I thought it was surface rust :(
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brillo_76
Elite Member
Very common. You see bubbles on rockers they are rusted through. A little bondo and touch up paint and it be as good as new. However, to slow it down you need to coat the inside of those rockers with fluid film or something like it to keep it from spreading. The rockers and rear wheel wheels and front corners are very prone to rot..So I noticed what I thought was only surface rust on my front passenger rocker panel. Went to scrape it off....hwell:
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MaineRunna
Member
From what I understand, the front sunroof drains go into the cowl and the cowl drains into the rockers. That's why that spot always rusts out. If you want a permanent repair you need to cut out all the rust and weld in new metal.So I noticed what I thought was only surface rust on my front passenger rocker panel. Went to scrape it off....
brillo_76
Elite Member
Not sure about front sunroof drains, I know the back passenger side comes out in the rear inner rocker and the drivers rear side drains into rear vent.
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TheLincolnGreen
New member
I wondered why water would be in the rockers. My plan at this point is to patch the areas as they go bad. Once it gets beyond patching, I will look at cutting the rockers off and replacing with new steel that could also be used as sliders.
Boom_ROASTED
Member
I thought the same thing in the last cherokee I bought. Had a spot low on one of the doors that I assumed would be an easy clean up. Ended up having to do a pretty serious patch job and repaint but was pretty proud of the job I did.
dogtail
New member
In New England I've seen 3rd gen 4runners without sunroofs with rotted rockers. In fact you can see a lot of different vehicles without sunroofs with rotted rockers. Like GM pickups for instance. Rockers hold moisture and condensation and its hard to air out thru bottom drain holes. I seasonally lube up the inside of my rockers with WD-40, its a thin lube that also keeps the drain holes from clogging up. Simple overall rust maintenance prevents catastrophic damage on ones entire 3rd gen. Ignore the prevention and there is no prevention which leads to a pretty much certain eventual outcome.
[ I am in the process of replacing mine] That dosen't take long in the rust belt..:[
This is on my to do list I have a couple rust holes where the drain holes got clogged (the running boards constantly caked in 20 lbs of snow or mud for years didnt help either). Think I might try the expanding foam trick while trying not to block any drainage. Basically spray a bit of "Great Stuff" in there and shape it to match, then some Bondo or whatever on top.
brillo_76
Elite Member
The previous owner did the expanded foam bs on this rig. I pulled it all out when I cut the rocker off. That made a major mess. The problem I have is my inners are gone because of the crappy patch job that was done. Nothing was sealed and the metal just rotted away. So my plan is to replace the inner rocker. Then weld a sqaure tube inside from end of rocker to end. Drilling holes were the rear rocker holes are. After that's completed. I put the outer rocker on. Paint it and fill the all painted inside with fluid film to keep them from rotting out again. These are like the frames and rot from the inside out because they are not painted and the salt from the rust belt just eats them alive. I also need to rebuild the front fender mount and reseal the back fender back in.
I have never found the inner rocker aftermarket. So I have a fabrication shop that will make me inner and outer rockers out of 18 gauge instead of 20 gauge. I figure I need all the help I get to keep these from rotting out. :]
Also in PA foam filled rockers with chrome tape will not pass a state inspection. They changed the laws because people thought the unibody cars would hold together with foam and tape. [ I swear people are getting dumber by the day] It was a PA bulletin that was released that all repairs have to be back to factory spec. Lots of inspection places are now failing vehicles with holes in the rockers even small ones. I can understand the rule change as most vehicles are not frame chassis anymore.
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I have never found the inner rocker aftermarket. So I have a fabrication shop that will make me inner and outer rockers out of 18 gauge instead of 20 gauge. I figure I need all the help I get to keep these from rotting out. :]
Also in PA foam filled rockers with chrome tape will not pass a state inspection. They changed the laws because people thought the unibody cars would hold together with foam and tape. [ I swear people are getting dumber by the day] It was a PA bulletin that was released that all repairs have to be back to factory spec. Lots of inspection places are now failing vehicles with holes in the rockers even small ones. I can understand the rule change as most vehicles are not frame chassis anymore.
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The rockers are mostly solid other than a few spots (which are from a botched bodyshop repair from a fender bender the previous owner had). I was going to put a fiberglass over the foam, then epoxy filler, then primer, then rhino liner or something like that. You reckon that wouldn't hold up? I wish I knew how to weld but just don't have time to learn right now, barely have time to even sleep.
brillo_76
Elite Member
I wouldn't foam the rockers if it were me. They rot from inside out and most likely its thin in almost the entire rocker. Instead of foam, use fiberglass or stainless home window screen. Clean the area real good. The puddy that screen in place. Let fully dry. Then fully puddy and sand down your patch. Sand smooth. Use epoxy self etch primer. Like sand then paint with touch paint. Etc. Go to the inner rocker pull all the hole covers off and buy the little plug that's in the last one. This will give you a place to spray fluid film, mineral oil whater in there and park on cardboard. Extreme heavy coat of something inside to slow down the rot.
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Thanks I'll give that a try. I've looked inside and it still has the paint in there and feels solid when I bang it with a screwdriver so I hope patches will do. The climate is really dry and windy in winter here which I think helps a lot with rust because the moisture dries out so quick. Like I see 4runners with rusty hardware in the engine bay? but mine looks normal there, and the frame is good. I think humidity levels must contribute to how bad it develops.
brillo_76
Elite Member
You might luck out.. I live in the rust belt. So I am not so fortunate. Mostly if you have a little rocker rot, you have some frame holes too. Some folks even use WD 40 as a rust preventive measure. My 5 speed 1997 has two spots like the thread passenger and driver on it and it had a front arch rusted out and holes in the bottom inner passenger side mid section was very thin.. So I would really check your frame out..
You might luck out.. I live in the rust belt. So I am not so fortunate. Mostly if you have a little rocker rot, you have some frame holes too. Some folks even use WD 40 as a rust preventive measure. My 5 speed 1997 has two spots like the thread passenger and driver on it and it had a front arch rusted out and holes in the bottom inner passenger side mid section was very thin.. So I would really check your frame out..
I go in the garage and lie on my creeper with a headlamp on and drink beer and just look and poke at stuff when I'm bored haha, so no real rust other than surface rust. I make an effort to wash out the inside of the frame each spring too. The rockers was a combination of clogged weep holes and the previous owner's crappy bodywork repair that cracked.
brillo_76
Elite Member
That works... A thought:
You can coat the inside of the frame with water displacement solutions [Fluid Film, Mineral Oil, WD 40 etc] Then silicone the frame holes shut.. If the frame doesn't have any holes in it.. Salt, dirt etc cant get in and cause the rot.
It can sneak up on you and before you know it. A frame section rotted out.. :-(
VGKBlackhawks
New member
I bought an 01 with the same issues. I grew up in the north, but moved south before high school. I had very little experience with rust. It was registered in Michigan until recently. It seemed like an okay deal, so I bought it. The previous owner painted over a lot of surface stuff and it covered some pretty nasty spots that I poked right through after really looking... after I bought it. Live and learn. Frame is solid. Rear cabin mounts are pretty rough. At some point I'll detail my woes, but it's just too fresh right now. Haha.
I wish you the best with the rust fixes!
I wish you the best with the rust fixes!
