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I'd taken the spare tire out as part of my recent effort to replace the broken power antenna mast. I was nonplussed to see significant run in the spare tire well, especially in the front.
After grinding away the rust, there are (3) large holes, from quarter size to one that is about .75" wide by 1.5" long.
After grinding away the rust with a DOTCO I treated the whole thing with a chemical that 'converts' (kills) rust. Other than the three holes that are through or nearly through, the rest of the wheel well is sound metal.
I'm not quite sure how I want to go about fixing this. I suppose I'll take it to a body shop for an estimate to weld it all back up or something....
There have been many threads a few years back about some drain tubes clogging or other things causing leaking into the tire well from various locations.
There have been many threads a few years back about some drain tubes clogging or other things causing leaking into the tire well from various locations.
Search "spare tire leak."
YEP
Another bad spot is the passenger side rear fender/quarter panel area just behind the tire. Water will collect there if the antennae drain tube is missing or not placed properly. Or maybe the antennae is simply loose.
The underside looks fine...all the undercoating still in place, etc.
I think I know where mine came from, I'd had a bad rear glass seal that I had replaced about 8 years ago.
Never really thought to peek into the spare tire area...dammit.
I'm tempted to pop-rivet some aluminum or titanium sheeting (I've got various thicknesses from .015 thru .125 thick onto the bottom side, fair it all in and undercoat it liberally, then putty the inside, sand out, prime and paint.
Kind of a 'duct tape and baling wire' fix, but...should work.
I bet you can get that whole panel from Mazda still...
Mazda would probably sell you the whole trunk floor. although most period Mazda's probably have the same spare tire well stamping, so a donor should be easy
We can get the part brand new from Mazda if you decide to go that route, its about $500+shipping though. Depending on how bad it is might be able to take a wire wheel to it or sand blast it out and repaint.
Got the fix done for now; kind of a 'cheap bastard fix', but it should work. Ended up prepping the area down to bare metal, then did a "triaxial weave" of heavy fiberglass cloth and polyester resin patch on both the inside and outside of the wheel well. Then coated both sides with rubberized undercoating. Final element was to bond a .032 thick aluminum sheet into the inside so that the fiberglass wasn't taking any direct contact with the spare tire.
Now I'm looking for a replacement tire for the emergency wheel, as the original isn't holding air.
Got the fix done for now; kind of a 'cheap bastard fix', but it should work. Ended up prepping the area down to bare metal, then did a "triaxial weave" of heavy fiberglass cloth and polyester resin patch on both the inside and outside of the wheel well. Then coated both sides with rubberized undercoating. Final element was to bond a .032 thick aluminum sheet into the inside so that the fiberglass wasn't taking any direct contact with the spare tire.
Now I'm looking for a replacement tire for the emergency wheel, as the original isn't holding air.
Have you found where the tire/wheel is leaking? It could be between the tire and wheel at the bead due to corrosion from the water, in which case you would need to clean up the corrosion and roughness on the wheel bead, but might not need a new tire.
IMO, corrosion is much more likely than the tire developing a leak. Also, it could be the tire valve leaking between it and the wheel.
After grinding away the rust with a DOTCO I treated the whole thing with a chemical that 'converts' (kills) rust. Other than the three holes that are through or nearly through, the rest of the wheel well is sound metal.
In my experience that rust converter stuff isn't a finish coat, but a converter and primer.
If you plan to leave it for a while make sure you seal it with another product. Otherwise it can absorb water and will actually cause more rust to occur. Made that mistake doing repairs to the trunk of my E28.
In my experience that rust converter stuff isn't a finish coat, but a converter and primer.
If you plan to leave it for a while make sure you seal it with another product. Otherwise it can absorb water and will actually cause more rust to occur. Made that mistake doing repairs to the trunk of my E28.
Yep! I did indeed seal it with some 'professional' rubberized undercoating product.
Got the fix done for now; kind of a 'cheap bastard fix', but it should work. Ended up prepping the area down to bare metal, then did a "triaxial weave" of heavy fiberglass cloth and polyester resin patch on both the inside and outside of the wheel well. Then coated both sides with rubberized undercoating. Final element was to bond a .032 thick aluminum sheet into the inside so that the fiberglass wasn't taking any direct contact with the spare tire.
Now I'm looking for a replacement tire for the emergency wheel, as the original isn't holding air.
Just an fyi but a polyester resin fix on metal will not last. The polyester resin is designed to breakdown the binders in chopped strand mat it is not a good adhesive.
To do that kind of work you and get a proper bond the metal surface should be a little rough and an epoxy resin with a fiberglass mat would be more durable.
Just an fyi but a polyester resin fix on metal will not last. The polyester resin is designed to breakdown the binders in chopped strand mat it is not a good adhesive.
To do that kind of work you and get a proper bond the metal surface should be a little rough and an epoxy resin with a fiberglass mat would be more durable.
Using any composite to fix to rusted metal is a bodge in my book. It needs to be cut back to good and a plate welded in really. It's a mornings work tops to drop the tank and fix it for good.
Did you ever find out for sure where your leak was? I discovered water in my hatch yesterday unfortunately after some heavy rains. She's back in the garage now but at least it discovered the problem for me. Time to play detective. Now that I think about it, my weatherstripping on the bottom is starting to curl up and I was considering getting it my glass reset with a new seal in the near future.
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