Anyone else rusting away?
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99problems
New member
Fellow Illinois resident... I feel your pain. I have to wash the 4Runner like twice a week in the winter and still just last week I had to spend some time underneath with some sandpaper and rust converter spray paint. I just pulled the hitch and will have to send that out to be sandblasted and powder coated while I get back underneath and repeat the sandpapering/spray painting. Spare wheel was pretty eaten to beyond the pail; thanks to [MENTION=148794]4yogger[/MENTION] for the full size replacement that can actually clear my TBU. Salt sucks, rust sucks, sorry to hear you're in what sounds like far deeper waters than I am.
*sigggh* Yep. We're in the 'salt belt', that portion of the country that has snow and ice in the winter and uses salt to melt it off. That is really hard on a car as the years add up.
You just have to be extra good at washing off the underside after you've been on salty roads, washing the top side will leave salt in all the nooks and crannies underneath, and in bad cases, the frame itself can be terminally damaged (those rear lower control arm mounts are susceptible, for example).
SpidermanGeek
New member
Yup. It's only a matter of time for me. My rockers and driver's side rear quarter is pretty bad, but thankfully, the Limited cladding/flairs hide most of the cancer.
My frame still seems to be holding at 95-98% integrity. I inspect it regularly and haven't come across anything critical yet. The spot that worries me the most is between the gas tank and inside frame rail at the rear lower control arm. I'm more nervous about it because it's really hard to get a definitive idea of how far along any rust damage is there. But luckily, other common spots seem to be holding up (like the opposite ide at the muffler.. no issues there for me other than surface rust).
And then the rest is just having to deal with the pain of rusted out bolts and other parts in the undercarriage. I've snapped more than half the bolts that hold all the skids and my gas tank skid is in the garbage from being disintegrated by rust. I also had to replace the gas tank strap as it fell apart too. More indication that my general area of concern is the driver's side at the rear quarter.
The bolts for the Rear Sway Bar brackets have also snapped. I bought new hardware and end links, but haven't gotten around to drilling out/extracting the old bolts yet. I do 95% on-road driving, so I'd really like to have the rear sway bar back in, especially after I re-installed the front one and greatly improved the on-road behaviour of my rig. The previous owner is the one that had removed the sway bars. He did a lot more off-roading with it than I have.
But yeah, I feel your pain. I dump just enough money in my rig to keep it mechanically reliable as I know that one day I will have to cut my losses and send it to its grave. I probably have a good 5 years before then, but it's inevitable. This rig's structural integrity will be its undoing.
My frame still seems to be holding at 95-98% integrity. I inspect it regularly and haven't come across anything critical yet. The spot that worries me the most is between the gas tank and inside frame rail at the rear lower control arm. I'm more nervous about it because it's really hard to get a definitive idea of how far along any rust damage is there. But luckily, other common spots seem to be holding up (like the opposite ide at the muffler.. no issues there for me other than surface rust).
And then the rest is just having to deal with the pain of rusted out bolts and other parts in the undercarriage. I've snapped more than half the bolts that hold all the skids and my gas tank skid is in the garbage from being disintegrated by rust. I also had to replace the gas tank strap as it fell apart too. More indication that my general area of concern is the driver's side at the rear quarter.
The bolts for the Rear Sway Bar brackets have also snapped. I bought new hardware and end links, but haven't gotten around to drilling out/extracting the old bolts yet. I do 95% on-road driving, so I'd really like to have the rear sway bar back in, especially after I re-installed the front one and greatly improved the on-road behaviour of my rig. The previous owner is the one that had removed the sway bars. He did a lot more off-roading with it than I have.
But yeah, I feel your pain. I dump just enough money in my rig to keep it mechanically reliable as I know that one day I will have to cut my losses and send it to its grave. I probably have a good 5 years before then, but it's inevitable. This rig's structural integrity will be its undoing.
Colorado uses magnesium chloride on our roads.
we are known as a rust-free state, but not as much as cali or AZ for example because they dont get as much snow as us in the winter.
This mag chloride stuff is still really bad on the paint. i dont know if it rusts the underside or not.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_chloride#Use_in_ice_control
we are known as a rust-free state, but not as much as cali or AZ for example because they dont get as much snow as us in the winter.
This mag chloride stuff is still really bad on the paint. i dont know if it rusts the underside or not.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_chloride#Use_in_ice_control
Kanoe
New member
That is a bad spot for rust. The factory running boards (on some models) tend to damage the paint there leading to the rust starting. It happens under the black end cap. Seems to be about the first spot to rust on the truck.
I got my running boards off early enough to fix up the paint on the outside before it amounted to anything. And I have spray rust proofed the inside of the rocker panels.
That salt makes me so mad...
I got my running boards off early enough to fix up the paint on the outside before it amounted to anything. And I have spray rust proofed the inside of the rocker panels.
That salt makes me so mad...
4yogger
New member
Hey hey! Stoked to help out!
Mellemel
New member
The worst about it here in Canada is that all the salt slush gets lodged up under the frame and around the rear shock area etc.. then freezes rock solid and no amount of power washing will remove it, the rust just starts eating away. You'd need to get underneath with a hammer and chisel to even begin to think about removing it !! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH.
Trying my utmost to keep my 20 year old 4rnr in decent shape on it's underside.
Trying my utmost to keep my 20 year old 4rnr in decent shape on it's underside.
nalbertasr5
New member
Mine is rusting really bad in the rear wheel wells, the rocker panels and the spot behind the driver side door. It was so rotted in some places I actually cut the metal right out, sanded down what was left and repainted it! I am slowing restoring my 4runner to its former glory both mechanically and visually. A company in Canada makes new quarter panels and rockers for a reasonable price. Check these guys out:
1996-2001Toyota 4 Runner Body Panels
I'm thinking in a year or so I might order them! Has anyone here ever ordered stuff from them? I already replaced my front fenders as they were really rusted out. New ones look great. I am determined to save this thing. Overall the truck is in great shape.
The running boards are horrible and collect a lot of salt and debris so I cut mine off. Had to use a Sawzall
1996-2001Toyota 4 Runner Body Panels
I'm thinking in a year or so I might order them! Has anyone here ever ordered stuff from them? I already replaced my front fenders as they were really rusted out. New ones look great. I am determined to save this thing. Overall the truck is in great shape.
The running boards are horrible and collect a lot of salt and debris so I cut mine off. Had to use a Sawzall
SpidermanGeek
New member
I was under the impression that Alberta doesn't salt their roads. Is that no longer the case?
My '97 4Runner originally came from Calgary until its original owners moved to Toronto sometime around 2005-2006, bringing the vehicle with them.
I've always attributed the fact that my 4Runner isn't completely rotten to it spending the first portion of its life in a "salt-free" province.
Oh, either they didn't have rockers last time I checked or I'm blind. Good news! I'll probably grab a set of rockers and corners.
nalbertasr5
New member
I'm not 100% sure if they salt or not. I think it can vary from town to town. It's sand where I live but it lived its life for 15 years on rural gravel roads before I got it. All those rock chips from the gravel probably added up over time! Overall it's a lot better than a lot of other I see in AB. Also it's a 2000 manual and they are pretty much non-existent here!
19963.4lsr5
New member
Unner
New member
The sad thing is, it's mostly true...
I'm happy they don't put salt on the roads here though. I have no rust on my truck, a few spots where the paint got chipped on the there's a tad of surface rust, but I plan to paint the whole frame sometime just as a protective measure.
reelamin
New member
I am starting our rust abatement/prevention this spring and every fall is the plan. WA started with the salt a few years ago and the use level is going through the roof. The roads are white this year from so much salt being dumped on them. We used to have perfect under carriage when they used sand...never any rust...now every vehicle has it and it's getting worse.
We do not even have a car wash that washes the undercarriage.....or a car wash for that matter. LOL I will be building a drive over under carriage wash for my place. I hose things off, but I know its not getting the undercarriage very good.
We do not even have a car wash that washes the undercarriage.....or a car wash for that matter. LOL I will be building a drive over under carriage wash for my place. I hose things off, but I know its not getting the undercarriage very good.
