Frame Welds Rusting Already

TXRick said:
So, basically you painted over the rust, trapped it, and ruined your own truck. Sucks for you dude. Hopefully someone will learn from your mistake. I hope you did.
Click to expand...
So you are kind of missing the point. There where sections that I did touch up with a rust converter and paint, but the frame is a box frame and much of it had the original paint on it including inside the box. A substantial amount of the rot occurred inside the box and rotted through to the exterior where I could push my finger through the original factory coating and oxidized metal that was the frame. I also encountered the rust through on the rear differential cover as well. Being from Texas you probably have not encountered this problem, so may not fully understand the dynamics of it unless you experience it first hand.
 
Just picked up a 2014 and the frame is rusty. Welds, etc.

My 2009 Tacoma started to do the same a few months after I bought it. Never really expected this in Texas. It is not bad but clearly ugly and sad when the only real elements that either has touched is rain.

I'm an Iowa boy and understand frame rust. I took some Husqvarna chain oil and candle wax to the Tacoma. A couple of years ago I remembered what Fluid Film was and recommended it on tacomaworld.com. It is probably the number one solution right now. I will hit up the 4Runner, just need to source a couple of cans.
 
jcayce said:
Just picked up a 2014 and the frame is rusty. Welds, etc.

My 2009 Tacoma started to do the same a few months after I bought it. Never really expected this in Texas. It is not bad but clearly ugly and sad when the only real elements that either has touched is rain.

I'm an Iowa boy and understand frame rust. I took some Husqvarna chain oil and candle wax to the Tacoma. A couple of years ago I remembered what Fluid Film was and recommended it on tacomaworld.com. It is probably the number one solution right now. I will hit up the 4Runner, just need to source a couple of cans.
Click to expand...

AutoZone now stocks Fluid Film nationwide, I believe. Use it on my lawnmower deck. Good stuff, but is a dirt magnet... but what oil isn't?
 
jcayce said:
Just picked up a 2014 and the frame is rusty. Welds, etc.

My 2009 Tacoma started to do the same a few months after I bought it. Never really expected this in Texas. It is not bad but clearly ugly and sad when the only real elements that either has touched is rain.

I'm an Iowa boy and understand frame rust. I took some Husqvarna chain oil and candle wax to the Tacoma. A couple of years ago I remembered what Fluid Film was and recommended it on tacomaworld.com. It is probably the number one solution right now. I will hit up the 4Runner, just need to source a couple of cans.
Click to expand...

All toyota BOFs come from the factory like that, you probley just didn't notice it initially. It doesn't matter where you buy your toyota BOF, it will have missing spots of frame coating throughout every weld, and those spots will have light surface rust. Just go to any dealer, and look, every new 4runner, FJ, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra will have light surface rust spots on every weld.

They will either just stay like that, or get much worse depending on your environment, preventive maintenance, and normal maintenance. About a month ago, I finally had some time (took a couple of days during my vacation), and I applied 2 coats rust bullet automotive (grey) and 1 coat of their Black Coat (top coat) to every frame weld, and other rusted spot I could reach. All of the rust I encountered was light surface rust, but I wanted to protect it before it got any worse. Now I do feel alot better every time I am under there doing maintenance.

I chose Rust Bullet because, though similar to Por-15, reviews and long term tests have shown it to hold up better to Por-15, and be more forgiving then Por-15 when you don't follow every step/detail of the prep procedure.

For my prep, I just power washed the frame, and washed it down with automotive wash and an old mitt, then power washed again. I then scuffed any rust area I could find with either scotch bright pads, or 100 grit sand paper. I then rinsed, washed, and rinsed again. I used a towel and blower to dry the frame, and let it sit overnight to completely dry before I applied Rust Bullet.

I left the rust on a few components that are removable, like the LCAs, just so I could get an idea of how bad things would have gotten if I didn't Rust Bullet the frame. I don't care about easily removable parts rusting, it is having rust on major structural parts, that can't be removed, that drive me crazy!
 
Whiplash Willy said:
All toyota BOFs come from the factory like that, you probley just didn't notice it initially. It doesn't matter where you buy your toyota BOF, it will have missing spots of frame coating throughout every weld, and those spots will have light surface rust. Just go to any dealer, and look, every new 4runner, FJ, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra will have light surface rust spots on every weld.

They will either just stay like that, or get much worse depending on your environment, preventive maintenance, and normal maintenance. About a month ago, I finally had some time (took a couple of days during my vacation), and I applied 2 coats rust bullet automotive (grey) and 1 coat of their Black Coat (top coat) to every frame weld, and other rusted spot I could reach. All of the rust I encountered was light surface rust, but I wanted to protect it before it got any worse. Now I do feel alot better every time I am under there doing maintenance.

I chose Rust Bullet because, though similar to Por-15, reviews and long term tests have shown it to hold up better to Por-15, and be more forgiving then Por-15 when you don't follow every step/detail of the prep procedure.

For my prep, I just power washed the frame, and washed it down with automotive wash and an old mitt, then power washed again. I then scuffed any rust area I could find with either scotch bright pads, or 100 grit sand paper. I then rinsed, washed, and rinsed again. I used a towel and blower to dry the frame, and let it sit overnight to completely dry before I applied Rust Bullet.

I left the rust on a few components that are removable, like the LCAs, just so I could get an idea of how bad things would have gotten if I didn't Rust Bullet the frame. I don't care about easily removable parts rusting, it is having rust on major structural parts, that can't be removed, that drive me crazy!
Click to expand...

I also have a 2009 Tacoma TRD Offroad. I refused to let them unwrap it when it came off the freight truck with 1 mile on it and drove it home and took off every single piece of plastic covering myself. I have been over every inch of that body with a clay bar several times. I guarantee there was NO rust on the frame when I bought it. No surface rust, scaling, nothing. I actually crawl under my truck and spend hours cleaning just under there when I detail it. (I also only do oil changes with 90915-20004 filters from Japan.). I think I need medication.

Anyways, Fluid Film has been the answer for me for the past 4 years or so after I did my Husqvarna chainsaw oil and wax treatment (like Waxoyl). There are NO bright rusty spots on my frame and I didn't have to cover the rust with anything and have to worry about it building under a coating of paint. The Fluid Film penetrates then protects. It is definitely an Iowa farmer duct tape/WD-40. All my Iowa vehicles before the Toyota got a used oil coating. All my Texas vehicles have never had an issue until I started buying Toyotas.

And I am definitely an oil penetrating type guy instead of using rust converters or Rustoleum. Bare metal is constantly building up rust the second it is exposed to air. I have no inclination of exposing more of the frame and weakening the already weak factory coating. It definitely works for some but most of the Tacoma guys (2nd Gen 2005-2014) have had bad luck with rust converters and paint.

I did notice that the AC on the 4Runner dumps condensation directly on the frame and the water creeps around the passenger side. This was also a problem for the Tacoma. I redirected the drain with some tubing and it dumps below the frame on the truck. I will hit up the 4Runner this weekend the same way.
 
jcayce said:
I also have a 2009 Tacoma TRD Offroad. I refused to let them unwrap it when it came off the freight truck with 1 mile on it and drove it home and took off every single piece of plastic covering myself. I have been over every inch of that body with a clay bar several times. I guarantee there was NO rust on the frame when I bought it. No surface rust, scaling, nothing. I actually crawl under my truck and spend hours cleaning just under there when I detail it. (I also only do oil changes with 90915-20004 filters from Japan.). I think I need medication.

Anyways, Fluid Film has been the answer for me for the past 4 years or so after I did my Husqvarna chainsaw oil and wax treatment (like Waxoyl). There are NO bright rusty spots on my frame and I didn't have to cover the rust with anything and have to worry about it building under a coating of paint. The Fluid Film penetrates then protects. It is definitely an Iowa farmer duct tape/WD-40. All my Iowa vehicles before the Toyota got a used oil coating. All my Texas vehicles have never had an issue until I started buying Toyotas.

And I am definitely an oil penetrating type guy instead of using rust converters or Rustoleum. Bare metal is constantly building up rust the second it is exposed to air. I have no inclination of exposing more of the frame and weakening the already weak factory coating. It definitely works for some but most of the Tacoma guys (2nd Gen 2005-2014) have had bad luck with rust converters and paint.

I did notice that the AC on the 4Runner dumps condensation directly on the frame and the water creeps around the passenger side. This was also a problem for the Tacoma. I redirected the drain with some tubing and it dumps below the frame on the truck. I will hit up the 4Runner this weekend the same way.
Click to expand...

Well atleast every Toyota BOF made in Japan, that I have seen, has light surface rust on every frame and suspension weld. I have even seen it on closeup pics of the TRD Pro 4runners frame! Even the spare steel wheel has it! Maybe the coating toyota uses in the US built BOFs is different, or the coating still sucks, and they didn't have that salt water journey to get over to the states....

I do applaud your attention to detail though, so many people are lacking any kind of attention to detail these days. I do like your AC evap drain modification. That is going to have to be my next mod! :biggrin2:
 
Whiplash Willy said:
Well atleast every Toyota BOF made in Japan, that I have seen, has light surface rust on every frame and suspension weld. I have even seen it on closeup pics of the TRD Pro 4runners frame! Even the spare steel wheel has it! Maybe the coating toyota uses in the US built BOFs is different, or the coating still sucks, and they didn't have that salt water journey to get over to the states....

I do applaud your attention to detail though, so many people are lacking any kind of attention to detail these days. I do like your AC evap drain modification. That is going to have to be my next mod! :biggrin2:
Click to expand...

I think ultimately you are right. All it takes is just one bath and the rust appears. Trucks and SUVs that sit on the lot must develop some condensation as temperatures change from day to night. I think any 4Runner or Tacoma that has sat on the lot for more than a week is subject to this decay. I really thought the 4Runner would have a better frame than the Tacoma but it is obviously folly to continue to believe that. I don't like rust, not even under the vehicle. There is no excuse for any surface rust of any sort in this part of Texas. The 4Runner was purchased with 2-3 miles on the odometer but I'm not sure how long it sat on the lot. I also drove it through a rain storm on a trip to Round Rock and back. It actually looks worse on the underside than my 09 Tacoma.

In the past 7-8 years my wife and I have rotated through several new cars and my OCD has taken me underneath every one of them. We even had an Accord that I took the rims off every couple of weeks just to polish on the inside because I hate how rims look clean on the outside but covered in brake dust through the spokes/arms. Just seems half-assed to me. Anyways:

Honda Accord: only light surface rust on cast iron parts that I treated with used motor oil. All painted parts stayed black and could easily be cleaned.

Jeep Grand Cherokee: light surface rust on unpainted cast iron parts. Many cast iron parts were painted. Anything painted did not have any rust on it. Stipple brush dipped in used motor oil cleaned up the entire underside.

Nissan Xterra: zero rust. Anywhere. Not a speck on anything and I just used Simple Green and hosed it off.

Nissan Frontier: zero rust. Anywhere. Not a speck on anything. Same treatment as Xterra. The bed did have an OEM spray-in bed liner (2005) that you could tap in certain spots and tell where the liner was no longer attached to the bed. Definitely bad things going on under there that I could not see.

Volkswagen Jetta Sportswagen TDI: zero rust. Anywhere. So low to the ground that none of the underside was ever exposed. Only car I didn't bother to ever clean the underside.
 
Last edited:
alico268 said:
AutoZone now stocks Fluid Film nationwide, I believe. Use it on my lawnmower deck. Good stuff, but is a dirt magnet... but what oil isn't?
Click to expand...

Cheapest place I have found for Fluid Film is McMaster Carr.
Part number 12055K74. $6.51 for an 11.75 ounce aerosol can when you get a case of 12.
 
jcayce said:
I think ultimately you are right. All it takes is just one bath and the rust appears. Trucks and SUVs that sit on the lot must develop some condensation as temperatures change from day to night. I think any 4Runner or Tacoma that has sat on the lot for more than a week is subject to this decay. I really thought the 4Runner would have a better frame than the Tacoma but it is obviously folly to continue to believe that. I don't like rust, not even under the vehicle. There is no excuse for any surface rust of any sort in this part of Texas. The 4Runner was purchased with 2-3 miles on the odometer but I'm not sure how long it sat on the lot. I also drove it through a rain storm on a trip to Round Rock and back. It actually looks worse on the underside than my 09 Tacoma.

In the past 7-8 years my wife and I have rotated through several new cars and my OCD has taken me underneath every one of them. We even had an Accord that I took the rims off every couple of weeks just to polish on the inside because I hate how rims look clean on the outside but covered in brake dust through the spokes/arms. Just seems half-assed to me. Anyways:

Honda Accord: only light surface rust on cast iron parts that I treated with used motor oil. All painted parts stayed black and could easily be cleaned.

Jeep Grand Cherokee: light surface rust on unpainted cast iron parts. Many cast iron parts were painted. Anything painted did not have any rust on it. Stipple brush dipped in used motor oil cleaned up the entire underside.

Nissan Xterra: zero rust. Anywhere. Not a speck on anything and I just used Simple Green and hosed it off.

Nissan Frontier: zero rust. Anywhere. Not a speck on anything. Same treatment as Xterra. The bed did have an OEM spray-in bed liner (2005) that you could tap in certain spots and tell where the liner was no longer attached to the bed. Definitely bad things going on under there that I could not see.

Volkswagen Jetta Sportswagen TDI: zero rust. Anywhere. So low to the ground that none of the underside was ever exposed. Only car I didn't bother to ever clean the underside.
Click to expand...

Dude, you really need to get rid of any vehicle you own and just take public transportation. It will add years on your life from the reduced stress levels. I am not kidding. Are you a germophobe too?
 
Whiplash Willy said:
All toyota BOFs come from the factory like that, you probley just didn't notice it initially. It doesn't matter where you buy your toyota BOF, it will have missing spots of frame coating throughout every weld, and those spots will have light surface rust. Just go to any dealer, and look, every new 4runner, FJ, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra will have light surface rust spots on every weld.

They will either just stay like that, or get much worse depending on your environment, preventive maintenance, and normal maintenance. About a month ago, I finally had some time (took a couple of days during my vacation), and I applied 2 coats rust bullet automotive (grey) and 1 coat of their Black Coat (top coat) to every frame weld, and other rusted spot I could reach. All of the rust I encountered was light surface rust, but I wanted to protect it before it got any worse. Now I do feel alot better every time I am under there doing maintenance.

I chose Rust Bullet because, though similar to Por-15, reviews and long term tests have shown it to hold up better to Por-15, and be more forgiving then Por-15 when you don't follow every step/detail of the prep procedure.

For my prep, I just power washed the frame, and washed it down with automotive wash and an old mitt, then power washed again. I then scuffed any rust area I could find with either scotch bright pads, or 100 grit sand paper. I then rinsed, washed, and rinsed again. I used a towel and blower to dry the frame, and let it sit overnight to completely dry before I applied Rust Bullet.

I left the rust on a few components that are removable, like the LCAs, just so I could get an idea of how bad things would have gotten if I didn't Rust Bullet the frame. I don't care about easily removable parts rusting, it is having rust on major structural parts, that can't be removed, that drive me crazy!
Click to expand...

WOW, just saw this thread searching for rust on welds. I have a 2013 Trail I bought used and got underneath yesterday. Rust on the weld points and a few other places, but otherwise looks pretty good.

How is the Rust Bullet and paint holding up for you?

Thank you in advance,

WJR
 
1engineer said:
Dude, you really need to get rid of any vehicle you own and just take public transportation. It will add years on your life from the reduced stress levels. I am not kidding. Are you a germophobe too?
Click to expand...

I think you are wrong.
And arrogant ...
 
Slavic said:
I think you are wrong.
And arrogant ...
Click to expand...

Epic from a guy with 12posts, to add that information to a 3year old thread. I think [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] was a helpful SOB (he is no longer around to ban me for name calling) and you come here with that. You have some fingers point back at you with that one. When you want to come to this community to provide value and input I welcome some personality , even if its not a good one, otherwise stay out.

:yo:

PS I apologize if your other 11 posts have been helpful, I do not recall reading them but I am making an assumption here.
 
I noticed that my 2.5 month old ORP has some gold flakes on the frame welds also. Today I was at the Toyota dealership picking up an accessory and thought I would have a look under some “brand new” 4runners. Not to my surprise, every single one of them had some degree of rust on the welds. So rest assured, it is normal, if not right or wrong.
 
Rust -- How bad is too bad? 2013 Certified SR5 in Vermont

Hi everyone -

Thank you for sharing your experience -- very helpful.

I live in New York City and am buying my first 4Runner.

Nearly every 4Runner I have seen in the NYC area has significant rusting. However, I don't know how bad is too bad.

I am looking at a certified, 2013 SR5 in Vermont.

Here is a video of the undercarriage of the truck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7TWyu42LFs&feature=youtu.be


Is this horrible? The dealership offers a $500 coating package ("good for 10 years") -- don't know what to make of it.

Thank you for your help!
 
Last edited:
A friend of mine had his 2010 tundra done by NH oil undercoating and is quite pleased with it. I use fluid film on mine. seems to work quite well. Although when it's warmer and I can fully pressure wash the underside it's getting eastwood internal frame coating, rust encapsulator on the few surface rusty spots at the welds, and ceramic frame paint. Then fluid film every fall. And frequent touchless car washes in the winter. Road salt is nasty.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

L
2005 4Runner, perforated passenger side frame, dealer says unsafe. 2nd opinion?
Replies
7
Views
1K
Runnin on E
R
Dianna
Frame rust in the NorthWest?
Replies
4
Views
2K
yyyames
Y
bowhunter53
2005 frame rust opinions
Replies
4
Views
2K
AuSeeker
AuSeeker
M
GOBI Structural Rust - Less Than 3 Years
Replies
3
Views
7K
Chumly
C
S
Frame Rust Evaluation
Replies
15
Views
5K
rdruss
rdruss

Members online

Total: 357 (members: 3, guests: 354)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,310
Messages
3,554,080
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top