What do you do for salted roads?

DropTopDon

DropTopDon

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 7, 2019
Messages
642
Location
VA
Live in VA and the roads are moderately salted during the winter time. I was looking around on the forum for frame prep and I saw a post saying washing during winter will not help you, but it will worsen the condition because water will get onto the frame which will work with the salt to build rust. Prior to seeing this I've always thought spraying down the frame after driving on salty roads was the best way to protect the frame and prevent rust, but i am not sure anymore. Will anyone share what they do for the salty roads and what not to do etc.
 
If you spray water into the frame without drain holes, it may make the rust worse since the water will sit in your frame along with the built up salt (though this water does pretty quickly find its way out). The main goal of washing is to get salt off the Jeep, if you are simply adding water to the salt, that does make it worse. For TJ's, drilling drain holes and washing the salt OUT of the frame is a positive.

Many people who don't like washing live in climates where it is always below freezing during the winter. But in places where it snows then gets warm enough to melt the snow, like Virginia, washing is definitely a plus.
 
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jodomcfrodo said:
If you spray water into the frame without drain holes, it may make the rust worse since the water will sit in your frame along with the built up salt (though this water does pretty quickly find its way out). The main goal of washing is to get salt off the Jeep, if you are simply adding water to the salt, that does make it worse. For TJ's, drilling drain holes and washing the salt OUT of the frame is a positive.

Many people who don't like washing live in climates where it is always below freezing during the winter. But in places where it snows then gets warm enough to melt the snow, like Virginia, washing is definitely a plus.
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I've been in the rust belt for 53 yrs and I can't figure out how not washing could help. I've never heard of the ocean freezing and even when salt water does freeze the ice is primarily freshwater that leaves most of the salt behind. I've also experienced ice on the windshield that was almost impossible to remove while the stuff hanging behind each tire was fairly easy to remove with a swift kick.

After saying that, I added drain holes to my frame and I Fluid Film it every fall (later this week) and because of the F-F I don't wash too often because I'd hate to remove any of it. I'm also thinking about covering every friggin' hole on the sides of the frame with Gorilla Tape this year just to keep winter's crap out.
 
Agreed-drill a 5/8" drain hole about 4.5" behind your front control arm mounts and 4.5" in front of your rear control arm mounts. Paint and rust proof these holes. There are large holes in the frame at the rear wheels so you can put a hose in there and flush it out. You should also do this to your torque boxes where the body and frame mounts-the three under the driver and passenger doors, and the torque boxes are attached to the body tub. You can also cosmoline the hell out of everything on the underside, which is what I will be doing in early November. Amazon sells cosmoline.
 
Get it nice & clean before the salt comes & douse everything under there with Fluid Film.
 
JEEPCJTJ said:
I've been in the rust belt for 53 yrs and I can't figure out how not washing could help. I've never heard of the ocean freezing and even when salt water does freeze the ice is primarily freshwater that leaves most of the salt behind. I've also experienced ice on the windshield that was almost impossible to remove while the stuff hanging behind each tire was fairly easy to remove with a swift kick.

After saying that, I added drain holes to my frame and I Fluid Film it every fall (later this week) and because of the F-F I don't wash too often because I'd hate to remove any of it. I'm also thinking about covering every friggin' hole on the sides of the frame with Gorilla Tape this year just to keep winter's crap out.
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I also am leaning toward taping all but drain holes shut.
 
Z06 said:
I also am leaning toward taping all but drain holes shut.
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Aren't there some plugs you can get for the fixture holes in the side of the frame?
 
You can get plugs to keep stuff out, but I'm still cautious enough that I would want to take them out every once in a while to rinse the inside of the frame out.
 
jodomcfrodo said:
You can get plugs to keep stuff out, but I'm still cautious enough that I would want to take them out every once in a while to rinse the inside of the frame out.
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My reason for thinking about tape is that there are too many different sized holes and slots and the tape will cover them all, it will also be fairly easy to peel off for the spring cleaning and I won't have to figure out next fall what I did with the plugs last spring. I'm still not sure if I'm doing it though.
 
Buy a 4 pack of these rubber table feet things from Home Depot. They fit perfectly in the holes by the wheel wells. Can’t recall if they are the 1” or 1.25” ones
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jazngab said:
Buy a 4 pack of these rubber table feet things from Home Depot. They fit perfectly in the holes by the wheel wells. Can’t recall if they are the 1” or 1.25” ones
View attachment 197305View attachment 197306
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I don't know what size that needs to be or what size I bought but I used a set of black ones to fill the holes above my front bump stops I think it took me about a week to get rid of all the water, mud and whatever plugged up the drains on those.
 
Why do you plug the side holes?
Salty moist gets in from the front and back ends of your chassis - they are wide open and you can not seal-cap them.
 
TJ2 said:
Why do you plug the side holes?
Salty moist gets in from the front and back ends of your chassis - they are wide open and you can not seal-cap them.
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I rinse out my frame 2-3x a year. Those caps in the wheel wells can cut down the amount of mud and sand that my tires sling into the frame when I go off-road.
 
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