When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
Park it in the garage and only drive it in the summer on a dry day.
If you're driving it in snow with salt on the road, it's inevitable. Maybe invest in one of those under body pressure washer attachments. That can at least keep it minimized.
Needing to do this myself when I wrap up my rocker replacement. As I said in the other post, in my experience, avoid Eastwood products like the plague.
1. I thought SEM made an "Interior Frame Paint" but it appears you have to use their Custom Fill Aerosol Blank (calling local places tomorrow). Otherwise I'll probably get these https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Int...45244/10002/-1 Spray this inside enclosed cavities, such as the Rocker Panels under the doors and the "Frame Rails"
1.5 If you really want to do it up, you could add a layer of undercoating at this point but I've yet to find a solution that didn't involve an air compressor and a special spray gun.
I have found that the best way to keep vehicles from rusting is annual application of WoolWax or FluidFilm underneath and in all the cavities. I have been using this for 5 years on my 99 XJ, delivered pizza for 3 years in the salty spring slop and there is ZERO rust underneath now. I use the wands to hose down INSIDE my rockers and behind the rear tires. There are bags of expanding foam in those areas behind the rear wheels from the factory. You NEED to pull the plastic panels and REMOVE those bags ASAP. They hold salt and water.
My XJs metal isn't painted on the inside. I have the passenger door skin I use for my product shows. All Mother Mopar did was prime the inside areas of the sheetmetal. I make sure to coat those areas every fall. In fact, it's going in early next week so I can re-treat inside the frame, rockers and such.
FANTASTIC stuff. WoolWax doesnt have that wierd smell that FluidFilm has and it contains MORE lanolin.
How many winters does a XJ last with nothing but what was done at the factory?
mine is a 2000. Rear frame completely rotted out. Had to rebuild it. It saw salt at some time. Frame was/is rotting from the inside out.
How recent are car washes with under carriage washes?
My mechanical and corrosion experience come from my aviation background. AC are washed every so many Calendar days. Frequency increased based on environment. AC are sometimes ran through was racks upon return from flight prior to parking.
I’d run it through a car wash with undercarriage rinse weekly depending on how much you drive.
if you want to get crazy. Bolt some magnesium washers underneath on the frame to prevent rust. change them every winter.
anything you apply unless you prep the surface correctly is going to trap moisture and cause more rust.
wash the under carriage routinely and go about your business or park it in the garage.
Needing to do this myself when I wrap up my rocker replacement. As I said in the other post, in my experience, avoid Eastwood products like the plague.
1. I thought SEM made an "Interior Frame Paint" but it appears you have to use their Custom Fill Aerosol Blank (calling local places tomorrow). Otherwise I'll probably get these https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Int...45244/10002/-1 Spray this inside enclosed cavities, such as the Rocker Panels under the doors and the "Frame Rails"
1.5 If you really want to do it up, you could add a layer of undercoating at this point but I've yet to find a solution that didn't involve an air compressor and a special spray gun.
If anyone has any other ideas, please speak up... As I said, need to order these products soon myself.
Eastwood rust chemicals are a horror story. Their rust converter actually caused rust and had to removed from the market. I had two chassis I had to strip and redo. the converter bubbled the paint up. Horrible, I even got on the phone with their chemist as I ask to speak with their technical guy. I have a background in that field, and understood that they were clueless amateurs, that did no product testing. Furthermore that Eastwood chemist told me they were getting complaints about the same failures, the acid in their converter staying active and rusting the metal, as bad as salt water. To make matters worse, they kept selling it, knowing it was bad. It stayed in their catalogs that they send out a few times a year, but at a close out price. They were selling off the last of it, knowing it was bad. they must have had a big tank of it and it would be too expensive to to dispose of as a hazardous material, so they kept selling it. I even found complaints of this stuff on Eastwoods own customer feedback website forum. the Eastwood moderatoroften saying that it was an application problem, like it must be top coated immediately, or.......It was like they were making it up as the go. clueless . I ran several test strips, tried all kinds of techniques, there was no may to stop it from rusting the metal short of grinding or sanding it all off, it made deep pitting rust, like salt water or battery acid would do. horrible product, and their response was even worse. I wont buy anything from Eastwood, bunch crooks, they kept selling that crap. unbelievable
Why buy paints, coatings, the foundation of your repairs, why buy that stuff made by a discount mail order chinese imported tool mail order company. You can instead buy from a company like 3M, DuPont SEM, PPG, etc... companies that have spent billions on research, laboratories, armies of chemists, and testing facilities. They sell good tested stuff and have expert technical assistance on the phone.
As for rust free in the salted road states, forget it, your jeep will rust, even with rinsing, and wax coatings and such. Sure they help, but they do not negate the fact you are giving a 20 to 30 or so year old car a salt bath. It destroys every thing. Even the roof rack rails will get salt under them over the course of the winter, it will get on the inside too, under your carpets, under the fender flare mounts, your calipers, suspension, and it will run into the window trim, seep between the trim and the window frames.
When you drive in traffic on the highway, other cars throw up a fog of salt laden mist which will even coat the roof.
You can slow the process a tiny bit with cleaning and waxes and oils, maybe protecting the most visible rust prone areas, but who is going to clean under the roof rack rails, remove to clean under the rain gutter trim, pull the window trim, etc....
Also our XJs are known to flex a lot, or get dented and scraped under the chassis when wheeling, that can open up the sealers between the sheet metal joints that overlap. You got over lap in the frame where it is doubled sheet metal, or along the seam at the bottom of the rocker, etc... you get a tiny like crack in the seam sealer coating do to flexing or minor impacts and now you open up the double layer sheet metal or lap joint to suck in salt water by capillary action, good luck rinsing that hairline split seam out with fresh water, you wont! The salt seeps under bolt heads, into the threads, how you rinse that out? This damage may not show as a problem for years.
Buy yourself a cheapo beater winter salt car, and keep your jeep parked away from a salted road, remember the salt spray for of passing cars. Just drive an already rusted old beater for the salt season, that is the only way to avoid ruining your jeep. even just one exposure, even if rinsed the next day can cause a big
problem a few years later, the few grains equivalent of salt that got in the seam, under the window trim, will set up a electro chemical reaction that will rot holes right thru the metal You may not notice the problem until the rust bubbles the paint around the window trim a few years later, so you pull the trim and find a whole corner of the window frame area pin holed, so out comes the glass, just a shake worth of salt will do it.
I have seen what ocean water does to a boat trailer. we launch the boat, come back two hours later, retrieve the boat then immediately do an extremely good rinse, two hour expose to salt, then rinsed, no window nor rain gutter trim, nor sheet metal lap joints, the trailer is an easy thing to rinse, yet still we got rust.
Just park the jeep and drive an $800 old beater in the winter, turn the liability insurance off on the jeep while parked to save some money. Even a $5000 beater car is a money saver compared to what rust repairs might cost down the road. Drive an old dilapidated Toyota Camry, or an old beat up ice cream truck, or an old taxi. You NEED a cheap disposable car for salt. If not then you will drive an expensive disposable car for the salt.
Your choice, wreck the cheap beater, or wreck the nice XJ.
I am with diskman on this.
But I use Fluid Film. And he is right about the smell but it is gone in about a week.
Every October I power wash under the Jeep.
And go to town with Fluid Film. Use about a 1/2 gallon at a time.
But I own an air compressor and the Fluid Film gun kit so.....
To me Fluid Film is not a less is more thing. I gunk it good.
Every once in awhile I run the Jeep through the automated $5 wash bay. Do not spend the extra $1 for the underside.
Fluid Film will eventually wash off.
But there are some drawbacks to that. If you have to go under the Jeep and do some work it is just messy as hell.
Oh and every piece of crap on the road will stick to it.
In April I power wash it off. Cause that is when I am working on the Jeep so...
But you never really get it all off. I am betting there is still Fluid Film up in nooks and crannies of the Jeep from the first time I did it. LOL.
Also in April I spot Fluid Film.
For instance the parking brake set up. Bad design IMO exposed like that. So I keep that Fluid Filmed year round.
Fluid Film also seems to condition metal.
So I was doing some work up front when I first got the Jeep and noticed my diff, steering knuckles, and backing plates were a little rust red.
Nothing crazy. Figured in the Spring maybe I would do something about it.
Well April comes and I power wash off the Fluid Film and notice all those parts instead of being rust red are now more of a mud brown.
I left it alone.
Also my suspension used to squeak a little. The only time I noticed it was pulling in and out of my driveway.
So time goes on and one day I notice I don't hear the squeaking anymore.
Now I had been Fluid Filming for a couple years at this point.
My little theory is that the Fluid Film kinda took care of it. LOL.
Oh here is the fun part. So Fluid will burn off. What overspray you get on the exhaust and engine.
The very first time I did was at my friends house. I did not own the compressor and the gun kit yet.
So driving home I could see the trail of "smoke" behind me.
Stopped at a light where there was a hot dog stand. People still eating outside.
So the Jeep is still smoking and all these people are just looking at me.
Funny as hell.
Shot from when I let it burn off after doing it in my driveway.
This thread is a little overwhelming honestly! what idiot started it?!
I guess I now have a lot of work I didnt know I had to do. Thats good though, builds character, and I knew owning a car in the city was gonna take some sacrifice.
The whole concept is a little depressing really, kind of makes me think about the futility of life and such.
Owning this jeep is becoming a journey thats for sure!
Needing to do this myself when I wrap up my rocker replacement. As I said in the other post, in my experience, avoid Eastwood products like the plague.
1. I thought SEM made an "Interior Frame Paint" but it appears you have to use their Custom Fill Aerosol Blank (calling local places tomorrow). Otherwise I'll probably get these https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Int...45244/10002/-1 Spray this inside enclosed cavities, such as the Rocker Panels under the doors and the "Frame Rails"
1.5 If you really want to do it up, you could add a layer of undercoating at this point but I've yet to find a solution that didn't involve an air compressor and a special spray gun.
If anyone has any other ideas, please speak up... As I said, need to order these products soon myself.
I got some buying to do! Thanks for writing all this out Jim!
Its obvious to me now, but owning a car in the north east is similar to owning a boat.
Im surprised cars made for salted roads dont get some kind of special gelcoat or something...
ever use boeshield? https://boeshield.com/
How many winters does a XJ last with nothing but what was done at the factory?
mine is a 2000. Rear frame completely rotted out. Had to rebuild it. It saw salt at some time. Frame was/is rotting from the inside out.
How recent are car washes with under carriage washes?
My mechanical and corrosion experience come from my aviation background. AC are washed every so many Calendar days. Frequency increased based on environment. AC are sometimes ran through was racks upon return from flight prior to parking.
I’d run it through a car wash with undercarriage rinse weekly depending on how much you drive.
if you want to get crazy. Bolt some magnesium washers underneath on the frame to prevent rust. change them every winter.
anything you apply unless you prep the surface correctly is going to trap moisture and cause more rust.
wash the under carriage routinely and go about your business or park it in the garage.
Garages are 600ish a month in manhattan, Id pay more in parking than just buying an xj every year! I am surprised the magnesium washer idea isnt something thats stadard on cars like they are on sailboats... thats a good idea, thanks!
I am with diskman on this.
But I use Fluid Film. And he is right about the smell but it is gone in about a week.
Every October I power wash under the Jeep.
And go to town with Fluid Film. Use about a 1/2 gallon at a time.
But I own an air compressor and the Fluid Film gun kit so.....
To me Fluid Film is not a less is more thing. I gunk it good.
Every once in awhile I run the Jeep through the automated $5 wash bay. Do not spend the extra $1 for the underside.
Fluid Film will eventually wash off.
But there are some drawbacks to that. If you have to go under the Jeep and do some work it is just messy as hell.
Oh and every piece of crap on the road will stick to it.
In April I power wash it off. Cause that is when I am working on the Jeep so...
But you never really get it all off. I am betting there is still Fluid Film up in nooks and crannies of the Jeep from the first time I did it. LOL.
Also in April I spot Fluid Film.
For instance the parking brake set up. Bad design IMO exposed like that. So I keep that Fluid Filmed year round.
Fluid Film also seems to condition metal.
So I was doing some work up front when I first got the Jeep and noticed my diff, steering knuckles, and backing plates were a little rust red.
Nothing crazy. Figured in the Spring maybe I would do something about it.
Well April comes and I power wash off the Fluid Film and notice all those parts instead of being rust red are now more of a mud brown.
I left it alone.
Also my suspension used to squeak a little. The only time I noticed it was pulling in and out of my driveway.
So time goes on and one day I notice I don't hear the squeaking anymore.
Now I had been Fluid Filming for a couple years at this point.
My little theory is that the Fluid Film kinda took care of it. LOL.
Oh here is the fun part. So Fluid will burn off. What overspray you get on the exhaust and engine.
The very first time I did was at my friends house. I did not own the compressor and the gun kit yet.
So driving home I could see the trail of "smoke" behind me.
Stopped at a light where there was a hot dog stand. People still eating outside.
So the Jeep is still smoking and all these people are just looking at me.
Funny as hell.
Shot from when I let it burn off after doing it in my driveway.
Lol reminds me of those guys that would go around with smokey exhausts and smoke people out. I like those vents on your hood, do they let rain in? and is getting your engine wet a big deal?
Actually that is a little cheaper then I figured it might be.
I grew up in Manhattan. Uptown East Side between Park and Madison.
In the very early '70's I could have sworn I heard Grandfather tell my Father he was paying $400/month.
But that was for 2 cars and the conversation was taking place cause my Grandfather was thinking of selling them.
He hardly drove them and said who needs a car in NYC anyway. LOL.
Lol reminds me of those guys that would go around with smokey exhausts and smoke people out. I like those vents on your hood, do they let rain in? and is getting your engine wet a big deal?
Those are off the 1998 Grand Cherokee with the 5.9.
Only the one year and only with that engine.
Couple guys on here put them in and I liked the look so much that I stole the idea. LOL.
Google European Orvis XJ. Similar looking vents but I believe them to just be ghetto stick ons.
They do have drip trays but some water still gets in. But not even close to being a problem.
Here is what they look like when not on the Jeep.
Actually that is a little cheaper then I figured it might be.
I grew up in Manhattan. Uptown East Side between Park and Madison.
In the very early '70's I could have sworn I heard Grandfather tell my Father he was paying $400/month.
But that was for 2 cars and the conversation was taking place cause my Grandfather was thinking of selling them.
He hardly drove them and said who needs a car in NYC anyway. LOL.
Its true, you dont need a car here. I sold my Nissan Altima in 1999 when I moved here and havent had a car since. A lot of people who grew up in the city dont even have drivers licenses!
I usually just rent a car to go camping upstate or what not. But since the crazy, its now like 180 bucks a day for the tiny cheap rentals, and not being able to pack up and gtfo is scary... I was here for 9/11, the 2003 blackout, Hurricane Sandy, and the plandemic, its a great city til it goes crazy!
10-13-2021, 04:25 PM
How to stay rust free
