Too Rusty?

[Ethop]

First post so go easy on me

This is my 2004 3.0 E85 ZF5 which has been my pride and joy for the past 8 months. Everything seemed great and I haven't had any major issues until recenetly.

After taking it into the garage for some diagnostics on the prop/driveshaft after having some vibrations from the centre console during acceleration (I assume its the centre support bearing or flex plate) I noticed quite a lot of rust. This is my first older car and I've never dealt with rust before.

My mechanic has said that some welding would need to be done as the exhaust has a slight blow, and where the exahust meets the downpipe is so corroded, that it would need to be welded back on., and since the exhaust has to come off to access the propshaft it would need doing. I have no idea how much this will cost and I'm not sure if it would be worth it.

Everything else seems to be absolutely fine, engine is great and gearbox is smooth. Suspension needs doing but nothing major.

I guess what I'm asking is some advise from people who have had similar issues. Should I sell and buy a cleaner one? Do I repair and face a potentially big bill? Am I overreacting and it's not that bad?

It's on 126k, not much service history but I have invested some money into the cooling systems, and gearbox already. I paid £4000 for it. I love the car and I'm happy to spend money on it, but should I cut my losses and move on?

This is a sunday car for me. So I can afford to not have it while work is being done. It appears that only the rear/rear subframe is rusted like this, front seems fine apart from a few bolts and the exhuast bolting point.

Apologies for a lack of images, this is all I took while it was up on the lift.

 

[bigwinn]

Seen worse. Especially Scottish cars

Get a decent wire brush and some lanoguard

That will stop it getting worse

 

[Mike6]

Surface rust I would say. That exhaust to downpipe joint is a notorious one and there are a number of threads on the subject. On my car it looked terminal but Mr exhaust worked wonders and it was all solid underneath what looked like a lump of rust. Getting the bolts undone is the biggest problem so I trusted Mr exhaust to do the job. Even gave me a lifetime warranty. Just remember to buy proper z4 gaskets as saloon car exhaust ie series 3 is slightly smaller in diameter and will restrict flow, at least that was whet I was told.

 

[Ethop]

Seen worse. Especially Scottish cars

Get a decent wire brush and some lanoguard

That will stop it getting worse

Surface rust I would say. That exhaust to downpipe joint is a notorious one and there are a number of threads on the subject. On my car it looked terminal but Mr exhaust worked wonders and it was all solid underneath what looked like a lump of rust. Getting the bolts undone is the biggest problem so I trusted Mr exhaust to do the job. Even gave me a lifetime warranty. Just remember to buy proper z4 gaskets as saloon car exhaust ie series 3 is slightly smaller in diameter and will restrict flow, at least that was whet I was told.

Thanks both for the replies.

I’ll take your advice about the wire brush and lanogaurd. I’ll try to get it on my mates lift.

I’m no where near mr exhaust unfortunately, but my mechanic said he knows a guy, and I’ll definitely look into the gasket sizes so thanks for the heads up.

Some of my bolts have somehow bent over, so I don’t think they’ll be a quick job! However I have more hope now.

Thanks

 

[JustJens]

If you can it's well worth doing this:



Chances are the brake pipes could be well corroded as they go over the top of the diff, and you'll get a lot more access for a wire brush

 

[bigfootisblurry]

As a two time MX5 owner, that looks alright. But so would the Titanic...

 

[Ethop]

If you can it's well worth doing this:

View attachment 297815View attachment 297816View attachment 297817

Chances are the brake pipes could be well corroded as they go over the top of the diff, and you'll get a lot more access for a wire brush

That looks so clean. I did think about doing something like this

How much did this cost roughly? Any links for the parts too?

The flexi brake lines need replacing asap. The rest of the brake lines will likely need doing at some point. I’m guessing it’s not very DIY?

It’s a long term project anyways. Thanks for the photos

 

[TriggerFish]

That looks so clean. I did think about doing something like this

How much did this cost roughly? Any links for the parts too?

The flexi brake lines need replacing asap. The rest of the brake lines will likely need doing at some point. I’m guessing it’s not very DIY?

It’s a long term project anyways. Thanks for the photos

Currently doing this on mine. The labour, and unexpected little parts (bushes etc) all add up really quickly!

Check out RealOEM for part numbers and then you can check eBay, autodoc etc. I'd be shocked if you get changed from £1k if you pay someone

 

[JustJens]

That looks so clean. I did think about doing something like this

How much did this cost roughly? Any links for the parts too?

The flexi brake lines need replacing asap. The rest of the brake lines will likely need doing at some point. I’m guessing it’s not very DIY?

It’s a long term project anyways. Thanks for the photos

TBH I can remember the cost but it was mainly on bearings and bushes as a friend blasted and zinc sprayed the diff carrier and trailing arms. Alloy parts were just vapour blasted, most of the nuts and bolts were blasted and electroplated, far cheaper than new.

Plenty of time was spent scraping off the lathered on seam sealer, finger prints were evident, that had cracked and let the water in and had started to corrode inside. Rust converter, primer and stonechip and then copius quantities of cavity wax in the box sections.

TBH the worst part was removing all the old bushings as I don't have a press. Diff carrier mounting bushes I kept in rubber to hopefully lessen noise, everything else was poly.

Fortunate enough to have a two post so car could live on it a while.

Got most of my parts here: https://www.hubauer-shop.de/en/carparts/z-models-parts-catalog/z-coupe/du51-e86-n52/


Not quite as bad as yours....