Explorer won't start, chewed wires.

[chris451]

I had a squirrel going into my engine compartment where it chewed a wire and stole some insulation from in between the cylinder heads. The radiator temp sensor wires go right past that gap. The wire chunk 4" was found on the driveway, only later did I figure out where it came from. The ford would start but the AC didn't work and the temp guage read 0.
I studied under the hood and spotted the missing wire section, soldered it back with wire junctions and coated with RTV.
The ac began to work again and the temp guage was now OK.
Forward one week after I got home it would turn over and not start.
I found the schreader valve to see if there was fuel pressure and it squirted out.
I wait a day and turn the key and listen for a fuel pump and thats OK.
I did not detect sparks with my radio. I spotted tooth marks on the wire leads to the crank sensor. The wires were OK but worked themselves into a short or open. I noticed tooth marks in 3 places past where I patched the temp sensor.
So I will be dissecting these wires _a shielded cable_to see if they are broken or cut inside then see if I get a spark and it runs.
This fuel pump was a replacement a couple of years ago. The rust is bad along the running boards, not much left there.
If you see squirrels near your vehicles chase them off.

 

[imp]

I had a squirrel going into my engine compartment where it chewed a wire and stole some insulation from in between the cylinder heads. The radiator temp sensor wires go right past that gap. The wire chunk 4" was found on the driveway, only later did I figure out where it came from. The ford would start but the AC didn't work and the temp guage read 0.
I studied under the hood and spotted the missing wire section, soldered it back with wire junctions and coated with RTV.
The ac began to work again and the temp guage was now OK.
Forward one week after I got home it would turn over and not start.
I found the schreader valve to see if there was fuel pressure and it squirted out.
I wait a day and turn the key and listen for a fuel pump and thats OK.
I did not detect sparks with my radio. I spotted tooth marks on the wire leads to the crank sensor. The wires were OK but worked themselves into a short or open. I noticed tooth marks in 3 places past where I patched the temp sensor.
So I will be dissecting these wires _a shielded cable_to see if they are broken or cut inside then see if I get a spark and it runs.
This fuel pump was a replacement a couple of years ago. The rust is bad along the running boards, not much left there.
If you see squirrels near your vehicles chase them off.

Pack rats are even worse. Had battery cables chewed through! Had a fire start where a plug cable was chewed through leaving about a half-inch gap: arc caught insulation on fire, which caught coil, then plastic intake manifold. Fortunately, I caught it in time driving to town, bought a plug wire, and OK till next time......

 

[iowa_hick]

It's possibly an issue unrelated to the squirrel. Mine did the exact same thing (while my wife was in the hospital in labor, but that's another story) and it turned out the be the O2 sensor wire rubbing on the front drive shaft that had shorted out the PCM and blown Fuse 41 in the power distribution box under the hood. I would check that fuse to start things off.

Good luck!
Jake

 

[chris451]

It's possibly an issue unrelated to the squirrel. Mine did the exact same thing (while my wife was in the hospital in labor, but that's another story) and it turned out the be the O2 sensor wire rubbing on the front drive shaft that had shorted out the PCM and blown Fuse 41 in the power distribution box under the hood. I would check that fuse to start things off.

Good luck!
Jake

I did check all the fuses, none were blown, but there was no voltage on the ignition relay.
Given what I found above, it looks like a lot of events depend on crank sensor signal,
to even turn on the ignition relay and keep the fuel pump going.
I pulled all applicable relays and tested outside the car as well as observing or bugging
the fuses under the hood and under the driver side dash.
My impact sensor was tripped and I reset that as well. How can that be tripped,
it was running fine when I parked it but I got a distinct click when I pressed it( front passenger right shin area)

 

[TechGuru]

Sounds like you need a dog to guard your explorer...

 

[mountaineer2004]

Rodents are nasty creatures. Always chewing something.
A BB gun or .22 rifle can help keep the population in check.

 

[ataw10]

Rodents are nasty creatures. Always chewing something.
A BB gun or .22 rifle can help keep the population in check.

Yes persay but the best ive ever used simple for saftey an not putting holes drectly in important stuffs is a airsoft pistol gas powerd you can fire 16 rounds in 1 sec. an if your aims that bad better get that fixed.

 

[TechGuru]

Yes persay but the best ive ever used simple for saftey an not putting holes drectly in important stuffs is a airsoft pistol gas powerd you can fire 16 rounds in 1 sec. an if your aims that bad better get that fixed.

Electrified traps work better.

 

[BummerDude]

You'd think after all these years, someone would of found the secret ingredient for wires, that would deter them.

 

[TechGuru]

You'd think after all these years, someone would of found the secret ingredient for wires, that would deter them.

The AT&T guy told me they've had problems with squirrels chewing fiber drops...