Why do some 3rd gens have rusty brackets/clamps in the engine compartment?

[repo]

And is it a tell for rust underneath? Or Toyota used a different supplier on those ones? Or some condition that kept the engine damp? Battery fumes?

 

[Ed_C]

It's a tell the vehicle was probably from the northeast, where the DOT lays down snow/ice melt chemicals on the road that's pretty much cancer to anything metal.

 

[repo]

It's a tell the vehicle was probably from the northeast, where the DOT lays down snow/ice melt chemicals on the road that's pretty much cancer to anything metal.

They do that here too and I have a bunch of surface rust on the underside but all of the engine hardware is still shiny, except for the battery clamp. Does the NE have high winter humidity?

 

[xdustin]

When I was looking for my rig here in the northwest, I would always look for that and 9/10 it was a vehicle from the northeast. That was an easy identifier /alarm for me to dig a little deeper, but not get my hopes up. I looked for the one on the firewall and the one above the engine.

 

[Tyler James Inc]

That KILLS an engine bay for me! Drives my crazy when I see pics with all the engine bay parts rusty.
So, it may very well be a good indication of what area the rig was from, but know it's not a definitive way of knowing. I know some "detailers" will use(or, may have used) a corrosive solvent in the engine bay when attempting to get everything all clean and degreased. This can take the protective coatings off all the steel parts, leaving them all exposed to start corroding.
I would think that 99% of detailers now know this- and no longer use that method- but for a 20yr old rig, there are many years of mistakes that could have been made on them!

 

[T4R2014]

Toyota tends to use yellow zinc chromate on these types of pieces from the factory. It wears off after many years of salt exposure.