Killjoyusmc

Hey all, I am having the common issue of floor pan rusting out on my 01 XJ passenger side. It has also lost the cross member for the seat and will need to be redone which at this point I am just not prepared to tackle, though in the mean time I have about a 4 inch by 6 inch rectangle of missing floor after cleaning out the area and removing the carpet as it was moldy and just smelled horrible.

So now to the question I have, I need an easy cheap fix just to keep out the water as the flooding here in the midwest is killing me lol. doesn't need to hold for long but keep most the water out of the cab while I wait for parts and what not. was hoping you guys would have some ideas maybe or something that you might have done, etc...

Thanks for the help

jordan96xj

Go to local auto parts store and get a small container of Bondo Hair. It is fiber reinforced epoxy resin. Use some card board and wax paper to provide a backing and lay in a layer of it. It will be rock hard in about 10 minutes and will last as long as your Jeep. I used some to cover a hole in my driver side pan, and it looks the same as when I put it in 4 years ago. It is also quite a bit stronger than the sheet metal it is surrounded by.

dave1123

Roofing tar and sheet metal. I should say lap cement. I'll be a job it clean it up before you weld though. A few sheet metal screws also.

Killjoyusmc

This sounds like the best idea I've heard so far and probably won't be as bad as tar to clean out when I have to rebuild the cross member for the seat either. Thank you for this advice!!!

robertj

It won't keep the water out unfortunately, because XJs are known to leak on that side of the cab. More than likely it's your blower motor and/or windshield. There's also a known leak spot where the inner fender meets the firewall. Remedy those first, or you'll be right back where you started.

Killjoyusmc

with where the hole is at my tires are throwing water into the cab like im at a water park, however it is not draining down to the floor pan so I don't think that's the cause but at this point I have to temporarily fix that hole to even begin further investigation of where else it could be coming from

jordan96xj

Killjoyusmc,

robertj is correct. But you can still get to patching it as soon as you want. In my case it was the driver side. Caused by a previous owner bringing in moisture and salt on his feet, and not using any heavy duty floormats (which are basically a must-have item in the northeast). But when the passenger side is rusting out, unless you have have a passenger every day, the moisture is likely finding finding its way in and will eventually need to be addressed, or the problem will continue.

dave1123

In all my years living in the Northeast, I have had the best luck with going to a carpet store and asking for the carpet samples they throw out when they get a new supply of patterns. These are heavy pieces that are edge bound and fit rather well in my Chevy trucks. They absorb the snow&ice, then they allow it to evaporate before it soaks under the matting. The problem is you can't always get the colors or pattern you want, but they are free! When they get really frozen solid, change them. I've found rubber mats hold the moisture under the mat and rust out the floor faster.

Waynerd

There is a spot where they commonly rust in the lower part of the wheel wells just as it curves down to the floor. It’s possible it rotted from the outside in and then just snowballed from there. Won’t know like he said until the water is stopped from entering there.