This happened last Thursday evening. Around 5PM, my colleague comes and tells me that
his car is not starting and could I please have a look ? He had driven to work in the morning without any issues, but while leaving for home, the car won't start.
We go to the basement of the building, where the car is parked. Its just a 1-year old car and
except for one time when the battery got drained after the car was left overnight with lights
on, this was the first issue he has faced with the car. I crank the engine, but car does not start.
I can see from the way it cranks that the battery is fully charged - so battery issues can be
eliminated. I check the Fuel Gauge and it is at Empty. Ask him if there is fuel in the car and
he says that he had put 10 litres of petrol the night before, after which he would have done
only maybe some 10kms. So, where did the rest of the fuel go ?
We discuss possibilities of someone stealing fuel at his apartment complex (it is not possible
to steal fuel from cars at the office parking). Since it looks like a problem due to lack of fuel,
I send him out to get a few litres of petrol. He comes back with 2 litres fuel which we pour
into the fuel tank. We try starting the car, but still no success.
After this I am lost. I know a little bit about carburetted cars, having had them at home for
more than 2 decades and with whose innards I am quite familiar with. And I can do some basic debugging as far as fuel lines and filters are concerned. But this is MPFI (ECU controlled) and the engine bay looks entirely different.
So, we give up and call the breakdown service, who send their man with the repair van. He comes, identifies the problem & fixes it in like 15mins and is gone. Any guesses as to what could have been the culprit ?
A rat had chewed the fuel line and also the signal wire indicating the fuel in the tank, resulting
in no fuel to the engine and fuel-gauge showing Empty. Actually the mechanic mentioned
that when he was looking at the lines from the fuel tank, he saw the rat jumping off. :-)
And when I mentioned this incident on the car forum that I am a member of, it seems many
had had this type of issues with rats. And that set me thinking about our cars in Chennai and Kerala. In Kerala, I have noticed a few rats running around in the yard, where we stock firewood. The garage is not far from there and there is quite a possibility of them invading the car. I see a plan forming in my mind.
Chennai is different, because the rats here are huge. I mean, as huge as the cats that are also
around. I have never seen the cats chasing the rats and I think they are just shit scared of
these monsters.
Anyway, I decide to tackle the smaller pests first. Last weekend, at Kerala, I went and bought
a rat trap, made of wood and steel wires. Cost me all of 45 bucks (a dollar). Got some dried
fish which I set as bait and placed the trap near the firewood storing area.
It seems there is a psychology involved even in this seemingly simple act of catching rats. If
you were to keep the trap in an open area, the rats would not even touch it. It seems you have
to keep the trap hidden, so as to attract their attention. Maybe, they do not go for it, if there
is no element of adventure involved.
Quite similar to human psychology, I guess. We want those things that are forbidden for us
or which is kept away from us. A child never gets attracted to the fruits on the dining table.
Instead he tries to get cookies from the jar placed away from his reach.
Anyway next day morning, I check the trap and yes, I have baited the first rat. Now comes
the difficult part of killing them. Drowning is the usual method used and I get an old unused
bucket, fill it with water and drop the trap (with the rat inside) into it. Put a brick on it to
keep it submerged. When I check out after a minute or so, Mr.Rat is looking as fresh as if
he just had a refreshing shower.
So, in he goes again and this time for 3-4 minutes. I bring him up and see that he looks dead,
but still there is some faint movement seen. In he goes again for another 5 minutes, after
which he is truly dead. Take him to the yard and bury him in a hole that I dig up.
Put the trap again that night and the next day, we get another little rat. And yet another one
yesterday night. So, 3 rats in total. Not bad for a total expenditure of 45 bucks. Maybe there
are more out there, but we are not stopping till we have eliminated the whole family.
Ofcourse, I still have not decided what to do about their bigger cousins at Chennai. They won't
fit in the trap and even if their limbs get caught, they would just walk away with the trap. :-)
I would have to try out some rat poison for these chaps, I think.
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