2G Strut tower rust [Merged]

[ChefTSI]

I dont know about the rust, never seen it before and bad photo. First off Whats Wrong with the 7 bolt in the car? and to run a evo 16 at 18psi no fuel mods your going to ruin that new 6 bolt in the long run.

 

[blackGSX2g]

pff...thats nothing. I can see my tire/the ground through the hole in mine. You need to bang off the big chunks of rust and grind it all to the bare metal to be sure of your damage. There are a few people here that have done that before, I can give you their names if you'd like. I would imagine any kind of strong metal would do, just make sure to not leave any bare metal exposed. Paint it or coat the underside of it with that rubberized undercoating (if it went down that far)

 

[IamCool]

thanks...so the rust is not serious then? I was thinkng of the same thing. Get all the rust out and the weld some metal to cover it up. Then after that get some plastic or rubberized coating on it so that water or snow won't get there again. What kind of metal should i weld up to it after clearing up all the rust?

 

[dave99gst]

all 3 of my 2g's have rust on the strut towers. ( the 95 is the worst )

 

[jmdombr]

Yea- I had a 95. Ohh man i could see the street with no problem. I ended up selling the car... To fix the cosmedic portion i used:

BONDO! Worked great. Spray painted it, then sold the car. I knew it wasnt a big deal but non-dsm people may get worried.

 

[IamCool]

is it possible that water can come up and get to the engine?

Sorry to jack my own thread too but...what does a turbo timer do?

 

[blackGSX2g]

is it possible that water can come up and get to the engine?

Sorry to jack my own thread too but...what does a turbo timer do?

Its possible for water to come up but it shouldn't be enough to harm the motor. Is bondo a good fix for a big hole in the strut tower? Wouldn't that crack? I still haven't fixed mine yet, thinkin about either welding or some other good method.

A turbo timer is an electronic device wired into your ignition that allows your car to run for a set amount of time after the key is removed. This lets oil circulate through your turbo and cool it down a bit so the oil doesn't coke on your bearings *bad*.

 

[IamCool]

that really helps . i thought it was for timing the turbo( letting the ecu know when to have the turbo spooling)...that cleared up something. sorry for being such a newbie .

 

[soul]

damn never knew 2g's had this problem..mine looks brand new...maybe its cars where it gets cold and they have to throw out salt? i've never seen one like that locally

 

[pinder91]

Someone please tell me how having a big hole in a load bearing structure is not a big deal???
Second, just to clear things up for Iamcool... turbos are not controlled by the ECU. They are exhaust driven, meaning they are always going; so long as the car is running.

 

[IamCool]

If this rust spreads more than would it make the car fall on its wheels and cause plentiful of damage?

 

[blackGSX2g]

Someone please tell me how having a big hole in a load bearing structure is not a big deal???

Yea, thats why I didn't think Bondo would be a good fix. Its good to fix dents, but not big holes. I can just see that cracking off as soon as you hit your first pothole.

 

[IamCool]

here are clearer pics. Is it okay or in a bad condition already?

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[blackGSX2g]

wow you do have it bad...and on both sides too! That passenger side one doesn't look too good at all, the drivers side one is about what I have. Pound off all the rust, and then start grinding till it hits bare metal to see exactly what your working with. Once that is done, at the very least spray it with something so it doesn't rust any further while you decide what to do. Didn't notice where you are from, but if they put salt on the roads during the winter, you will want to stop the spread of rust fairly quickly.

 

[TurboBird]

On my strut tower I have a very ugly cancer spot that has ate through and created a lil hole, no bigger than like a quarter or a nickel. What can I do to stop this from spreading? I was think I could just sand/file it down till I see good metal and then weld a patch. Would that work? What do you all suggest? Thanx

 

[cuttheduck]

This is getting extremely common on the 2gs. Its a PITA because to do it right you need to take out that whole strut tower piece and weld in a new part. From a few locals that had this problem the cost was $500-800+. I haven't had to do it yet so hopefully somebody else can chime in with another cheaper way or tips.

 

[blcknspo0ln]

meh, i just left mine.

or.. take a wire brush, rust remover, and paint and go at it

 

[dave99gst]

your odds are better if you fix it sooner rather then later.

 

[Fro GSX]

I have two bad rust holes on my strut towers. I have gone to plenty of auto body shops and they all say that it would not be worth fixing because it will cost way too much. Would a welded plate last with the stress of turning? I'm guessing it wont but I don't have a clue. PLEASE HELP

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[HighPsi92GST]

holy crap thats some rust! WTF

Iv seen a car where someone got a peice of metal and hammered/smashed it into the right shape and welded it over a spot like that. it last a little while before the rust worked its way to the edges under it and the weld cracked away

 

[Sic95gst]

That sucks man, I have a small hole in mine on the drivers side. I think i'm gonna start looking into having it fixed. I'll try to post some pics when i get a chance.

 

[HighPsi92GST]

id get a grinder and clean it up a little then spray some primer one it...atleast stop it from getting any worse

 

[CanadianTSi]

Almost all older 2g's I see have rust in that exact spot, I know mine does

 

[HighPsi92GST]

my 95 tsi is rust free.

 

[igs]

Almost all older 2g's I see have rust in that exact spot, I know mine does

That's from the upper arm hitting the strut tower and exposing the bare metal. A welded in peice of steel will work fine.