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So we can add my wife's 1980 244 to those on this forum who have rodent issues in their Volvos. After reading all the postings here I can say that in our case:
(a) Peppermint doesn't work.
(b) Drier sheets do not work.
(c) Cat urine does not work (and smells awful).
What does seem to work are glue traps off Amazon baited with a tasty morsel of peanut butter dabbed in the middle. I stick them down in the trunk with a loop of packing tape underneath to hold it in place.
But just when we think we have things under control, mice show up again.
I am sure there are numerous ways for mice to gain entrance - especially on an old vehicle. But I have read that the air intake is often a source they use on these cars.
But I am sad to say that I am not sure where the air intake even is located. I have pulled the cover off the air cleaner and it is intact. And I figure that is only air for the engine anyhow. There is a flip-lever air vent by the driver's knee but I don't think that has been open at all this past winter while the mice first became an issue for us.
I see the air vents near the front/rear windshields. But I see no way they could get through there. Is there some other air intake I am not seeing? I have looked in my manuals and the internet for a diagram of the fresh air systems. But no luck.
So thanks for any tips you can provide.
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That first cat looks just like ours!
Does she have attitude?
I tried a dozen mothballs between my hood and pad - did not work at all.
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A google search indicates mothballs don't work like Cat urine (toxoplasmosis). Yet the rodents must smell something they want in there.
If you live like West of Misery, ooop, Missouri state or Kansas state north to south, rodents, primarily mice, carry the Hanta virus. That's just some nasty stuff.
As with cats and toxoplasmosis, Hanta virus spreads from dried animal waste products including there nasty little carcasses. So, be real careful.
Same goes for folks at junkyards. See any rodent waste in there at the junk yard, take some real good care. Inhaling dried rodent waste products, like scooping the litter box after cat waste has dried, means you can inhale airborn infection.
Oh, the images are just from a Google image search. I have no pets, children, or family. Just the Volvos 240.
Thanks.
--
Give your brickboard.com a big thumbs up! Way up! - Roger Ebert. 
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posted by
someone claiming to be CB
on
Fri May 27 19:29 CST 2016 [ RELATED]
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Your wife has not lived until she is driving to work on the expressway at 65mph and had a live mouse jump into her lap just as she's turned up the "stereo" really loud. In my case, Elvis Costello's Armed Forces...I rather be anywhere else but here...
In my 80 244...they come in thru that ...under the hood - look under the hinge opening. That drains water down thru to the rocker panels and out... gives access to the space behind where the Fuse panel sits...gives access to the entire behind the console space.
Solution...garaged: lay convential mouse traps with either cheese scented plastic triggers or the old fashioned ones where you put a dab of peanut butter or a sliver of cheese around the car where it is parked.
Do the same inside the car, but attach them with twist ties and 2 push pins to a slab of wood. If the trap dosen't kill the mouse outright, the weight will break its neck.
Kill's quick and less suffering for that poor creature just seeking food and a warm place to give birth to more mice.
Sticky traps are NOT humain. Like a mamal fly trap.
Once opened my trunk to put in groceries and found a nursing female with 5 sucking teats.
Country living at its best.
Cheers
PS Deer are just large rodents...too many of those Bambis destory the forest undergrowth...no New baby trees.
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I'm sure moth balls would work but DON"T put them in your car. Maybe near the car on the outside. The smell will overwhelm you.
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I've had mice getting into my wagon. I'll start by saying that my wagon is not exactly a normal passenger vehicle. I've removed the back seat and interior parts to make a flat 'cargo' area in the back. It's more of a 'moving things around' vehicle.
I'll say that while it isn't aromatic, I lined the cargo area with old cedar pickets from a fence and sanded them down. This initially had a great cedar smell in the car but I don't notice it as much any more. Regardless, when I had mice in the wagon, the cedar was in place... It did not seem to deter them.
I do have a rust hole in the passenger side rear wheel well, so that was an obvious entry. I stuffed the hole with steel wool and found they still got in. The next obvious entry was a loose bellows around the gear shift. The front two clips don't like to stay in, so it was popped up and mice were getting in through that hole.
I discovered an alternate path in the rear wheel well. There are holes that are suppose to be plugged with a rubber piece, but one was missing and this provided a perfect mouse size hole. These holes lead in from the front of the rear wheel well. They are at the bottom of the front of the wheel well, tucked just inside the fender. I'm not certain where the exit is, but probably under the rear seat area. These plugged holes are on sedans also.
One other place to check is along the firewall. There are several plugged holes that may be missing the rubber plug. If you have an fancy stereo, alarm, CB or remote start, an installer may have popped out one of those plugs to run wires into the dashboard.
As for the Air intake, I assume that means for cabin air, which comes from the vents in front of the wind shield. There shouldn't be any paths involving the engine air intake.
Incidentally, when I purchased my wagon 15 years ago, there was a dead mouse under the rear seat. I've not yet had problems with critters in the 240 sedans.
--
'80 242, '82 245 'worktruk', '83 244 Turbo, 83' 242 'volcamino' + a massive dodge van
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Wow great info. Thanks very much. I will start checking the entry paths you mention.
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Moth balls work.
Rich (near Pittsburgh)
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Thanks. I read about those. Perhaps if one knows where to place them. However, my wife is very sensitive to chemical odors. So in this case, the cure may be worse (or at least as bad) as the disease.
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I guess it is like current cancer therapy, the treatment might be worse than the disease.
I only have used moth balls in cars which remain unused for long periods and when put into service, they do take a LOT of airing out. I've placed small open containers of moth balls in the trunk or under the floor panel of a wagon. They are quite effective and it only takes 6-10 moth balls to fill the car with their essence.
Rich (near Pittsburgh)
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This makes me wonder... Moths are also repelled by aromatic cedar wood, right? I wonder if some strategically placed blocks of that might have the same effect on the mice? The wife MAY find that more acceptable than moth balls. Thanks again.
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Years ago, I read in Fine Woodworking that it is not the aromatic cedar per se which keeps the moths at bay, but the drum tight construction of a proper cedar chest - the moths have no way to gain access to the goodies.
Maybe so, but we still store our woolens in cedar chests instead of banana boxes with moth balls.
Rich (near Pittsburgh)
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Go to this site - http://www.kness.com - to see some great mouse traps.
They are strong, twice as fast as a common trap, and surround the bait with a large plate to catch a mouse from any angle.
I have two traps near the corners of my garage door, two under the car, one in the interior, and one in the trunk. The traps near the door catch most mice - one has never reached the interior.
I also have a trap attached to the front bulkhead of both of our XC70s - I have caught two mice in one car's engine compartment.
I also have an old travel trailer and a shed - I catch a mouse about every two weeks.
One trick that I use in the house is to put the traps inside a plastic coffee container, with a 1" hole in the side - this keeps our TWO CATS out of the traps.
In Minnesota, my daughter has trapped more than 100 mice and two weasels in her goat barn - she found the Kness traps.
I have a nice 1/2 acre yard, and an acre of woods behind mu house - they just keep coming...
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Wow, that place is a pest control extravaganza! I am having really good luck catching the critters using glue traps. And I have found that the mice are always dead when I get there - perhaps due to exhaustion trying to escape. The whole shebang just goes in a plastic bag and into the garbage. We also live in a rural area on some acreage. This has not been an issue until this winter. But there is no doubt the critters are all around. We have also had an explosion in the number of rabbits locally. Oh, the joys of rural life. At least they are not rats - as we occasionally had in the big city!
It would be great if I could keep them out of the car to begin with. Thankfully (and so far) they are not in my 1983 242 or our 1995 S-10 pickup. Why the 1980 244? It is a mystery to me. Thanks
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When you open your hood on either side of the hinges just below them you will see an opening. The mice may be getting in via that route. Also look under your car or remove the carpet and make sure you don't have a small rust hole forming somewhere. The mice only need a very small opening to get in.Also are the plugs in the drain holes in the butt cheeks? Can you park in a different spot?
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Thanks. I will check these locations today.
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