chrisl757

One more thing I was going to ask is this:

On the middle of the floor plan there is a big (about 6 inches by 10 inches) piece of foil tape with black adhesive under it. This is the same tape that runs over the tranny tunnel. I guess for some reason, there is a piece of tape over the driver floorpan in my Jeep.

I am worried that there is more rust under there that I can't see. This tape is tough to get off and the sanding wheel and wire wheel didn't lift it up (only polished the outside). It kind of reminds me of that tape they use for quick fix exhaust patch jobs.

Anyways, is there an easy way to get this off? I am wondering about just using a heavy duty scraper to see what is underneath there.

Thanks again.

Tbone289

I would try the scraper with a heat gun.

zr2toxj

PatHenry

If the stuff is that thick, it probably prevents moisture and junk from getting at the metal.

zr2toxj

chrisl757

Maybe I will just pick at the corners of the silver tape and if it looks good, I'll let it be. It feels like very solid metal under there.

Any ideas on how to dry out the jute/underpadding of the carpet? It has been days since it's pulled up and it is still wet. I thought about just pulling it out, but the real problem isn't the jute--it is the water getting in.

I thought of putting the dehumidifier from my home inside the driver area and plugging it in overnight (while the door is shut). It is cold here now and we won't have warm weather for a while so just pulling the whole carpet out and putting it in the sun isn't going to accelerate the drying much.

On the other hand, maybe I need to tackle the water getting in. My son came up with a good idea (seems like it) to take the garden hose and run water over certain parts of the jeep while someone sits inside and see if we can trace the leak. Anybody tried that before? I figure his ears and eyes are better than mine.

I guess if we do that, we should do it before I try to dry out the carpet.

zr2toxj

That's a good approach to find the leaks. I couldn't get the padding to dry on mine, and it wasn't in very good shape, so I just pulled it all off of the carpet and installed the carpet without it.

Tbone289

I think it works as a mass damper to reduce noise and vibration. It doesn't cover enough area to indicate its use as a protectant.

PatHenry

I was only suggesting that when the metal underneath was rust free that it might have been due to that tape stuff keeping the moisture and salt away from the metal.

Tbone289

Yeah, sorry, I read too much into your comment.

PatHenry

No worries.

Old griz

I am originally from Michigan so I know rust very well. Take a look at craigslist in Spokane. There are always multiple XJs for sale in this area, completely rust free .There are some cheap turn key, some that need an engine or trans. They are priced from $750 and up.

PatHenry

You wouldn't fix it, that's fine, but whether or not to give up on a vehicle is a personal decision that each person makes for themselves. Obviously there are factors that differ greatly between people. A person might say that having to spend a couple weekends in a row fixing stuff is not worth it, whereas another person might be willing to make a several month project out of it.

In the case of the OP, he asked the opinion of the forum and has decided to give it a shot repairing it himself and looks to be well on his way to a successful repair with his son. The father-son time alone on something like this can't be measured in $$. Kudos to him - it'll be a good experience with things if nothing else.

robertj

Well worth the time spent for this alone as I alluded to on page one. My hat's off to the OP. I fixed worse floor rust on my XJ, and it was well worth it just to keep a good previous one owner XJ on the road.

chrisl757

Hi all,
I think two big things are pushing me to fix this (versus just abandon it and get another jeep):

1. My son wants to keep the Jeep and he'll be 16 in 2.5 years.

2. I have done a lot of work on this Jeep with warrantied parts from Auto Zone (not great parts I know but lifetime warranty). I have over 25 parts on warranty at Auto Zone--some of which I've replaced a few times. So I have an investment there that's worth keeping. I just replaced my ball joints, sway bar links, sway bar bushings, front brake pads, rotors....all for free. I don't know what it would cost to do that at a shop, but if I ever have to do it again, it'll be free the next time. It's hard to let that go.

I'm hoping to do some leak testing today since the temperature is finally above freezing. Hope we can find where this water is coming from. If the water is only getting in the driver floor pan, I am thinking the water would be from either:

A. the windshield seal (somewhere on the driver side)
B. The roof rack (somewhere near the front driver corner)
C. The gutter rail on the top driver side of the jeep (which has some tell tale rust on the top)
D. Driver door weather strip seal (which is 18 years old)

Any other places to check?