What can I do to keep the undercarriage rust free?

Ephry73 said:
on a separate note, I do hate that our beloved TJs with their globe-trotting and go anywhere heritage and capabilities, get to suffer so much from just salty winters(this is also an issue for JKs and was an issue for YJs and the like as well) I love having the jeep for the freedom it provides and the notion that if I must take a never travelled path, that it should fair well in most unusual conditions.

I hate the idea of not being able to drive my TJ in the winter because of the fear of rust. The main reason I went back to owning a Jeep Wrangler was for winter driving and heavy snow conditions. The factory should have invested in better rust treatment as well as spend more time in looking at the chassis itself. This being the Wrangler with the better driving characteristics, it has a great handling chassis, when compared to a CJ, for example. I have looked at drain holes for preventative maintenance and allow the salty brain to drain out, rather than sit in, and also at ways to etch the inside of the frame to help prevent rust. In my case it is still ok to do so, and will require work, but those looking into the TJs should definitely invest the time and effort in getting the inside of the frame to hold out better. PITA that we have to be the ones doing it, rather than the factory, but such is this Jeep thing.
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It's a problem with almost every vehicle, not just a jeep thing. Even the newest TJs are 15 years old at this point, so even if they had more advanced coatings from the factory or better designs for drainage, we would still be dicking around with rust repair and prevention.
 
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chuck47 said:
It's a problem with almost every vehicle, not just a jeep thing. Even the newest TJs are 15 years old at this point, so even if they had more advanced coatings from the factory or better designs for drainage, we would still be dicking around with rust repair and prevention.
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For sure. I did not have this issue with a CJ7 I drove for years, which was much older though. Also, when rust did form, it wasn't as radical. My Audi s(different build structure I know) which the newest one was 19yo when I sold it and all driven in winters, did not have the rust build up on the metal parts for the suspension(or my older air cooled Beetles, which wee decades old and driven severely in the snowy winters), as the wrangler had(both TJ and JKU btw)

I do get your point however.
 
Ephry73 said:
For sure. I did not have this issue with a CJ7 I drove for years, which was much older though. Also, when rust did form, it wasn't as radical. My Audi s(different build structure I know) which the newest one was 19yo when I sold it and all driven in winters, did not have the rust build up on the metal parts for the suspension(or my older air cooled Beetles, which wee decades old and driven severely in the snowy winters), as the wrangler had(both TJ and JKU btw)

I do get your point however.
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Not sure when exactly you had your CJ, but Jeep actually did care a little bit more about rust back then. My dad had a 1980 CJ5 that he bought brand new from the dealer, and he could take it back to the dealer every year to have them spray a fresh undercoat on it for as long as he owned it. I have no idea if that was just a dealer specific thing, but it could be a reason why they aren't as rusted.
 
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+1 on the wool wax. I have tried both now and I prefer wool wax. I live in Cincinnati as well and I found that in our Hot and humid summers, the fluid film thins so badly that it leaves pools under the jeep. The first few times I thought I had a brake line leaking and then an oil leak. But it was just the fluid film liquefying and dripping on to my garage floor. Haven't had that problem with wool wax.
 
If the inside of the frame is clean (as clean as possible) I like to go with a Cosmoline type product. There are several out there. They 'dry' but don't 'harden' like a paint type coating so they can self-heal and wick into nooks and crevices better. Many even stay put with pressure washer action to keep rust free. Inside door seams I like the FF or again, Cosmoline. Do it when it's good and hot out to get deep into pinch seams. Any area that is hard to get at is best with the Cosmoline over any hard coating. Torque boxes, etc.
There is no 'permanent ' fix for rust that I have seen work 100%. It is an ongoing issue that needs to be dealt with at least once a year.
I had a cousin a long time ago that used zinc sacrificial nodes wired to the battery to provide ions instead of them coming from the steel. He claimed it worked amazing. Don't see them anymore. The idea seems sound, but I have no experience with them.
 
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chuck47 said:
Not sure when exactly you had your CJ, but Jeep actually did care a little bit more about rust back then. My dad had a 1980 CJ5 that he bought brand new from the dealer, and he could take it back to the dealer every year to have them spray a fresh undercoat on it for as long as he owned it. I have no idea if that was just a dealer specific thing, but it could be a reason why they aren't as rusted.
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CJ5 levi edition I bought from my dad then sold to one of my brothers. Still no rust issues. '84 CJ7 that I drove until my first wife crashed it. Miss that thing.
 
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