Drainage via rear wings..

[walt]

Hi folks, I am new to this site so please forgive me if this topic has been covered in depth already.. However, if it hasn't, I think it should be. Having owned a mk1 mr2, I know only too well how the water run off channeling behind wings and sills can be an absolute nightmare and I am shocked to find that they have done it again on the mk3. I have read about keeping your water run off tubes and vents clean on here, so I removed the air scoops to have a look just what goes on in there.. This also caused me to remove the inner wheel arch plastics... My goodness, there was so much mud and grit in there that there was no way that the water would flow as it should. Luckilly, the car we got has been garaged al its life and done really low mileage, so this mud will have been sat in there dry all these years.. However, when I did clear it all out and hose the inside clean, there was some rust on the sill where the wing meets it, not a lot, but the beginnings of what I reckon everyone is going to suffer and certainly, in the case of the mk1 mr2, it will be what see's them all off in the end if the pre cats don't see it off first.. I was undersealing and waxoyling at the time, so I have done the best I can to prevent it from getting worse. I poured plenty of waxoyl down from the side vent, then with a site light, warmed the wings so that the waxoyl melted and poured out of the gaps between the wing and sill, without blocking the area at the rear near to the wheel where the water should run out..

Why have Toyota done this?.. What would have been wrong with a continuation of the water run off tube, which ran all the way to the bottom corner of the wing, to exit out of the plastic in a way that would not get blocked by crud thrown from the wheels?.. Any other water could still get out, the only difference I can see is that the car would be a whole lot less likely to rot away in an area where we won't see it until its too late..

I think I might look into removing the vent flap thing and seeing if I can find any flexible water pipe to route the water away and out of the wing.. Has anyone done this yet?.. Has anyone else noticed their cars with any rust in this area?.. If so, what have you done about it?.. Is there a point of no return?.. Unchecked, could it become terminal or are sills and rear wings a doddle to replace?.. I have no idea?.. Please forgive my ramblings, I am new to the mk3..   s:D s:D

[steve-m-uk]

Hi Walt and welcome to the club   s:) s:)   the rear quarter panels on the mk3 unbolt so unlike the mk1 and mk2 are a DIY repair ,the sills however i'm not sure ,as the cars are still relatively new i've not seen a rusty one but i take on board what your saying that the trapped crud could well cause them to rot from the inside out and it's a wise precaution to do some preventative maintanance before things get terminal   s:) s:)

[walt]

Hi Steve, thanks for the reply.. When I say rust, it is only slightly visible when I looked for it and when I say looked for it, I mean taking the wheel off, removing the plastic inner arch and getting my head and a torch in there, because I am once bitten by the mk1 mr2.. I knew i would find evidence of future problems and i did, but its not bad by any stretch of the imagination. I just realised that by the time it was a problem, it would not only require new rear wings, but probably sills aswell.. I knew the rear wings were removable as there are enough people selling them on ebay, but what of the sills?.. Please forgive my ignorance on the roadster, only got my girlfriends car last week..   s:) s:)

[steve-m-uk]

I would imagine the sills are welded in place as per earlier mr2's , so the repair would follow similar lines. I will certainly be having a nosey in the wheel arches and cleaning any crud out once a year   s8) s8)

[walt]

Me too, I have undersealed and waxoyled as best I can so I am guessing that doing that every year will help massively.. The car is immaculate and if I hadn't looked so hard, I would have never found it which is why I have spoken up, because I don't reckon many people would have gone looking for it until it eventually showed itself.. So to anyone reading this, jack your car up, remove the back wheels and inner arch plastics and open up the inside of the rear wings and sills.. Even if all you do is clean them out, you will be better off for it. Its gotta be worth checking..   s:) s:)

[trevsmr2]

Heres a pic of mine when i looked

[walt]

Mine were even worse than that.. Now for all those who drive in winter and get them full of salt too, I think there could be some nasty shocks in store for some owners out there..   s:( s:(

The problem is that every time it rains, that lot gets wet and stays wet for days and days and the chances in this country that it rains again before it dries, means that is will probably stay constantly wet.. Add to that a bit of grit salt and its gonna be rust city..

[MattPerformance]

I agree that the build up of "crud" in this area is not helpful - I've seen many a LOT worse than trevmr2's too but I have never seen any rust on any cars in this area.  So whilst I think it would be a good move to pre-emptively give it a clear out, I.m not convinced it's the recipe for "rust city" that you might think.

[walt]

Well, in my opinion, given the amount of mud and grit that gets stuck there, the rust will start between the wing and the sill, at first you won't see it and just like in the mk1 (behind the upper front wings at the bulk head).. By the time you do find any, it's gonna be too late.. I would advise anyone who reads this to check and clean out this area, then keep tabs on it..

We humans are funny creatures, we only fit an alarm the day after we have been burgled, we shut the gate after the horse has bolted all the time.. Take a look at the pics.. Imagine your car full of salt and grit and sand, staying wet for weeks at a time.. It can't withstand it forever..   s:( s:(