So, let's talk RUST
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 816
Likes: 1
From: Indianapolis, area
There was a recall for your truck that's no longer open. A butyl pad was placed on certain models, it ends up holding moisture, salt, etc and will rust through in no time.
Edit: after re reading, it sounds like this is not a butyl pad issue. I know the foam strip you're speaking of. I keep the entire when wells coated with bed liner. Also, when looking up from under the rear bumper, there's a little gap that I constantly spray out with the high pressure hose. It runs over the top of the inside of the wheel well and the water pores out the other side. I think that's an important trick.
When the recall was open, it involved the removal of that pad and the area was treated or the bedside was replaced.
If kept clean, the wheel wells on our generation will generally hold up for a long time. Excessive rust is usually caused by that pad, or never cleaning out the wheel wells.
I don't have a spec of rust anywhere inside or outside of mine and I drive in heavy salt and brine 6 months out of the year.
Edit: after re reading, it sounds like this is not a butyl pad issue. I know the foam strip you're speaking of. I keep the entire when wells coated with bed liner. Also, when looking up from under the rear bumper, there's a little gap that I constantly spray out with the high pressure hose. It runs over the top of the inside of the wheel well and the water pores out the other side. I think that's an important trick.
When the recall was open, it involved the removal of that pad and the area was treated or the bedside was replaced.
If kept clean, the wheel wells on our generation will generally hold up for a long time. Excessive rust is usually caused by that pad, or never cleaning out the wheel wells.
I don't have a spec of rust anywhere inside or outside of mine and I drive in heavy salt and brine 6 months out of the year.
Yeah it's not the pad on mine. The space between the inner and outer wells on mine is pretty clean, the truck hasn't seen much off the road action and when it has I have power hosed it pretty good. There is also no sign of rust anywhere on the inner wells so if I had an FX4 and up the fender flares would completely cover up the rust. A buddy of mine owns a body shop and said he has seen several like this but I have yet to see another one in person. My paint started to bubble in 2012 at only 7 years old
One good part about it is that I'm saving a bunch of time on not keeping the truck clean anymore. I use to wash it all the time and kept a good coat of wax on it. But since the rust started to peel the paint I figure there's no use now.
Here's a picture from last year. Now the metal is pretty pitted too.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 3,121
Likes: 4
From: Burlington, VT
Yeah it's not the pad on mine. The space between the inner and outer wells on mine is pretty clean, the truck hasn't seen much off the road action and when it has I have power hosed it pretty good. There is also no sign of rust anywhere on the inner wells so if I had an FX4 and up the fender flares would completely cover up the rust. A buddy of mine owns a body shop and said he has seen several like this but I have yet to see another one in person. My paint started to bubble in 2012 at only 7 years old
One good part about it is that I'm saving a bunch of time on not keeping the truck clean anymore. I use to wash it all the time and kept a good coat of wax on it. But since the rust started to peel the paint I figure there's no use now.
Here's a picture from last year. Now the metal is pretty pitted too.
One good part about it is that I'm saving a bunch of time on not keeping the truck clean anymore. I use to wash it all the time and kept a good coat of wax on it. But since the rust started to peel the paint I figure there's no use now.
Here's a picture from last year. Now the metal is pretty pitted too.
I'll go out and take a pic so others can see.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 3,121
Likes: 4
From: Burlington, VT
Rustoleum won't hold long for that. Por 15 or rust bullet would do a much better job. Still, not a perminent fix. You have to cut out the rust completely to fully stop the spread.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 3,121
Likes: 4
From: Burlington, VT
That's the area in speaking of. You really need to spray it out a lot. I believe the rust starts from the top side of the inner wheel well. That opening in the pic goes above the wheel well and exits the other side. I also flood that area with white litheum grease every fall. You can see the remnants of the grease all over the the inside of the rear lower bed panel.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 2,823
Likes: 15
From: Houston, TX
Just a quick question around this topic -- is the butyl pad visible from underneath the truck? I never received a recall notice from Ford, so I have always assumed it wasn't an issue for my truck? I took a peek under mine this morning and looked up into the bedside/tail light area and I don't see anything?
Of course, mine has never been driven in the rain, so maybe even if the pad was there it wouldn't really matter.....
Of course, mine has never been driven in the rain, so maybe even if the pad was there it wouldn't really matter.....
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 3,121
Likes: 4
From: Burlington, VT
Just a quick question around this topic -- is the butyl pad visible from underneath the truck? I never received a recall notice from Ford, so I have always assumed it wasn't an issue for my truck? I took a peek under mine this morning and looked up into the bedside/tail light area and I don't see anything?
Of course, mine has never been driven in the rain, so maybe even if the pad was there it wouldn't really matter.....
Of course, mine has never been driven in the rain, so maybe even if the pad was there it wouldn't really matter.....
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 10,731
Likes: 47
From: Concord, NC