Sorry, another stupid question. Noted my dog sniffing around my car tires today -- that usually means mice in the car. I opened hood, and they had made merry across the top of the engine area. There are seeds and droppings on top of the actual engine, next to the wire things that go to the spark plugs. I can't reach that area to clean the muck out. A box marked RELAY -- that looks sort of like a harmonica and seems to be bolted into the firewall with a 10mm (or 12mm) bolt on each side hangs above this area, just behind the air cleaner box. A cable runs into this relay box from the driver's side of the engine compartment. IF I could remove this relay box, I think I would have room to clean out this mouse muck. It looks easy to remove, but I am leery. I'd take a pix, but my camera has gone off to that great Canon graveyard.... Any thoughts.
Not sure what relays are in that box. My manual says this is the engine compartment relay block. It is easily removable and will swing out of the way for access behind. I did this when I replaced my spark plugs. I'll bet you are hating those mieces to pieces.
There is no problem with removal of that relay box. When you get to the point where you want to replace or inspect the spark plugs, that box should be removed for better access to that area.
Well, once again, I owe a couple of you guys more than I can ever repay!!. I really did try to find the answer in my chilton's Prius repair book, but all I got was a bunch of electrical diagrams, which, sorry, make no sense to me. But your answers did!! So, quick and easy off with the box, quick and easy clean of the engine and back on with the rlay box. A set of six mouse traps go around the Prius this evening....Sorry my mice friends, you are really cute, and only doing what comes naturally, but....