About To Lose My Baby To Rust. Salvageable?

[undies78]

Wow. I feel like I just got punched in the gut. My baby, my 1997 4Runner SR5, has just been read her last rites. But I've done some research around this forum and around the internet, and I'm not giving up on her yet.

I take care of my 4Runner, as she's taken care of me. Regular oil changes, keep her clean, well lubricated, etc. But living near the ocean coupled with the fact that I don't know anything about cars has apparently lead to rust. I'm used to the cosmetic stuff - the rear bumper rusting out, little spots here and there, but I had no idea the undercarriage was as rusted as it it. I've attached some photos here, but to see ALL of them you can do that HERE.

She has 128,000mi on her and she's been purring like a kitten since I got her back in 2000. I got her with 33k miles on her, off a lease, and I've been the only owner since then. She has been the most reliable thing in my life, and if there's any way I can salvage her, I feel like she has SO much more life left in her. Another 100k miles, easy. But this rusted undercarriage has me worried.

I noticed a humming noice when I accelerated, which would lessen if you let off the gas. I took it to Jiffy Lube to get the oil change and get the transmission fluid changed, and asked them if they knew what was causing the noise. They said that my rear differential was full of holes, and was "bone dry". They topped it off, but said it would just leak again and I need a new rear differential.

I took her to the Toyota dealer to have them assess it, and it came back BAD. This is their rundown:

"VEHICLE HAS VERY BAD LEAK AT REAR DIFF. ROUGH EST OF 2715.00 PLUS TAX TO REPLACE. COMPLETE UNDER CARRIAGE IS RUSTED. ALSO HAS RUSTED POWER STEERING RACK AND COOLANT LINE. BELT NOISE UPON START UP IS FROM PULLIES. THEY ARE RUSTED ALSO. WOULD NEED TO REPLACE TENSIONER, DRIVE BELT, POWER STEERING PUMP, ECT"

Obviously not good news. The thing is, I don't know anything about cars. I've read in here that if the rust isn't bad enough, to just get wire brushes and do this or that and apply this sealant etc. But I don't know how to do any of that, and I'm smart enough to know that I'm not competent enough to handle it. I've seen pictures of some of these 4Runners with the axles on the ground, and I can barely change a winshield wiper.

I just need to know what you guys think, as the experts. What would you do, given my situation. First, is it salvageable? Can I save her? Or do I need to sell her for parts (gasp)? I really don't know what to do. Obviously the ideal situation would be if this is fixable, to have someone who knows what they're doing clean the rust off and go from there. But I don't know - do I need a new rear diff?

I can take more pictures if you let me know where to point the camera. If any of YOU think you can handle the job, I'm located in NJ at the shore (by the beach, which prob leads to the accelerated rusting). All these words come down to this final one, guys:

HELP!

Kevin ([email protected] to email suggestions)

 

[jgue467]

if that is the extent of it, looks very salvageable - I've seen a Whole lot worse pics on here!, lotta work but can be done. Do some searches on here, the northern guys know the process and chems to use on it. Luck!

 

[foskco87]

Ugh....so sorry to hear/see that... This makes me very nervous as I live on Vancouver Island and I just bought a 2000 4runner. They salt the roads like crazy here in the winter. I have a 92 which is starting to fall victim to the rust so I was hoping a 3rd gen would be more resiliant as most of the 3rd gens I see driving around dont appear to have any rust (atleast on the body). Just curious. What area do you live in? Do they salt the roads there? If they do, do you ever hose off your undercarriage? I'm thinking all the talk about undercoating is not a joke... It looks like you have a lot that is salvagable but as most of us know rust is one of the most painful issues to deal with. It seems with a nice runner like yours with such low miles it would be a waste to give up on it. But I am not all that knowledgable myself compared alot of the people on here, and have little experience dealing with rust other than some sanding a POR 15'ing.

 

[TCMach]

mine wasnt quite that bad but still a rusty frame. Now after some elbow grease, rust neutralizer, and bedliner, it looks like this. I'm sure POR15 would do as well or better, but I went with what I could get local.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/102663750@N03/9859039053" title="Painting1 by Tyler Carvell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5501/9859039053_3d50f05613_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Painting1"></a>

Also your leaky diff looks like its coming from the fill plug (cant totally tell through pictures)and not due to the rust. Clean all the fluid off and see what gets wet first. If its the plug take it out and replace the crush washer/gasket, costs like 3 bucks.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I wouldn't list your email like that.

It doesn't break any rules or anything but it isn't smart.

There are bots that troll these type of forums and can pick up an email like that and add it to spam lists.

Also the whole idea of a forum is to have the replies posted on the page itself so the next guy can see the answer.

People emailing you doesn't help the community, in fact quite the opposite.

:bat:

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

Oh yeah that looks familiar. Take a peek and poke at the area right next to the muffler. I just had that area fixed on mine. Also have the leaking differential, which I've temporarily fixed with JB Weld and some POR 15. My pulleys were also rusted, so when I did the timing belt and water pump, I took them off and sandblasted them and painted them. I get under the truck when I can and pick an area and go to town with an air needler (can remember the name of that thing right now) and a wire wheel. Have also bought a couple of used pieces from members on here, (cross members)and just recently found an entire axle with very little rust I'm going to refurbish and put in next spring. It's an ongoing process I plan on getting on top of because I LOVE this damn truck!

Which shore you near north NJ or south?

EDIT: After looking at the rest of the pics, It's DEFINATELY salvageable, you just need to start attacking that rust now.

 

[foskco87]

Wow, great job under there TCMach. I agree, POR 15 is amazing stuff and it literally stops any rust that it is on top of. It is pretty finicky stuff though. You have to pretty much perfectly clean and prep any surface or it wont adhere properly. It runs and drips really bad and if you get any debri or even a drop of sweat in it they advise you to not use it. If you go with POR 15 I would suggest always pooring out a small amount and painting out of that as opposed to using it right out of the can. It is nice though in that you can paint it right on to the rust.... in fact I think it actually adheres better to rust than it does to normal metal.

 

[nissanh]

For the rear axle leak.
It seems it is leaking from the top. Remove the e-brake cable bracket and remove the rust completely. Drain axle oil. Using a wire brush mounted to a drill, clean the the area. Find holes and plug those with JB weld. This should plug the holes in the diff.

After driving in salted roads, washing the under body every 3-4 days is a good idea. I did it when I lived in PA.

 

[Myrunr2010]

mine wasnt quite that bad but still a rusty frame. Now after some elbow grease, rust neutralizer, and bedliner, it looks like this. I'm sure POR15 would do as well or better, but I went with what I could get local.

how long ago did you do it? curious how well it holds up. i've been delaying getting under my truck and doing some rust cleanup/prevention. I was originally thinking i'd just wire wheel it and then spray paint the surfaces...

 

[Chill will]

3rd gens all have this common issue on the rear diff housing. I live in the Northeast and had the same issues. The correct way to fix might be beyond your comfort level, but here is a bandaid. Drain our rear diff clean it with a wire brush or something. Then clean area with parts/ brake cleaner. Then JB weld the surface. I did this and it lasted for about 2 years. It would be better fix if you removed the housing and cleaned no the inside and out and apply JB weld from the inside. Buy the outside application works well. This fix lasted about 2 years for me then I got more rust around the are I did not apply JB weld. That's when I found this permanent fix. You just need to find a shop to weld it on for you (not the dealership)
https://www.barnes4wd.com/mobile/Axle-Accessories_c_13.html#page-46

 

[Chill will]

This is what it looks like and is a permanent fix.

 

[Nelsonmd]

Yeah, Chill will is on the right track, that is by far the cheapest way to permanently fix it. If I had to go back, that's what I'd do instead of spending way more for an entire rear end.

You can also go to harbor freight and buy a 90A welder and mask for about $150, learn to weld on some scrap, then weld it yourself. You will spend about the same as having a shop do it (though you could get away for less from a shop if you do all the prep work.) but you have a welder and a new skill when you're done. A SUPER useful skill.

As for that level of rust, that's pretty bad, but it isn't fatal yet. You definitely need to check your frame rails to make sure they haven't rusted all the way through. If they have, then you have more stuff you need to repair before driving it again and the fix is going to cost even more.

As someone who has been there with the rust (in fact I still have it, it just comes back, even through POR-15 applications), I have some suggestions if you want to salvage it.

1. Buy an air compressor and a needle scaler. This is pretty expensive (~$350) but will make your life infinitely easier for removing the rust and will reach far more areas than an angle grinder
2. Buy an impact driver to take off rusty bolts (preferably a pneumatic one if you bought an air compressor). It is way easier and more effective than trying to break them by hand. Trust me, I have broken so many it's not funny anymore.
3. Get a small propane or oxy/acetyl torch to heat up bolts and nuts. I heat them up, then spray them with PB blaster while hot. It boils the PB blaster instantly but it seems to really get it to soak in deep. You could end up with fire though, so be careful.
4. As was said, be sure you prep extremely well. I have followed the POR-15 directions to the letter, but it has never adhered well for me. I have gotten rust underneath it within a year. Similarly, rust converters have never seemed to work well either.

Those are the big ones. This is going to be alot of work, alot of frustration, and you are going to have to replace slot of little nuts and bolts, and the rust will never actually be defeated, only slowed.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

This is what it looks like and is a permanent fix.

I thought about doing this but I read some where on here that the housing hits or comes extremely close to the panhard bar. Also, do you have to fabricate new little brackets for the Ebrake cable and the brake line or just cut the old rusty one off ( my ebrake one is gone) and weld them onto the new cover?

 

[TCMach]

how long ago did you do it? curious how well it holds up. i've been delaying getting under my truck and doing some rust cleanup/prevention. I was originally thinking i'd just wire wheel it and then spray paint the surfaces...

Thats what I did. Wire wheel, wire brushes, screwdrivers to chip the big stuff. Honestly its done really well. I would suggest spray paint. I used a paintable and a spray bedliner and most of the parts ive had to redo are on the sections I painted. As far as holding up I get down there once a year and touch some pieces up. When I did it this year (a couple weeks ago) touching up the whole truck took maybe an hour. And thats with me being anal about it.