2000 Toyota 4Runner Frame Rot Repair - Welded
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- A video providing food for thought on how one might go about repairing the rotted frame of a 2000 4Runner, Gen3.
After replacing all 4 of the brakes, front struts, springs, brake master cylinder, headlights, wind shield, and most costly a new crated transmission, the frame gave way. In general I had a choice of fixing the frame, or sending a relatively good (and now expensive) truck to the junk yard. . . I took the option of doing what I can to keep it on the road.
As stated in the video, this is NOT a welding tutorial. Matter of fact, I do not know how to weld. It's basically learn as I go. The metal I used is WAY over-kill. I likely added 80 pounds of steel to my ride when said and done (both sides). So I do invite constructive feedback that will help the community as a whole; telling me that my welding stinks will not provide any value.
Last note I will make. If you have a 4Runner north of 150k miles and have not changed the radiator yet, park it, and buy yourself a radiator NOW. The tranny cooler will brake in the radiator causing fluids to mix, and you WILL lose your tranny regardless of how many times you flush it (I did 6 times!). Radiator = $125. Tranny+Radiator=$3450
I hope this video helps, I thought it was about time I give back to all of those that helped me with this 4Runner.
I can't help but notice it doesn't look like you cleaned the frame before welding the patches on.
Dude is patching frame completely rusted form front to end? Well will never buy a car before checking frame, or subframe befor.
You say you aren't a welder which I understand, but... to anyone watching this, if you use this video as guidance, PLEASE grind down the base metal on the frame to shiny metal before you weld. Welding over rust and rot does nothing but make it look like you reinforced the frame. There is little to no assurance that good solid fusion is occurring to good base metal. Rotted metal simply disintegrates when welding so you may think you're welding two pieces together but the result can be simply cosmetic covering of a huge problem. Proper welding technique and heat input on good sound metal is the only way to get good metal fusion. In addition, welding over paint or powder coating further contaminates the weld metal compromising its integrity.
This frame in my opinion, was way past salvageable. Especially, where main suspension components attach. If a repair were attempted on such a critical part of the vehicle, a professional welder with a sense of structural reinforcement knowledge should be employed, but I fear a welder of that skill level would pass on this job. This is not a safe repair. I don't mean this to be criticism of your decisions, I just want to share with folks that may want to do the same in this safety critical part of a vehicle.
There is sound structural welding, and there is cosmetic covering up of rotten steel welding that doesn't do much, if anything, structurally. I myself have a 1997 4Runner with issues not as bad as this and I am curently on the fence as to repair or plan its funeral. Its a shame because I have had it for 15 years and it is genuinely one of the best vehicles I have ever had, and I've had a lot. Best of luck with your truck tho, stay safe and please be careful.
+Steve K Thanks for the feedback Steve - no criticism taken, it's great public forum content. Although I can't speak to your thoughts they sound reasonable enough and truth be told, I had a welder pass on it. Didn't go into detail, but didn't want to take the liability of welding a rusted auto frame. Maybe for some of the same reasons you expressed.For me, it's a third vehicle, and one that only sees the light of day when the snow is piled high; that seems to be where it shines. With a little luck, I will get enough safe driving out of it before she needs to be laid to rest for good.
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@@TheJbird5 there's no way a welder said that was good. Those welds were horrible for something so crucial. Just being honest man. Something that goes down the highway is held to a higher standard. There was way too fast of travel speed, Downhill when you could have went uphill and tons of lack of fusion and overlap. Not o mention that frame looked beyond it's time.
@@jwill9877 He said he "had a welder pass on it," which I took to mean he took it to a professional welder for repair, but the professional welder refused to repair it, so he did it himself.
@@JonathanSias I see. He should have asked him for some welding tips and then asked a body shop how they repair frames. They stagger plate steal so they don't cause stress points at the end of the new steal to frame. It spreads the load.
your just welding gd metal to rust you need to cut out and treat it just gunna keep rustin
Nice job. How about an update, it's been 3 1/2 years. How did your frame hold up?
You fool person
Real Rick Harrison you dick face.
I agree , I hate haters lol
Thing is no it didn’t hold....if you don’t cut the cancer it comes right back. And there’s companies that make the fix he needed. On top of that.....???? MIG? And you’re not an experienced welder omg wow guy a lot of work for nothing
Disagree , the vehicle is worth only so much ? Many people crush them ..... I say never judge someone who is practical
And honest and does what they can do to prolong the use of an otherwise , great vehicle 🚗
1/8" steel would been plenty strong and much easier to work with.
I agree, the only advantage I seemed to have with the 1/4 inch was being able to grind down the thickness in some cases to get the pieces to better fit over non-flat surfaces. Plus, not being a welder, I appreciated the extra metal on the edge to weld on to.
Dude, you got balls to take on this welding job! Way to go man! Do it yourself and build on every experience and show others that it's possible. The thickness of your material obviously over compensates for any possible weakness in the factory rusted sheet metal. Good job on the por15 Paint job.Thanks for the video!
Wow, that's even worse than what we see in New England. Fluid Film is a good way to go in keeping those frames from rusting out.
I'm pretty sure Toyota designed the frame like this on purpose. I mean if the engines can go for 300k, they need to make their profit. So either they make junk engines that last 150k, and ruin their reputation, or design crappy frames that would only rust away in states that use road salt, so they still hold their reliability reputation in the non-road salt states, and make their money at the same time.
makes sense actually....what do you think about bmw mercedes & audi
So, the solution to that is to just simply undercoat it yearly. That's what I do and my Toyota frame is rust free and I live in Atlantic Canada.
bmwmsport11 I’m pretty sure Toyota would replace that for free
HI. Great video, thanks. Any idea how i can fix the rear top round-shaped shock housing? It gutted and there is no holding place for the shock nut. TIA.
w/o getting rid of the existing rust, this repair is a waste of time.
+Boomer Po i was gonna say the exact same thing why go thru all that work and not cut out the rust that is a really poor job sorry to say but waste of effort its like having severe cancer and not cutting out the tummer b4 starting kemo
+Boomer Po To me, it looked like if he cut of the rust, there wouldn't have been anything left. Maybe sand blast it? But even with that, these frames rust from the inside out, so it's only a time buyer anyway.
Rust doesn't spread, moisture causes rust.
Jeremy Wood the entire section would have to be cut off then replaced and welded.
If he gets a couple years out of it it was well worth the time and money to do what he did . I'll bet it's still good and solid now almost 3 years later . Nice job . TheReaper!
That frame needs to be replaced,badly.Thats just the rust you can see.Guaranteed there is twice as much you can't see.That frame will fold up right at that spring hanger.If that happens when you hit a dip in the road at 60 mph,you are probably dead.
Should you consider drilling in weep holes on the underside of new structural steel to let out and water before it starts to root again?
Impressive work/job and the best results I can find, food for thought, yes it certainly is. I have a bit of a frame issue here , I have tackled and work in progress. Yours is an inspiration of what can be achieved, mine is a lot less to do, thankfully because I'am just getting into welding, bought a cheap 200 dollar mig flux cored wire feed so hope to catch on and fix the problem. Thanks Man for sharing your work. Regards.
drill some drain holes man, otherwise she will just rot out somehwere else! about to tackle my 2000 4runners frame next weekend, except with 1/8th inch steel and cutting out the rot. hows ur welds holding together now?
+Mazzman I have used it 50% as a daily driver, and 50% parked. It tends to be my 'snow' car so she doesn't get much road time in the summer. Since the repair I have found no issues w/ the welds. I have gone around them w/ a poker, work light, and even a mirror and they seem to be fine from everything I can tell. How did your 1/8" steel turn out?
great, i just finished por 15ing it last weekend, but unfortunately i found another soft spot on the drivers side...one more project to get done before winter..
That should have went to the scrap yard. When you have a failure and if you’re the cause of an accident the insurance and lawyers are gonna take you for all you got and more.
lots of If's there
I am going to start next week on my 2000 4 runner 415,000 miles I will take pics I am a electrician lbew 716 I have minimal welding skills. I am ordering a new combo rig from eastwood and giving it a shot.
Go for it! It was a fun and rewarding project. But admittedly it was WEEKS of work for both sides.
Don't forget to spray the Frame with Oil inside and out!
You really should have cut out the rot before the patch smh
Are you still driving this?
Body shops don't want to touch "old" rusty vehicles like this due to liability anyhow. Oil injection into the inner cavities is the only thing that prevents this. Chain saw Bar and Chain oil works well because it stays tacky and doesn't drip and it keeps self-healing itself and wicks itself into all of the seams. One application of oil into the frame rails when the vehicle was new would have prevented this.
That frame is rusted beyond any safe repair. It has obviously been driven on salted roads for some time. Another frame that is not rusted is the only way to fix it, but that would also be pointless if you intend to continue driving on salted roads. My guess is the floor pans and maybe the bed are also rusted through, along with the rocker panels, fenders, and bumpers, even if it isn't visible yes. It is nothing but an exercise in futility trying to keep a vehicle on the road for more than a few years in salt states.
Excellent. You do a great job of showing an ordinary person that our 4Runners can be saved. Much better that you're not a pro welder. I will now go weld up the frame on my 1999 4Runner, with 210k and everything else beautiful
This doesn’t have trouble passing inspection?
Sell it on Craigslist!
no rust. ran when parked. cherry
Don’t tell Scotty kilmer
Thank you for this video. I have a 1973 Corolla with frame rust/cancer on the driver's side forward of the cross member. I no longer fear repairing it. You did what you had to do and I applaud you.
As a guy whose repaired many rotted frames, i never use steel that is thicker than the original material. Overkill just makes penetration into the original frame much less effective, and harder to form. Always make a pattern from thn cardboard.
Coat everything in POR-15
I'd round off the corners/hard edges where the steel meets one another. If you ever hit your elbow or knee off the edge of it you will find out why I said that :)
FORD EXPLORERS ARE ALL GONE FROM THAT YEAR ,RUSTY TOYOTA STILL DRIVES
Nice job but you should have atleast cleaned up the old rust before layering it. It would probably last a little bit longer too with a good undercoat just food for thought. But looks pretty decent for a quick job.
Unbelievable, that 4 runner looks so nice outside too, probably the interior is nice too. I cannot believe that Toyota refused to cover the 4Runner!! Toyota's vendors must be using recycled swing sets and Campbell's soup cans to make these frames, they are absolute garbage!! 8 year old repair, it's probably either junk again or you sold the truck... People who try to do this don't realize how hard this is to do on your back, if you don't have a car lift, this is not an easy nor a fun task. And to do it right takes many many hours; avoid that Safe -T -Cap stuff, all it does is cover the rust, trapping moisture in between. Chop out the rust and replace it, no exceptions...
This is the nightmare you deal with driving on Minnesota roads in the winter and the salt they use on the roads. I have very similar frame rot on my mazda b2200 to repair.
Damn, I thought my F150 project was bad. I feel more confident now. Not sure I would trust that on the highway though.
My God... don't drive that . You don't know how terrible, horrible that is. It extremely dangerous . You should have swaped out the frame .
You did a lot of work on your frame. I know it would have been easier to have the room to work if the body was out of the way. Hope it stays together for you.
Man that’s a good job wish u can weld my 2006 Toyota sequioa only got 158,000 miles engine strong but rust just like that one at leaf spring
See, the real issue in the long run is rust rott from the top down that will eat from the inside. This is the history of tube vs. c-channel .. butr God bless... hope this fucker is running today and is 400K into your journey.
Steve K said it best and theres not much I can add. I am a hobbiest and have done several full restorations but this is of course something more. I believe this frame was beyond repair. I would and am using Saf T Cap frame caps on a friends 4Runner right now. I'm not a highly experienced welder but, I know how to make sure I have full weld penetration. It just takes me much longer then a pro. Otherwise, I applauded this guy for his efforts but again, should have used Saf T Caps as well they make those suspension frame connectors and you should have replaced them, they simply had to much rot
What are safety cap
if you have a decent air compressor a HF needle scaler saves a lot of time removing rust.
+ss96impala1 Great tip, I never knew of one. I'll check it out.
Dude the car lasted over 15 years the companies not evil for not fixing it for you after 15 years
Seen your video I have a 2006 Toyota sequoia my frame has cancer too . My track bar mount has come completely off looking for ways to fix mine . Thank you for the help.
Pidgeon shit welds🥴who cares, it’s ready for the boneyard anyway. If you always do a shitty job on things that don’t matter, how are you ever going to be able to do an excellent job on something that does???
Never understood why companies made square tube frames they should known they were moisture mud traps
How long did this fix hold? about to embark on this welding job.
You can add 100lbs of steel but where I live, it’ll never pass ‘safety’ inspection.
Doesnt cut out the rusted out areas,doesnt clean up the area too be welded ,that fix eill last about a 2 days max.
I might be welding some patches myself soon. I hope to use an everlast pulse mig welder. Should make thin metal welding much faster. BTW you really should make sure all of the existing rust is removed before attempting a repair. My two cents.
As a welder, all i can saw is wow!. That is anything but safe. The frame was basically engineered to fail, notice the lack of rust on the floor pan. I find it funny how everyone went after vw for emissions when toyota has been building these unsafe rust buckets for decades and continues to do so. Toyota trucks are designed to fail after about 10 years both structurally and mechanically. Selling trucks and cars behind this facade of quality. Owned a tacoma once took a beating on it and never again, bought a domestic after that.
How's the frame holding up ?
If you weren't burning through paint it might be better. Prep that painted steel bro
Wow I thought the rust I have going on my 04 Sequoia was bad 😮
Bloody hell! If my car was this bad I would do a body off restauration.
Lol
wow I thought my frame was fuked thanks for making me feel 100 times better.
lol ya what u said
This was helpful. I'm currently undertaking a major frame and floor job on a Honda CRX.
excellent. I will be scheduling an estimate for my 2000 taco
toyotas have good transmissions and engines but frames are shit
Quit givingg your money to China, buy American cuz
Wow 😳 I was sad when I saw a small 1in rusted through spot on the muffler side of my 4runner frame, looks like ill be pumping oil down each side of the frame rails every once in a while. And using lots of fluid film so it doesn’t get worse
Spay the hell out of the frame with old engine oil, inside and out.2 times a year.
People just don't understand how well oil works to prevent rust like this. "I don't want an oily mess under my vehicle"..... whatever.... (OK, enjoy your frame rot in a few years) Chain saw Bar and chain oil works great and just attracts a light film of oily dust over time and it keeps healing itself as it wicks into body seams. Simple, cheap and effective.
Fluid film makes a sprayer with an internal frame nozzle works great
Can't this potentially cause the vehicle to catch fire and create a hazard?
hhova29 not usually, oil doesn’t burn like a volatile substance and a thin coating on the frame and any rust spots won’t pose any risk in most cases
so true, i apply oil through out chassis every 10000 km(3-4 times year). My Hilux is 21 years old but chassis is as pure as stock.
seeing your frame makes me feel good about mine lol
Whats the name of the mount hanging
It’s call rust proofing daaaah 🤮
They make a repair kit for this kind of problem, you should have look that up before u put a lot of time into this.
Those repair parts, are far from inexpensive. I measure, make patterns, clean the existing material, fit. and buzz it up.
That looks like hell and shitty welds
Great video! I have rot on my k1500 and this helped me alot. Keep up the good work
Go MN - the Chevy dealer would not TOUCH their GM service bulletin on how to treat frame rust. haha
man. . . I'd hate to live in that state.
You have no business welding on a frame if you are not qualified. But if you were qualified, you wouldn't be welding on the frame. Hopefully, this doesn't break when you are on the highway and you kill someone innocent out there or yourself. Best repair in this case would have been replacing the frame or towing the 4Runner to the wrecking yard. Would have looked better crushed into a cube.
SHAME TOYOTA SHAME!!!
Who did your welding? OH YOU did it yourself? cool
Great job! Appreciate the vid.
The good, the bad and the ugly FYI
Toyota has reached an agreement in a class action suit brought by U.S. owners of several truck models over the issue of frame rust protection, Reuters reports. The automaker is expected to reach a formal settlement worth up to $3.4 billion with owners of;
Toyota Tacoma, Tundra, and Sequoia trucks that are claimed to have received inadequate rust protection, which in turn could lead to corrosion significant enough to affect the trucks' structural integrity, according to the class action suit.;
The settlement program will affect 2007-08 Toyota Tundra and 2005-10 Tacoma pickup trucks along with 2005-08 Sequoia SUVs, with the total figure derived from the estimated cost of frame inspections and replacements for over 1.5 million total trucks.
The frame replacements are estimated to cost $15,000 each, which adds up to $3.375 billion, while the cost of inspections for the affected trucks is expected to add another $90 million, at $60 per truck, according to lawyers representing the class of plaintiffs.;
Read more: autoweek.com/article/recalls/toyota-will-settle-truck-frame-rust-suit-suit-34-billion#ixzz5ZERNBhc3
I have a 99 4runner. Same thing just happened. Too bad it was a nice. Had the truck for 6 months and now this. Stuck here in NY on contract and the contract ends in 2 days.
TOYOTA HASN'T MADE A TACOMA FRAME YOU COULD TRUST FOR 22 YEARS. FROM 1995 THRU 2017. HOW DO I KNOW THIS AS FACT? BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE YEARS THEY'VE OFFERED TO EITHER BUY THE TRUCKS BACK OR PUT NEW FRAMES UNDER THEM OR SPRAY THE FRAMES. THANKS, SO CALLED LEGENDARY TOYOTA QUALITY CONTROL, AND THANKS DANA CORPORATION. THANKS FOR RUINING A GREAT TRUCK FOR 22 YEARS.
Put the fkn welder down.
Gotta love this UA-cam quality, for the love of god cut the rot out next time and paint prep the frame. You literally wasted your time, but you will figure that our down the road.
If that passed inspection the guy should be fired.
Hey buddy it’s been 6 years. How is the frame holding up? I am a new owner of sequoia which never got its frame replaced because previous owner was just lazy. Driver side of frame is pretty bad (about 4 inches hollow rust). Trying to see if it’s worth trying to save it
Buy a Ford next time. LMFAO!!!!! I own a Ford PU and a Tacoma PU. Guess which one has been virtually trouble free and which one I've had to replace virtually every front of the engine device including water pump, alternator, power steering pump, air compressor pump, and had the transmission rebuilt, fuel pump, new gas tank, and on and on and on and on. Yep, the hell with Toyota - buy a Ford. Or buy a Chev that's rustier than your truck. BTW, the Tacoma has almost 300K on it and the Ford 164K.
Yeah that's really bad, I'm sorry you had to do that. Idk when you bought this runner, this isn't pertaining to you, but remember guys. Buying a used toyota or any other truck these days, it isn't all about what's inside the cab. Get on the ground and examine the drivetrain, even the engine bay. Even a new toyota, chevy, whatever. That's the real heart of the vehicle, none of those fancy gadgets matter, especially when you are paying thousands of dollars. I know someone who bought an fj cruiser and it was already rusting on the control arms, needless to say they took it back when i mentioned it to em and they got a newer Tacoma. Just be careful, especially when you are in the Midwest.
most of these frame I see are much worse than mine... clearly there is some defect.. they rot from the inside out and around every weld, but i have lots of paint on the outside of my frame still. you dont see other frames of this age rotting through like this. most of my body is good, just rocker corners and above rear wheels. i think its a vehicle worth saving but i got in over my head.. i heard about the ball joints, i heard about the pink milkshake... nobody said the frames rot.. they should have mentioned that..
It’s a shame that they would not stand behind their product, obviously a rusted frame is not something a that the consumer could be blamed for it’s their crappy metal they purchased
Hey I see what ur doing but the rust u covered is just gonna come back to bite u in ur ass , not sure how long it’s gonna take but it’s gonna . Sorry but those bugger welds are hideous but like they that’ll hold!! Lol
It makes me wonder just where in the world did they get the steel to make those frames in the first place. I have welded on steel from a third world country and while welding along the steel just fell away with a big void like there was dirt there instead of steel. And this was new sheet steel. My frame isn’t as bad as yours so I’m gonna add some angle iron on to the frame. Giving back some strength to the frame. Hoping it never brakes in half like I’ve seen in some of the videos I’ve watched.
My 06 failed for the frame recall. I had wire brushed it and sealed it. I was happy it did I now have half a new truck. 15k worth of parts not just the frame. My 84 gmc 3500 has the orig frame and has no rot. In the 2 years I've owned it I have taken measures to keep it that way
anyone considering this, make sure you run a flap disc over the areas to be welded. You'll get a much better weld. Also, can rotabroach cut a few holes in the side of the new metal, allowing circular welds to the frame and other overlapping areas. Keep an air nozzle, fire extinguisher or hose ready. Undercoating on vehicles likes to catch fire when you're welding. Not fun.
No car company is going to make one that lasts. A truck at 80grand you can only keep 3yrs tops, at that it's 48grand and you have to sell it for 32grand to break even. Buying an 05 duramax at 24000, That truck is to late. A 4year old truck is junk, 10year old truck is scrap
You may never buy another Toyota because of their ahem , customer service but by the look of things you'll keep this machine running forever! Nice job! 👍
Good on you for saving it! It might not be a "good as new" repair but it should buy you a good bit of time, especially if you get some rustproofing going on inside the frame rail. I retired a Pathfinder recently for rot that wasn't nearly as bad as yours--the more I looked, the more I found, and I found another one with a solid frame that I wouldn't be afraid to tow with. The Pathies rot out the same way your Yota did, the rails fill with dirt, the dirt clogs the drain holes and absorbs moisture, the moisture (and road salt) eat through the metal from the inside out.
If you’re happy with 4 more years... but it wouldn’t have killed you to wire wheel some rust first:) but, I’m not a hater, you fixed a problem that never should have existed...
Is it worth it? The thing is 20 years old and worthless. I admire your efforts but that looks like a death trap job. I would be scared to drive that - it has had its day. Is it even legal?
Toyota are junk! Toyota frame rust because its a closed frame,dirt and water find their way inside,get trapped and humidity do the rest,rust start and eat the frame. My old 1977 chev truck frame is still very strong,thanks to the open frame rail design, even if was neglected before i get the truck.
were abouts are u locatd cause thats a lota rusty frame most channles have no rust so you must be on my side th eworld close to canada maybe we love salt around my knedck the woods
my 4runner is in need of repairs but nothing likt that but still bad i got it mostly done pain in the ars
I have watched some many videos of people trying to save a rusted frame, as an autobody and paint guy for over 30 years I would never ride or drive in any one of these vehicles after the frame was fixed. I had to take classes to learn how to splice in a new piece of frame the correct way, with these vehicles having crush zones for the frame to fold up when in an accident so the people in the vehicles are safer.
I have seen people weld right over these crush zones making the vehicles a death trap now. You should just hunt down a used frame from the south in the long run is safer and cheaper to just replace it.
There's absolutely NOTHING wrong with this repair if it holds well... and it will. Your comment is just you trying to show how smart and special you are.
most of the time underneath your car, you maintain it.put something that won't rust.i live Rockland New York.zero rust,of my 2001 4runner and 1996 grand caravan.
I'm having this same problem right nowt but it's my lower control arm part of the chasis I can weld but I dont own a welder. Wish me luck on how much imma get charged
Nissans had that same fucking problem back in the 90's early 2000's
You really should have ground that rot out of there first. And also got the paint and junk off the surface. Would have made the welds a lot better. Also your welding too cold. Not getting enough penetration. Probably cause its so think of material. But when doing this kind of repair you really need penetration. Look into the product fluid film. Its an oil undercoat that has worked good for me.
Very new to me , i have one older then yours, but much much better frame, man , before fixing it , didn't have much undercoating, the frame was very much gone.
Nice job, you must love that four runner. I have to do similar work on my sons 2003 Tundra. I will take the bed off and try to make things a little easier. I use the same products from Eastwood myself, great stuff. Alot of work. My 2003 frame on my Ford looks great came from PA just like the Tundra. Things we have to do when these car companies don't stand behind there product. Nice job though
For not being a welder you did a mighty fine job saving that nice Toyota! Be great if you got another 15-20 years out of her!!