Under Carriage Rust

[HotSauceT4r]

I recently purchased an 2006 4Runner V6 Sport Edition from a private car dealership which had been acquired at auction off a lease. I love it, and it looks like its a brand new car, on the outside. I had it looked at today by a local mechanic who I've been going to for ever and I trust a great deal, just to be safe and to get a god idea how the rest of the ride was holding up.

He informed me that my under carriage has more then a "typical amount" of rust for a truck 3/4 years old. I know through carfax that my truck was previously owned in Pennsylvania, and my mechanic said that the rust could be caused by driving over alot road salt.

Is there anyway to prevent and protect my under carriage from further rusting?? Maybe power washing it off? Any help or tips would be great.

I will be dealing with a great deal of snow in my area and do not want throw salt on the wound (literally). It is not in any risk of rot or anything but he did mention to me that it was more rust than he expected to see on the underside of the ride. Thanks.

 

[offshorebear]

I'm interested as well, mine is very rusty. There are paints that are designed to be applied over rust, like POR15, but painting underneath sounds like a pain.

 

[HotSauceT4r]

bump... any thoughts anyone?

 

[riverider]

I would find a small sand blaster, who would work on the rusted area's. Unless you really get it removed it will just keep on eating away the metal. Then the really bad area's will need to be filled in with weld.

You may have to have sections cut out and replaced. Rust is a really nasty problem. Just painting over it does not keep it from still eating away the metal.

 

[dreadog]

What u need to do is clean the bottom of the truck real good with a pressure washer let it dry, then use a rust converter which neutralizes the the rust and stops the oxidation. After that has dried for 8-12hrs spray the frame and any other parts with a black epoxy primer. This type of primer bonds directly to the now treated metal and can withstand road salt, rocks, and grime! Lastly if you want to make sure it never comes back undercoat everything with a rubberized undercoating! This stuff can be purchased at your local auto paint supply for maybe $100-150. The only time you would Need to weld patches is if there Are actual holes in the frame!

 

[<<<<]

Por-15

 

[dreadog]

Good call on the por-15! I forgot about that stuff! Personally, I would still undercoat it after using that!

 

[docfeelgood]

bump... any thoughts anyone?

Dupli-Color UC101 Rubberized Undercoating- Hose down the underside of the suv, allow it to dry and just spray it on... its $3.50 a can by my in autozone.

 

[riverider]

Dupli-Color UC101 Rubberized Undercoating- Hose down the underside of the suv, allow it to dry and just spray it on... its $3.50 a can by my in autozone.

Unless you get the rusting material removed, just spraying on undercoat is just hiding the damage not bringing it under control.

If I spotted some of that stuff underneath a truck I was thinking of buying, I would be on my highest guard.:snacker:

 

[Falls]

What u need to do is clean the bottom of the truck real good with a pressure washer let it dry, then use a rust converter which neutralizes the the rust and stops the oxidation. After that has dried for 8-12hrs spray the frame and any other parts with a black epoxy primer. This type of primer bonds directly to the now treated metal and can withstand road salt, rocks, and grime! Lastly if you want to make sure it never comes back undercoat everything with a rubberized undercoating! This stuff can be purchased at your local auto paint supply for maybe $100-150. The only time you would Need to weld patches is if there Are actual holes in the frame!

Whats the name of the rust converter ? Is it a spray can ?? I want to do this before winter since I have alot of rust too in my opinion. Here in Wisconsin road salt is VERY plentiful . They dump it on in piles . Really takes it's toll on a vehicle , pavement , garage floor , ect..... IT REALLY SUCKS !!

 

[davidn71]

I actually just finished coating all the problomatic areas on the frame with 2-part epoxy coating. It's a rust inhibitor that can be mixed to be about as thick as you want. It's stronger than concrete so protects against rock chips and such. I actually got it from the water plant I work at. It was left over from a recent upgrade. It's used on all the underwater iron and before the last upgrade had lasted 25 years. Good stuff. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.

It's brand Tenemc if you're interested

 

[ToyTech99]

Living in the northeast, I see lots of 4Runners with rust on the frame and undercarriage. It does seem like they rust easier than some other vehicles of similar age. But I wouldn't worry too much about it because the rust is probably just surface rust and not anything that will cause any serious problems.

The frame and chassis of the 4Runner is pretty stout and there's really nothing under there made of thin metal that will rust away before the vehicle itself dies a natural death. Well, there is one thing made of relatively think metal and that's the factory skid plates. But Toyota does a good job and making those somewhat rust resistant. As for all of the major components (frame, axles, etc...), a little surface rust won't hurt them!

 

[riverider]

Living in the northeast, I see lots of 4Runners with rust on the frame and undercarriage. It does seem like they rust easier than some other vehicles of similar age. But I wouldn't worry too much about it because the rust is probably just surface rust and not anything that will cause any serious problems.

The frame and chassis of the 4Runner is pretty stout and there's really nothing under there made of thin metal that will rust away before the vehicle itself dies a natural death. Well, there is one thing made of relatively think metal and that's the factory skid plates. But Toyota does a good job and making those somewhat rust resistant. As for all of the major components (frame, axles, etc...), a little surface rust won't hurt them!

I think your correct on this. I have been driving my 82 Ford Bronco each winter on our salt&sanded streets. I just hose the underside off with the hose, as soon as it's above freezing. There is just some signs of surface rust, but nothing that's any BIG deal. Many say it's the cleanest frame and underside they have ever seen in such a old truck.

 

[kee0419]

I am considering an used 2004 4Runner but the under carriage rust is preventing me from pulling the trigger. What do you guys think? Is it mostly surface rust? Also, are there any plastic covers protecting the under carriage? All the Lexus vehicles I owned had the under carriage covers.

 

[Brveagle]

2 things.

1) start your own thread instead of bumping this old one.
2) Everyone has their opinion, but in my opinion I would walk away from that runner.

 

[wsgoat]

2 things.

1) start your own thread instead of bumping this old one.
2) Everyone has their opinion, but in my opinion I would walk away from that runner.

X2.....I would walk and try to focus my search in a state/area where road salt is not used. You'll incur some travel expenses, but you'll end up with a minimal rust vehicle that will be easier to work on and have better resale down the road.

 

[kee0419]

Thanks for your replies, I am already looking for other 4Runners but here in Northeast, almost all 4Runners have under carriage rusts.
I am a newbie so can't start a new thread yet.

 

[fourwd1]

Rust never sleeps.
You could use a rust converter to help control what you have if it's only surface rust.
But the frames on these rust from the inside out so you don't see how bad it is until it's really bad.
I had to put another frame under my 83 because it was so bad I couldn't patch it anymore.
Both my 4runners came from PA, and the frames were solid.
That's why I bought them.
Toyota frames SUCK.