MOT Pass and Swiss Cheese

[Cotswold Pete]

Well 18 years old and the old lady got through her MOT.  Though it makes me laugh on advisories (which I have not had before).  1. Towball Hitch not fitted at time of test (been like  that since I bought it)

2. Undertray and sill covers fitted not allowing full inspection  - never had that one before.

However had I left the car as shown in photos, I suspect it may have failed.

The photo is of the back of the offside arch. once I had cut out the rust and before any other prep.  The nearside was almost as bad, and the front of both arches were more like swiss cheese, but as time was pushing on over weekend did not take any photos of that.

Reason for this state of affairs is the though most of the arch is plastered in the coating at manufacturer, the first 7cm off the arch had next to no coating, and so I am betting the arches have been rotting pretty well for the last decade.

So having filled it out with mesh and Isopon 40 (no photos of that as it is not the tidiest of jobs) I need some decent rain to check water-tightness.  If all is okay, I am going to jack the old lady up, give the edge of arches a brush and Kurust and then Waxoyl to hopefully give the LS a few more years of life.

Maybe poke a bit harder around the arches and be prepared to draw breath!

 

[ambermarine]

Pete 

this is exactly the same as my Mark1 turned out although the hole was more in the centre of the front part of the arch.

The same result though and eventual rotting of the cill,I glassed my cills and epoxied the mudguard and it survived until I sold the car.

I think I need to go and buy me some Dinitrol.

[Cotswold Pete]

Just had a run in the rain, and still getting some water ingress on nearside, so need to jack up the car later to see where it was coming in. 

A bit of a pain, but at least one side is dry.

[Newbie1]

After reading of your story I removed my boot linings and rear wheels and checked the arches but all seems solid, thankfully. I'm still curious how the arches rotted out there. 

[Bluesman]

Might have been the result of some poorly repaired accident work.

[Cotswold Pete]

On 31/03/2018 at 8:50 AM, Newbie1 said:

After reading of your story I removed my boot linings and rear wheels and checked the arches but all seems solid, thankfully. I'm still curious how the arches rotted out there. 

I think my Lexus was a Friday Lexus, and the chap (or maybe robot) did not ensure that the rubberised coating was thick enough at the edges.  

It is testament that its lasted 18 years, given the salt and mud attack it has suffered from.

I was shocked at how bad it was, and given I have scraped out the mud on a regular basis, I had never really had a goods look at the rear arches until this problem.  

I did notice some sealant applied to the bottom of the boot well, but assumed that was original, but maybe in hindsight I should have had a good look when I bought the car.  

Still the car is now waterproof, I just need some decent dry weather to clean up rest arch, then Kurust and Waxoyl in the hope that the arches will last another five years or so.

Roll on summer, as this Easter has been one big rain-fest

[Newbie1]

Hmm, I'm going to dig some more. Seam sealant and underseal can hide rust pretty well, as I've been finding out on my wife's Celica.

[Cotswold Pete]

To test, I used a bradawl, it found the problem areas with ease, and also made it easy to 'feel' where the metal was okay.  

That way I was not ripping off the sealant where I did not need to.

That is why after my first recce the arch looked like swiss cheese.

 

[runsgrateasanut]

Watched below and thought do I need do this?  Car is twenty five years and just beginning to perhaps show a bead of rust along the strip. I think I'd force stuff in at the bottom and then seal over the holes. - briefly, before allowing to drain which could be a messy business.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHMpJebGx_g

Edited April 2, 2018 by runsgrateasanut
clarification

[Newbie1]

Don't know about the home brew he made up but yes, with any older car it's prudent to periodically remove door panels, check vapour barriers and apply Dinitrol to the inside of the doors (being careful not to block drainage tubes.) Good chance to clean up window regulators and re-lubricate and to tighten nuts etc. Dinitrol comes with handy long applicators for the cans. However, treat the rust firstly. If you can see it on the outside there's a chance there is more on the inside of the door.

[runsgrateasanut]

Not keen on removing door panels myself, unless absolute necessity. 

The lazy man way is to inject along bottom drainage points and seal, always remembering that it should only be done after a heatwave when the door interior is thoroughly dry -   Oil on water etc.  Drive around and make a few sharp stops on an empty road to draw it along the complete door length, and then drain.