Rust and The SW20

[Rob]

^ It is one of 4 potential rust areas on the MR2:

1/ As per this topic.

2/ Look in your boot under the carpet and down the sides where the bumper ventilators are - check the seam right at the bottom for rust.

Also check that the thin drain points in the seams at the bottom aren't blocked - you can stick a thin sliver of plastic / metal up from underneath the sides of the bumper as the drain point exists are visible.

3/ Check that the seam sealant where the door skins join the door frames hasn't failed - this will be quite evident. If not too advanced you can cut the sealant out, treat the metal and overpaint. You can even get replacement sealant.

4/ On Sunroof / T-top cars - check that the drain points aren't blocked by pouring water all over the roof and then look for water coming out of the vents behind the rear windows.

[Marlowe]

I'm unsure if this one has happened to others but I thought I'd just link up what I found when I ripped off the roof side weatherstrip and roof drip-tray on the driver side of my tin-top rev 2.

I have a very small amount of bubbling at the bottom of the a-pillar and decided to take it off to investigate:



Few quick points to note before anyone else gets worried:

-A previous owner appears to have had a full respray done on the car. The finish looks good and it does appear to have been sprayed under the mouldings, but the paint appears to have started to slightly peel where the drip tray met the trim, leading to the visible white line.
-The bottom of the drip tray was filled with black sludge. I think it's basically become clogged and started to seep down the paintwork, possibly under the gap in the paintwork.

While on this note, a previous owner had put a *lot* of clear silicone and black flexi mastic around where the rubber weatherstrip clips into the bodywork. Is it possible for someone to tell me from the next two photos of my 20 year old weather strip is perished and needs replacing?

[Marlowe]

Just finished the paint. Dear God, that was a pain in the ar$e to do without a machine polisher. Looks decent now though.

Stupid question but should my sill drain plugs be solid or have holes in the middle of the 'x' that allow for drainage? Ask mainly as I gave them a soft poke with cocktail stick and appear to be solid inside the x.

[Rob]

They are solid because they are bungs, not drains.

The drains are along the seam underneath the sill where the seam opens for 20mm. There are about 4 places where this happens along each sill. Stick a thin piece of metal sheet up them to check they are clear.

[Racer7]

They are solid because they are bungs, not drains.

The drains are along the seam underneath the sill where the seam opens for 20mm. There are about 4 places where this happens along each sill. Stick a thin piece of metal sheet up them to check they are clear.

I don't suppose you got a pic. I've just found some pretty bad rust on my drivers side and hoping it's not so bad.

[Rob]

Afraid not, pinch the seam between thumb and forefinger and run your hand along the seam. You will feel the drains.

[vishpish]

fixed with



I would definitely do it properly if the rust was structurally unsafe. Problem is I did 4 years ago but the rust came back and I just can't justify wasting money on it. So long as theres no holes/sharp edges/bits missing, as far as I know, they won't fail you.

[Rob]

If its that bad on the outside then your internal sills will be in a right state I would bet

[vishpish]

Nah the reason the rust reappeared is because I stupidly tried to jack on the sills years ago and they just caved in.

No way you could get away with alu mesh unless the cancer is minor.

[David]

I just put my Rev1 MR2 through the Irish NCT (MOT) and it will require underbody welding, which is a bit of a shock as I had not noticed any rust at all prior to this.

Apparently where the anti-roll bars meet the underbody of the car there are some holes/corrosion. Is this a common place to get rust problems and can it be easily rectified?

[Rob]

It is common on Rev1's i believe.....