A mouse living above my fuel pump?

[trev0079]

Okay... so heres the story...

I just picked up a 2000 540i for a hell of a deal. It doesn't really have any major issues that I know of but this could be one. I filled the car up full with gas today and I went and ran some errands. Well I came back to my car after making a stop and saw a nice puddle of fuel below the right side rear of the car. I owned a 540i previously so I thought maybe it was just the seal around the fuel pump...

Pulled the back seat up. Went to check the seal... and WALA:



I'm greeted by this nice sight... hmmm

Upon further inspection and pulling a ton of junk out of the fuel pump area I see that this line has been nibbled/cut off:

This is looking towards the front of the car







WTF is this line? Could it be the reason fuel is dripping? Hopefully I don't explode on my way to work tomorrow. How big of a job is it to get access to those lines to replace?

Anybody have a wiring diagram of the fuel system?

[Vatoman]

looks like the fuel line in blue the black might be a return line. I wouldn't drive it to be safe.

[hyjaxe]

I had the same problem with some mice chewing through that. Here's a part number: 16131183375

The other end is behind the rear fender liner. It's attached to the filler neck pipe, where you pump gas.

[mjbauman]

i've found mice crawling on my engine... baby ones. they are everywhere.... i hate them. i'm thinking i should put poison around the engine bay to keep them from chewing anything up.

[NNY528I]

i've found mice crawling on my engine... baby ones. they are everywhere.... i hate them. i'm thinking i should put poison around the engine bay to keep them from chewing anything up.

I thinks you need to drive your car more often.

[Alpina540i]

If you park your car outside and it rains and the season is turning cold you will find mice in your engine bay... I have yet to have this happen to the BMW but I have had it happen to a nissan maxima.

[mjbauman]

I thinks you need to drive your car more often.

That's the weird thing, I drive it EVERY day. It's my daily driver and I put on minimum 50 miles a day. I live in the mountains and the mice are everywhere, in the house, and all over outside. Damn critters.... At least bears aren't trying to crawl inside there ;-) I watched a huge bear on my porch the other day, pretty cool but kinda freaky.

My old Range Rover was infested, my wife's old Volvo X-Country was also. Unfortunately it's part of mountain living... but I HATE it. I make sure the kids don't leave ANY food scraps or anything that will bring the mice inside the car. UGH....

[jamesdc4]

Mice are cute. And if you don't like them for their looks, they're extra food during the lean months.

[mjbauman]

LOL ^^^ We are vegetarians ^^^

The worst thing about these mice are they attempt to build nests and they tear up cabin filters and lately it's the foamy stuff from that piece of whatever material lines the inside of the hood. Messy little monsters even if they are cute. I'd rather they come into my house than my beloved e39.

[Vatoman]

I had a problem however mine was with rats. Living in a city means big honking rats. Nothing like opening your engine bay to a rat the size of your foot. The best way to get the lil bastards is persistence. Go get some traps I got a combo of the black clamp ones and the standard wooden ones. Lay them all around engine bay. I placed mine on top of engine cover, manifold airbox, and on other side where the air box would be if it was a V8. Set them when you get home and keep checking through out the night. Keep this up diligently I had to go for just a few days, but its taken me a couple weeks before. They will find somewhere else to live, and leave the car alone. Dont put food into your traps. You dont want your car associated with food at all. Clean up all dropping rat piss. You will have to be cleaning this for a while. If you kill a couple in process well you can make a soup! Mainly this is just to scare them off, just dont drive off with traps under engine bay.

[DMANN2]

I seem to be have a similar problem, but now my car wont start, I noticed the mesh under the hood looks like it has been nibbled off, so I looked around the engine bay, & under the car, found the crank position sensor cable chewed off, had a spare harness left from my motor install im my 528i, so clipped it, solider it, heat shrink it, and move the cut above the engine with spare hareness, also a coupl of transmission wires were chewed threw, repaired them, still getting no spark no fuel, I checked for codes, none, checked all fuses, good! Under hood, in dash, and trunk, tested all relays, replaced. Fuel Pump relay with new bone, and crank sensor to, im stuck! Thinking of replacing the cam sensor, since im still not getting anything other then the car turning over, help

[Alpina540i]

The crank position sensor may very well be ohm specific and you may have altered the resistance in the circuit and make it out of spec.

[jstern]

I've used moth balls to keep the mice out of the car-they don't like the smell. If you put them in the car or the engine compartment, they'll drive you out of the car too, lol. Just sprinkle them all around and under the car where you park it. Of course they melt with rain and moisture, but they are really cheap to buy. Mice make a disgusting mess (and smell). I just did the CCV and there was a huge old nest behind the CCV, against the engine block. The former owner did not drive the car much.

[Justin517]

Too bad BMW doesnt have an "anti-rodent system" like audi... Google it, I swear. lol.

[mjbauman]

I sprinkled rat poison all over the engine bay..... it worked on my Rover.
I’m thinking a little poison under the back seat near the fuel pump isn’t a bad idea either.

[trev0079]

I just got quoted over $600 to replace the $20 line. That can't be right.

[KRC70]

"trev0079", did you ever have the tube replaced? I read on a more recent forum that you may even be able to do it yourself (thanks Ed CT).

[JimLev]

"trev0079", did you ever have the tube replaced? I read on a more recent forum that you may even be able to do it yourself (thanks Ed CT).

trev0079 last post here on the forum was 11/2011. Pretty sure he's gone.

[FireTumbleweed]

trev0079 last post here on the forum was 11/2011. Pretty sure he's gone.

The mice got him?

[KRC70]

oh well ...

[pshovest]

This happened on my 528. No need to replace the entire line. Cut the tube where the leak is and slip a short piece of 1/4" ID fuel line on the tube. Hold w/ 2 hose clamps.

[geargrinder]

LOL 6yr zombie thread reboot.

Folks... OP is LONG GONE. SMH.