Flushing rear rocker panels and strut towers

[MeteorBurn]

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know how to clean out the rear rocker panels on a 1998 eclipse? I see 2 small holes near the jack point, and a rubber plug in the wheel well in front of the tire, but that's about it. Could I just stick some soap and water in there and force the dirt out?

I also would like to clean out the area around the shock tower, where mud and dirt also accumulates. Anyway to reach it? Would I have to remove the fender?

I'd like to flush out all the mud dirt salt etc. and apply some cavity wax, in hopes of preventing rust.

Thanks!

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Jet wash is your best bet, degreaser and a soap that breaks down dirt. I believe people use simple green alot so that may be useful, other then that a scrubbing brush

 

[MeteorBurn]

Thanks for the reply. Where should I aim the water? If I shoot the cleaner inside the hole in the wheel well (the one with a rubber plug), will it drain out?
I'm not sure exactly how the drainage system on these cars work. A brush is too big to fit inside these spaces.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Im pretty sure Its just a cap for the bolt. If there is dirt inside then it got through a hole somehow, so water would escape just fine, just use water and a tooth bruch to get what you can out.

 

[MeteorBurn]

Anyway to reach the strut tower drain area?

 

[pksystems]

You mean the inspection holes on the rear rockers? You want to keep water out of this area.

or the large plug (has an X on it) for the rear suspension arm bolt?

 

[MeteorBurn]

I mean the one directly in front of the rear tire (not the one with the x on it).
I need a way to really clean all the crap out without filling it with water and just making it rust faster. What is the purpose of those holes underneath the car near the rear jack point? All they do is let road and wheel spray fill it with garbage, which then just rusts them out.
Holes like these ones:

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[MoarAWD]

Is this a common maintenance that can prevent rust in these areas?

 

[MeteorBurn]

From the rust I've seen in many types of cars, this should be an extremely important type of maintenance. I wish I knew how the drainage system in these cars works, so I could figure out why 99% of cars rust out in the rear rockers. For example, on my 1996 mercury cougar there are similar holes under the rocker near the pinch weld just like the picture above. I believe they rust because road spray allows salt and mud to accumulate inside these holes, and then they clog. On my crown victoria, there's not a spot of rust because these holes are not present.

You should check out your front rockers too. All the crap from the roof runs down through the channels on either end of the wiper cowl, and end up in the rockers. I wish I took pictures of how disgusting they were on my cougar. Full of leaves and mud. It's easy to flush those out though, just pop out the bottom of the wheel well liner partially, open the doors, and jam a hose into the crevice under the bottom hinge.