Rust - Should I be concerned?

[eoliva]

Hey guys. I am fairly new here - Great forum. I bought a 1998 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4 last week. 133k miles and great interior. I was pretty excited! UNTIL i started reading about rust...

I live in Oklahoma and down south here we don't think too much about inspecting rust from road conditions. The Explorer came from Wisconsin.

I have taken some pictures and my question is should I be concerned about rust or is it pretty standard on these vehicles? I have done a lot of reading here and other places and it seems like rust is typical for these type of vehicles (especially for an older vehicle) but I wanted some input directly - I guess more for piece of mind than anything because I have been kind of down about it since I bought it - after reading all about rust being the "Cancer of cars" =/ .

There are only a couple of small rust bubbles on the body (which I don't care a lot about cosmetically because I wanted a rugged truck that I wouldn't have to pamper and baby - I have how) but I am more worried about rust on the undercarriage and frame.

I would like to do some things to it such as replacing the shocks, replacing the exhaust piping / muffler (has a leak) and other things to have it running it top shape but am worried about putting money into the vehicle if everything will just rust away. It fires right up and engine and tranny are strong. I just hope I didn't buy a ticking time bomb. Anyways thanks for listening to my concerns

Pics: - sorry if some of the pics are kind of hard to see. I just aimed my camera under the truck and started shooting away.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Nah- that's not really major. Look under the rear door on the rocker panel behind the plastic trim, and run your hand behind it. If you're not rusted away back there, you're good for a long time... Much worse up here!

 

[sabasigh]

Lol...'bout like my X.

Even my Rust has rust....

 

[eoliva]

Just would like to know it has atleast 3 or so years left. I really only bought it for something to romp around in the winter snow with so I can garage my car but the more I see it the more i actually like it and want it to last. It really is a good looking truck.

The spare wheel is almost unusable it has too much rust. I wouldn't trust it.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Oh yeah- you might get some rust popping through on the rockers after a couple of years, but the truck most certainly isn't unsafe to drive. That would be a low-rust clean truck up here... Probably sell for $3,200-$3,500 in Michigan.

Only think I would look at would be the step bars, they look like they're ready to rust through where the bar meets the bracket. I'd ditch those, and maybe pull the plastic trim off in front of the rocker panels behind the bars and toss some rust inhibitor on there for insurance. The rest looks ok.

 

[Glen4X4]

That's a good lookin ex, like said before if the rockers aren't rusted away behind the plastic and the frame is still solid then your good to go for awhile. Nothing I would lose sleep over

 

[bobflood]

Makes me glad once again that I live in the South!! I have recently done ball joints, shocks and differential fluid and did not have to fight a single rusted bolt.

 

[eoliva]

Ya we'll see when I get some time to tear into the vehicle how much of a hassle those rusted bolts are.

Good mention on the nerf bars Joe. They do have some rust where they mount to the frame but it's not too bad. There aren't any holes or rot. I am not sure if this is "normal" or not but they to have some give to them when you step on them to enter the truck (talking about perhaps 1/2" give). What I would like to do on those is sand off the current rust and hit those areas with some rustoleum (or other rust treatment preventer) and then with some black paint on those areas.

BTW I saw your post on removing the rust stains from the rear window buttons. Definitely a great post. Going to do that on mine and repaint them!

 

[BornintoFord]

Wish my Ex was that clean down below..When I pulled my rear discs off to do the brakes all the hardware from the parking brake fell on the floor ...lol

 

[sabasigh]

I am not sure if this is "normal" or not but they to have some give to them when you step on them to enter the truck (talking about perhaps 1/2" give). What I would like to do on those is sand off the current rust and hit those areas with some rustoleum (or other rust treatment preventer) and then with some black paint on those areas.

My nerf bars were in really bad shape. Made the whole vehicle look like a rust bucket even though there wasn't any rust on the body panels.

I took them off...the mounting hardware was rusted pretty tight. However to answer your question, I don't believe mine had any give....even with my lard butt stepping on them.

 

[eoliva]

Wish my Ex was that clean down below..When I pulled my rear discs off to do the brakes all the hardware from the parking brake fell on the floor ...lol

Well that certainly makes me feel better haha. : Has yours been up north it's whole life?

As far as behind the rocker panels I took out the screw behind the rear wheel and kind of pulled it back and did not see anything under the plastic. However I did see some clamps and I didn't pull it all of the way off. I guess there are probably more screws underneath I would have to unscrew to take those off and inspect. There is a bit of rust underneath the doors on the inner part but nothing major. May be worth sanding down and quick painting for future protection though. Can try to snap some shots of it if I get some free time from work.

Another kind of unrelated question - I will be looking for a floor jack next week and a pair of jack stands (it's about time I invest in some good garage tools). Any recommendations as to what weight rating I need in a floor jack and also jack stands? Would a 2 ton floor jack work? Is there a certain length I need to jack up this higher vehicle? Stock jack is missing from cargo bin so I am going to have to get a jack.

 

[Rudy602]

Over the years, I've tried a lot of things to keep the rust at bay but the simplest and most effective [although temporary] is to use a cheap bristle brush to "paint" a thin coat of oil that I've drained out after a change. I also put some in a small hand pumped oil "squirter" that can reach some tight spots. I park on a tarp with some newspapers to catch the drips overnight. It's not a cure, but it makes a real difference.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Yeah, I was looking more at where the bar is welded to the bracket that then bolts to the truck. If you've got 1/2" of deflection, they are probably weakened, and might be worth taking off so they don't snap when someone is getting in. Linseed oil also works well for spraying the underside for rust prevention.

The rockers like to go- and fast. Nothing was visible on my old Ex:

...but this was the side with the least damage once I pulled the running boards off, they cover the same trim that you plastic trim covers:

For good stop-rust stuff, you'll be best off with POR-15 or something similar. Rust-Oleum (at least up here) only seems to stop rust for about 1-2 months before the brown starts creeping through again.

 

[robertoa1a]

Its a 15 y/o truck. In 15 more years you can restore it for a few K. No the rust isn't bad.

 

[eoliva]

Joe,

Do you think if I sanded down the areas on the nerf bars that have the surface rust and paint it I will be ok? I was reading about standing to get rid of the rust and paint to protect future occurrences. The need bars really give the truck a slick look so I would like to preserve them if possible. They also help get me higher when getting in so less wear and tear on the seat due to sliding

 

[eoliva]

Also as far as buying a floor jack will a standard 2 ton work or do I have to have a certain length to jack it up and work on the vehicle. As stated earlier I am missing the stock bottle jack.

 

[Rudy602]

A two ton floor jack will lift your ex. If you need more height, shim it.

 

[eoliva]

Ok cool. Thanks for all the responses guys. The past week I have been sitting bored at work and watching youtube videos and reading a ton of stuff on the forums. I have learned so much! This forum / community are excellent!!

 

[corkey]

you're life could be worse ,,m wanna deal with my rust from up here, , ask the guys that helped me out,,
it was a mess under my rig, but we didn't even break any of the bolts in my lift,,

 

[corkey]

that white stuff hanging off everything is road salt,,it's ugly ,, and that was early in December,,not even much snow on the ground yet,,