A word of warning - Mk2 sill rust on its way for many....

[Rob]

Heads up everyone - go and check your cars.

Whilst having some suspension geometry work done recently I noticed that the area of curved double skinned bodywork at the front of the inner wheel arch of the rear wheels was looking a bit brown on the surface.

Those of you who know me will know that I have had the car for 9 years and that there aren't many cleaner Mk2's around. I pride myself on keeping it mint.

I decided to take a wire brush to the area in question so that I could put some waxoyl on it - expecting it to just be a very light corrosion on the surface. Whilst cleaning I noticed that the inner panel was a bit bouncy, so I did the screwdriver stabbing trick to check for the strength of the metal and it went straight through the inner skin. There was a lot of rusty powder sitting behind the hole which I have now removed.

The pictures attached show where I have cut out the rusty area back to strong metal surrounding it. The outer sill itself feels solid - it is just the inner lining that has gone, although the furthest rear bung hole was removed from under the skin and the inside of the arch looks questionable. The next bung hole further up was also removed and all looks fine there.

I am absolutely gutted - every time I wash my car I clean out the arch lips by hand to prevent any dirt build up and never expected this. Every year I get under the car to inspect and 12 months ago there was no warning at all - it looked perfect.

So a car with no visible signs of rust on the outside of the sills and that looks as tidy as this:



Can be hiding this:





I don't like the whole Ford / Vaukhall sill replacement method as the end with its straight angles looks all wrong to me. However, the end and outer skin of my sills are really strong and rot free, so I might be able to save the outer area.

I have had an email from Dynax saying their S50 cavity protrction sealant would encapsulate any rust inside and prevent further spread - it has been getting rave reviews in classics mags. I might try and get a camera into the sill and see if I can see what the reinforcement plates look like,.

Any help greatly appreciated - I am no welder :crybaby:

[raptor95GTS]

i can't see the pics in work but I know it's a serious concern on a few mk2's now mine included I've heard of POR-15, it's supposed to be great for treating metal work

[uglee]

Mine's the other way round. Fine inside the arch but rotten on the outer sill.I know it will be a lot worse once I get the outer sill off. It looked fine when i bought it 18 months ago, but is now looking dodgy.

This is an achilles heel for the Mk2 and a reason why a lot of them are broken for parts. Unless the car has been dried and spent every night in a dry garage from new I'm willing to bet 90% of Mk2's have similar issues hiding under the paint/underseal.

A capable bodyshop/restorers can roll sheet steel to match the profile of the Mk2 sill. Luckily I know someone who is a classic car restorer and mates rates for a good job will still mean £2-300. However this will be for full sill replacement along both sides as I'm sure dodgy metal won't be restricted to the rear of the sill.

I wonder how much it would cost at a bodyshop, and not for just a quick patch up job?

[cvega666]

I've paid 200 quid to have both sills patched up (welded, not filler) and painted over.

Quote for complete new sills was 300 / side.

[Charged]

Ruddy rusty mk2s!

Mk1s go in the same place bud, had both sides on mine welded now.

[Davezilla]

Times like these I'm happy I have side skirts to hide the wrong profile sills, as well as having a mate with a welder I can use lol
My rear ones are looking pretty bad, I'll send them in the MOT this summer and see what happens, but I imagine I'll be getting some ford KA sills and replacing the lot. Probably need to do the inner ones and all

[bolton]

uk cars are more of a problem id imagine!

[Rob]

uk cars are more of a problem id imagine!

Not necessarily - on the OC there is a '95 import that had sills so brown that they looked like chocolate.

Chances are the imports in general have been in drier conditions for longer so they are a better bet.

[Steve-O 2007]

Had mine MOT'd the other day (passed 4th time in a row since owning it ) and while it was in the air had a look under / poke around it and all was fine, they even commented on how new it looks considering its 17 years old

Mine was imported in 2006

[asdrewq]

It's the salt that gets them imo. I had this on my first mr2, a uk rev2. Had to scrap it it was so bad.

After fully inspecting my rev3 turbo to establish the rust hasnt got hold yet, I have now filled every cavity I can find around the rear arches with Dynax S-50. It is a wax that you can spray in with the supplied 'injection lance' to ensure it gets everywhere.

top tip - find some way to heat the metalwork up around the arch (a 2kw electric heater blasting at it would work) so that the Dynax will become less viscous and get all inbetween the weld seams/run down into the corners that you may miss.

Best areas to attack from are from behind the boot carpet (access to rear of wheel arch/top of arch), using the lance to inject directly into the sill from the drain plugs, and from inside the car - rear quarter panel behind seat.

POR-15 is excellent but is only a surface paint, albeit a very tough one, and painting it over this sill/arch rust will do nothing but hide the problem. Once you've established the metal is solid internally, wire brush all the crap off that you can in the wheel arch then coat the place with por-15/underseal.

I have been meaning to write a guide about doing all this.

Everyone who thinks their car is solid - I guarantee you it won't stay that way unless you take preventative measures or never drive in the rain.

[Rev5_GTS_Nick]

Hey,

Just had my MOT, and it failed with two 50p sized rust holes in the drivers sill. doesn't look too bad, but will get it "patched up".

I polished the car yesterday and noticed some bubbling around the windscreen, mostly around the top. I replaced a drivers door a couple of summers ago due to rust , but that was due to a blocked drain hole.

Mines a 98 rev 5 tubby. had it a while now, but can see it rusting away...

[Rob]

Hey,

Just had my MOT, and it failed with two 50p sized rust holes in the drivers sill. doesn't look too bad, but will get it "patched up".

I polished the car yesterday and noticed some bubbling around the windscreen, mostly around the top. I replaced a drivers door a couple of summers ago due to rust , but that was due to a blocked drain hole.

Mines a 98 rev 5 tubby. had it a while now, but can see it rusting away...

I feel for you mate - 5 years younger than mine and an import too. Just goes to show we all need to be paying way more attention to rot from now on.

I will definitely be Dynaxing the hell out of the cavities once I get the inner skin patched up......

[jasongtr]

with regards to the doors, as they rot due to the small holes being blocked can the holes not be enlarged (as long as the exposed metal is then protected) to make sure they are more difficult to then block again

the reason i ask is im about to get some very solid rev1 doors resprayed for my rev4 (as the drivers door is bad at the bottom) so i could make the holes bigger, treat them then when they are resprayed all will be good

what d'ya think

[uglee]

I think you're best off just making sure the existing drains stay clear every so often rather than enlarging the originals. Best leave the original protection alone rather than painting over any exposed metal.

Mine's a 97 Rev4 import and it is suffering. So I don't think imports get away with it at all. Most having been imported best part of 5-10 years ago. Mine was imported in 2002 so has seen plenty of winter weather and salt which maybe the UK ones are more protected against?
Although I couldn't see the difference any difference in levels of protection between an import and UK car. Willing to stand correted on that though.

It's an issue that is cropping up more and more often for owners now that they are getting pretty old and is maybe an emerging market for someone who has access to tooling that can fabricate Mk2 sills.

I know I'd pay for some

[Rob]

As I understood it we got underseal in the UK because of the salt put on the roads? Might be wrong.

Regarding the doors - it isn't just the drainage holes, it is the seam where the inner skin is joined to the outer skin that forms a tight V shape on the line of the drainage holses, so some residual moisture remains in the seam and rusts behind the hard mastic type seam sealer. Making the holes bigger surely won't hurt, but might not be the absolute solution......

I guess at the end of the days a 20 year life span for a large volume production car manufacturer is way beyond what would have been expected of them from the outset. Most in Japan have moved on to SW20's - it seems that we in the UK love older cars, but that means we get all of the problems to deal with too....

[Davezilla]

Sounds like its going to be the end of alot of MK2's when in reality its not all that bad is it.
MOT certificate comes with failure points, spend a week patching up the rust, make sure its protected so its good for a few years and carry on driving for another year. To be honest its not the end of the world, the best way to look at it is "If it fails the MOT today, I'll fix that S%&£ tomorrow"

[HighwayStar]

Agreed. Buy something newer and loose more in the depreciation. By the way don't forget rev1 doors will mean no side impact protection jasongtr. Had my sills done about 3 yrs ago for £250ish. Starting on one side again though.

[StevenstonWullie]

where exactly on the car are the pics taken? il give my a thorough check at the weekend btw i would recommend using acf 50 spray on box sections and around seams etc excellent product does what it says on the tin

http://www.acf-50.co.uk/

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ACF-50-ACF50-ANTI ... 1e5f2c821a

[Rob]

Like most of you I suspect, the MR2 is not a car that I will just patch up and carry on driving - I want the best for it so i want to nip this in the bud now and not let the car eat itself.

It is just a shame that up until now I thought the car was bullet proof and now I have lost that comfort.

As for the depreciation - I totally agree - but again, that is not why I drive the MR2 for fun at weekends. I could get something faster and more capable, but I don't want to as this little car has been a part of my life for nearly a decade, and I have made it my own with a massive list of modifications. It is still very rewarding to own.

The pictures are taken with my head inside the drivers wheel arch - looking towards the back end of the sill under the air intake.

The bung hole pic is under the sill just next to the air intake.

[greeny]

Ruddy rusty mk2s!

Mk1s go in the same place bud, had both sides on mine welded now.

Does this mean the end of the MKI rust jokes!