bay, and crap all over my engine?! Last week it was the interior and the engine bay sprayed with sand, which is still a mystery, and now this. I went to check the oil, and noticed a very bad odor. Looked around, and spotted these little logs of poop. This is not poop from a rat or a mouse, this is 3 inch long logs of crap, maybe from a cat? And urine or some other nasty liquid right on top of the plastic engine cover. You CANNOT be serious! Luckily, I didn't find any wires that were chewed through. Just poop everywhere. How weird is that? The Prius gods are against me. Spray washed the engine using two different kinds of cleaners and a soapy brush. Still a little odor, but it's nice and clean now.
Maybe a squirrel? I don't think a cat could fit up in there. I'm not parked near any trees, or any woods, or any forest. I'm in the middle of a regular old neighborhood in the big city. I used a low pressure presoak wash. And then the soapy brush. And then rinsed it with the spot free water. And then I sprayed Rain X wax on it and then rinsed it again. Then used the blower to blow out as much water as I could. And the car started right up! Thank you very much. Left the hood open and let it dry out for an hour in the sun. And then I washed & waxed the entire car. That's the fourth time in the last two weeks. It's nice to know that you can spray wash these Prius engines and it doesn't seem to be a problem. (Thanks Kevin krmcg.) Also saw several videos on YouTube about washing the engine. One was by nuts about bolts.
I don't think so sir. I've seen rat poop, and it doesn't look anything like what I found. I should have took a picture at the time, but I was throwing stuff & cussing.
I hope the next thing is not the steering wheel peeling like a banana. Or a nice big crack across the windshield. I thought the bottom of these cars were covered by a big plastic pan? How could an animal get up into the engine? He's welcome to poop all over the yard… Why do it on the hybrid system. He might be still in there somewhere. (Looking for the chili-dog I dropped between the seats.)
Squirrel pellets are smaller than a rat's. Most likely a cat or raccoon, though something of the weasel family isn't out of the question. These all can squirm through tight openings.
Thanks. Yeah, I'm guessing it's a cat. But what a strange place to do his duty. I did see two raccoons a few years ago, but they were huge. And a possum, but he was about 30 pounds. Maybe there are babies around here. It's not cold or even cool at night. I wonder why a cat would crawl up in there. I sure hope he doesn't get stuck somewhere. I need to spray that engine with Lysol. It's clean now, but there is still an odor.
Squirrel poop similar enough to rat that I'd not want to guess between (without knowldege of habitat). Domestic cats' much larger, can be of size OP noted.
Here, kitty kitty kitty..... Not looking forward to opening the hood this morning. Several years ago, a cat crawled into the engine bay of a neighbor's vehicle. She started the car in the morning.... You can guess how that one turned out.
Don't make a habit of spray washing it. Could be you dodged a bullet this time, but next time water might sneak into something. Third gen (for example) has an electrical connector facing upward (like a little cup) atop the AC compressor, and more than one owner reported that connection being all corroded out. Of course the only "easy" way to remedy was a new compressor.
Believe me, I was very hesitant about washing this Prius engine. And I was shocked at some of those YouTube videos, those guys using such a strong forceful spray. Nuts about bolts is one example. I'm guessing it is not their car. I used a very gentle spray when I did it. Just glad everything came out OK.
