ormy

Hi All,

Can anybody tell me what the function of the engine pan (or tray) is. I'm not sure if this is the correct name for it. Here is a view with the left rear wheel removed. I'm referring to the sacrificial anode visible above the oxygen sensor.



Mine is corroded to hell and I'm wondering if this is cause for concern?

On the topic of sacrificial anodes, here is the rear spring on the same side....



Do rusted springs and sway bars affect the stiffness of the suspension?


Regards

John

964russ

There heat shields. If you ever drop the engine fit new ones, if not dont worry about it.
And the surface rust on the shocker/spring wont effect it either.

ormy

That's a relief! I didn't fancy the idea of having to replace them unless they had a really important function.

Although the springs are rusted, I'm perhaps more concerned about the front sway bar. I'll try and post a pic tomorrow because it's really peeling like an onion!

J richard

I would do a double take on the springs! They do have a pretty important function...pitting of the surface or deeper rust will lead to stress failure, collapse of the suspension while you're on the road... not a good thing. You might want to have them taken a look at, I wouldn't mind light rust, but the springs come from the factory painted to minimize it and yours look pretty heavily rusted. The engine tins seem to corrode even here in the desert, no big deal.

jimq

Do you drive where there is alot of salt put on the road? When I changed my springs and shocks out after 15 years they looked good as new after a easy cleanup.

ormy

I'm in the UK - we don't have particularly cold winters but they go ape sh*t here with the salt in winter, so maybe that's the reason. My car does look a bit like a garage queen in all other respects (61k in 17 years). Maybe the previous 2 owners didn't take much care of it in winter? I've made a point of jet-washing the undersides and wheel arches ever since I bought it (June 07).

I'm going to post a pic of the front sway bar tomorrow because that is the bit that worries me. It's top of the list for replacement.

springer3

What you have is exfoliating rust. It is falling off in flakes and sheets.

Rust pitting on the springs is not too bad yet, but rust pits tend to bore deeper and eventually you will have a broken spring. I would replace the springs, or at least remove the rust and paint them with a rust-proofing primer and top coat.

How rusty is the rest of the car? It looks like it was parked at the sea coast. It is junk if the pictures shown are representative of the state of corrosion in the rest of the car.

ormy

My car has feelings too you know Thankfully the rust is limited to a few areas - the engine pan on the left rear, the left rear spring and the front sway bar. The body itself has not one speck of rust anywhere. If the spring was representative of the general state of things, you are right that I'd be in serious trouble!

Here is a pic of the front sway bar



Sorry the photo isn't great. What I initially thought were large flakes of rust coming off it, is actually the original paint peeling off. It's obviously got pitted at some point and has rusted underneath and this is lifting it. The drop-links also look in a sorry state.

964russ

My car allso looks like this. Dont worry about it, look at any old car in the UK and it will look the same.
If you have the spare money change the parts but in the wet UK climate it will look the same in no time.
If you lived in the US climate this problem is not an issue, that surface corrision isnt nice but isnt worth crying about.