Just came back from vacation and started ol' girl up and she was having some trouble turning on. I notice the check engine light on and the VSA light came on as well. After 3 or 4 tries, she turns on.

I open the hood and notice a giant hole in the material right underneath the hood (almost looks like wall insulation). The insulation stuff is all over the inside of the hood. I also noticed a wire chewed off (saw the heat gage go all the way to Hot on the dash when turning on the car). Can't confirm where the wire is leading to (can't post pic at the moment since i lost my phone while abroad).

Can't tell if he's still in there.. is it okay to water down the inside of the hood to get him out? Also, I have no idea about why but the brakes are squealing too.. I'm checking the brake lines as well before I take it to work.

Any advice you guys have for me is much appreciated.

Thanks,
AJ

 

I am sorry to hear about your incident....That sucks! I don't have much advices to offer except to have inspected by a reputable shop and expect to spend some $$ to have it repaired. I wouldn't mess with electrical issues....

 

Water in the engjne bay (washing) is never good. Can make alot of moving parts start to seize.

 

I have washed the engine bay of every car I have ever owned over the past 25 years.

 

I know a few people that wash the engine bay, however they make sure any electrical components are covered with a plastic bag or something along those lines.

OP, sorry this happened to you, but as weather said, I would probably have an experienced mechanic take a look at it! Problems like these are never anticipated, it sucks!

 

i had mice nest under the fuse box of my Silverado that i rarely drove. What a mess...
They chewed wires, pissed, and crapped in there.

I had to bring it to an automotive electrician to fix all the wiring.

 

I had something chew my knock sensor wiring and a fuel line that was in between the upper and lower manifolds of my TL. It was a slight PITA to fix, by nothing too difficult. Mice are attracted to the soy based products used in Acura's wiring I have heard...

 

At least it isn't a swarm of yellow-sac-spiders causing your fuel tank to crack and burst into flames ***Mazda***

 

Thanks for the responses, fellas. Hoping to get to the bottom of this tonight. Going to do some more investigation myself before taking it to a shop.

As for washing the inside of the engine bay, I'll check to see if he's still inside before I think about doing that. Either way, shop might be the best way to go.

tristann616 - that sounds horrible, man. Really hoping that doesn't happen.