RXV vs Rat Issues

[grassflatsfisher]

Left my cart at my camp this past week and a rat decided to make it his new home. Chewed up a good bit of the wiring harness. Yellow, green, orange, red wires have all been chewed up. There is one bigger wire that goes from below the solenoid back up to a module that is mounted on the side of the aluminum housing. It was chewed up pretty good also. I havent found any wires that were chewed through. Only the sheath. I’m sure some wires were touch though when I turned the key. I think my cart is a 2011. It has the bare aluminum contoller cover. Right now I’m showing good voltage, the solenoid is clicking, rvs buzzer works. Cart wont move though. The run/tow switch isn’t working either. I was going to start splicing ans replacing wires tonight but after reading a few post I’m concerned I’ve got bigger issues.

Thoughts/Suggestions/Help? Thanks!!!

[cgtech]

Immediately disconnect the battery pack! Sort and wrap any "still connected" wires with electrical tape, and splice wires that are chewed in half. The big deal here is eliminating any shorts with wires touching each other, that could have already killed the controller. Damage control is number one job, then testing.

[ThreeCW]

Besides rat traps, I recently read on this forum that putting dryer sheets (like Bounce) in the critical areas of the cart during storage will discourage mice ... and perhaps rats (???). Either that or a pit bull!

Good luck with your wiring repair!

[grassflatsfisher]

Originally Posted by cgtech

Immediately disconnect the battery pack! Sort and wrap any "still connected" wires with electrical tape, and splice wires that are chewed in half. The big deal here is eliminating any shorts with wires touching each other, that could have already killed the controller. Damage control is number one job, then testing.

Just got done redoing all the wires. I pulled the pos wire on batt pack before starting. I had already turned the key on/off several times prior to that though. All I get is the double click of the solenoid. No clicks at the motor. Is this pretty much telling me the controller is toast? Any way to test the controller?

Dang rat packed 30lbs of feed in this cart in a weeks time. I don’t know how he did it. Its unbelievable.

[cgtech]

Can't stand those little ********! Here in the desert, they pack everything full of rotten dried out Cholla (pronunced choya) cactus. Those stickers hurt much worse than fresh cactus does. I am at war with them for 3/4 of the year, every year. If you are getting solenoid double click, and no motor clunk, you are failing controller Power On Self Test. Might have hurt it. Might check voltage at gas pedal or brake pedal position sensor plug for voltage across black and orange wires (I think those are the colors). A diagnostic handheld would point you in the right direction.

[grassflatsfisher]

Originally Posted by cgtech

Can't stand those little ********! Here in the desert, they pack everything full of rotten dried out Cholla (pronunced choya) cactus. Those stickers hurt much worse than fresh cactus does. I am at war with them for 3/4 of the year, every year.

I wish i had taken some before pics. Couple Bags of feed were sat on top of a empty barrel. He carried it from the barrel to the cart 10+ feet. I had to dig the controller area out. All that was visable was the top of the plastic shield. The run tow switch was hidden. Dang thing was sitting on top of the batt pack when I flipped the seat up. I thought it was a squirel till i saw his tail. He’s gonna get a different kind of feed tomorrow.

Any way to test this controller? What about the resistor box. Could something be going on with that?

[cgtech]

The cart, and the diagnostic handheld are the ways to test the controller. No "bench test".

[grassflatsfisher]

Originally Posted by cgtech

The cart, and the diagnostic handheld are the ways to test the controller. No "bench test".

10-4. Thanks for the info. Much appreciated!

[scottyb]

We have both rat and rabbit problems here. If you think a rat can chew up wires you would be shocked at how much a rabbit can chew up in one night. My new van has been disabled twice. Cars too. We learned the new wire jacket is vegetable based instead of the old petroleum based material. This is like miles of shoestring licorice to a rat. Big problem for us as we are surrounded by wheat fields full of rodents.

There are several deterrent products available. Forget the pepper sprays. Most effective are sprays or granular pellets of predator urine. Another method is putting eucalyptus oil on dryer sheets. The oil is not cheap but as long as it is fresh the rats can't deal with overwhelming smell as they need scent for food gathering and mating. We have learned to prop the hood up on any vehicle that is parked overnight, as that seems to be when the damage occurs.

When all else fails rat poisons are effective but very dangerous for pets and wildlife that may find the bait or dead animal.

cgtech, When I was in the desert my cloths dryer ground to a halt. I thought a drum bearing had seized. Taking the back off I found 20 pounds of dry dog food, cactus, and bottle tops packed so tight the drum stopped.

You gotta put the dog food etc. in metal trash cans with lids. Good Luck

[grassflatsfisher]

Originally Posted by scottyb

We have both rat and rabbit problems here. If you think a rat can chew up wires you would be shocked at how much a rabbit can chew up in one night. My new van has been disabled twice. Cars too. We learned the new wire jacket is vegetable based instead of the old petroleum based material. This is like miles of shoestring licorice to a rat. Big problem for us as we are surrounded by wheat fields full of rodents.

There are several deterrent products available. Forget the pepper sprays. Most effective are sprays or granular pellets of predator urine. Another method is putting eucalyptus oil on dryer sheets. The oil is not cheap but as long as it is fresh the rats can't deal with overwhelming smell as they need scent for food gathering and mating. We have learned to prop the hood up on any vehicle that is parked overnight, as that seems to be when the damage occurs.

When all else fails rat poisons are effective but very dangerous for pets and wildlife that may find the bait or dead animal.

cgtech, When I was in the desert my cloths dryer ground to a halt. I thought a drum bearing had seized. Taking the back off I found 20 pounds of dry dog food, cactus, and bottle tops packed so tight the drum stopped.

You gotta put the dog food etc. in metal trash cans with lids. Good Luck

We put some poison out In the barn at our camp. I also but a 10yr old and a pellet gun on a mission. Hopefully we thin the population down a bit.

Ended up finding a refurb controller with a 1yr warranty. Installing it tonight. Crossing my fingers.