Help! Rats ran into engine compartment and broke a wire.

Welcome. What a crummy subject to have to start with for a first post.

From what I can tell, it looks like it just goes to the turn signal or another light in there. At least that what it looks like on mine. I wonder if there's other damage you haven't found yet that's giving you the alarms.

 

I'd second that. Maybe better let the dealership troubleshoot. Could this be a "comprehensive" insurance claim?

 

Bit of a bummer! I've had a mousey family take up residence in my previous Toyota (Corolla DX Wagon, 292,000 miles, which had to be euthanized after failing state inspection (rotten rocker-panels) - see threads passim) and I found that mousies can be deterred by scattering moth-balls in all the crevices in the garage where they tend to have their runs. However I've been using my current Toyota (2009 Gen II Prius) to transport kitties for the local kitty-shelter, and I think the local mousie population is turned off by the smell of the "essence du kitties" in my car and all the carriers in my garage, since I've not noticed a mousie problem in my car or garage in the past 2 or 3 years! - hope this helps - Wil

…BTW - Welcome to PriusChat!

 

The dealer repair bill is going to be high because they are going to want to replace any damaged wiring harnesses vs. repairing any broken wires. So if you want to avoid a four-digit repair bill, you may want to exert extra effort to identify and repair any broken wires yourself, if you feel competent to do so.

 

Agreed. And unlike the title, this isn't a wire it's multiple wires in a small harness. Any competent shop can fix this without needing to replace the entire harness. They may need the wiring schematics but there should be enough on the other end to match everything without them.

 

Could dealership just diagnose and ID, leave it to customer to repair? And maybe advise. I mean some might be readily repairable, and some more risky, say the high voltage. Not sure.

 

Are their signs of mice in the interior?
I had them now I park on top of one of the do dads that emits noise that deters them, well, three years with no sign of mice, mothballs scare me, you should definitely splice the wires you see together and see if it throws codes, if the varmits got to wires that are not yet known, well, one step at a time.

 

The codes will stay in the system after the problem is resolved (normally, to aid in diagnosis). It may take a few start-ups to reset the dash lights, but you do want to make sure that nothing has been rendered non-functional (particularly safety features) by the rodent damage.

 

$2400? WOW!

Well, it's good to hear you've been successful in the repair but what you've done so far is treat the symptoms. The cause is an infestation and you'll need to address that ASAP. Sorry, I've have no advice but others here have dealt with this before.

GOOD LUCK!

 

The best thing will be butt connectors with heat shrink. After you crimp either use a heat gun (hair dryer may work) or, if you're careful, waive the flame from a lighter over the heat shrink tubing.

Get the size that will fit your wire gauge. Example

Pixel XL ?

 

Solder?

 

You can solder it will just take more time

Pixel XL ?

 

You can solder it will just take more time

Pixel XL ?

 

I'm thinking more durable/solid too. I agree, trickier. Again, slide shrink tubing on beforehand. And whenever possible, stagger the splices.

 

Mendel brings up an important issue with crimping: always do a quick tug test

Pixel XL ?

 

If you can fix the wiring damage yourself, I think that would be the best course. Save your insurance for a time when the mice do damage to your car that you cannot repair.

The dealer would charge you for the harness plus probably 10-12 hours of labor.