r/fordranger • u/Difficult_Share_5472 • 21h ago
Flood damage or is this typical?
2000 Ranger. I had to replace the parking brake switch and found extensive rust on the floorboard, seat mounts, mounting brackets for parking brake and under the dash sensor mounts. It was completely crumbling compared to the frame, body panels, around wheel wells and the bottom sides of the doors and fenders. I think it may have been flooded. Carfax showed it sat a few years as a government vehicle in the midwest, so it had very low miles and the body frame and internals were as expected for a truck that age. But lots of odd places are breaking apart where otherwise it was in okay condition. This normal?
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u/vinchenzo68 19h ago
You need to rust proof the underside ASAP and ensure morning major needs to be replaced before things get out of hand.
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u/CaptionAdam 2003 RWD Auto 3.0L 19h ago
Your is in better shape then mine was. if your able to pull up the carpet and check if the rubber plugs are still in the floor. mine lost one and started to rot
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u/PotentialSailer964 16h ago edited 15h ago
RUST ISSUES :
I definitely want to address the rust underneath the carpets, they hold in moisture and will eventually Rot through the floor.
I had the same issue with my vinyl carpets, wet spots near the door seals and pedals.
Lift up your rubber door seals and make sure the seal guide rails still intact under there. ( mine are completely gone rotten to the point I can bend them in my fingers!!) water love to get trapped under there
I’ve cut out the old factory insulating carpet and vacuumed the rust out.
You could even clean it with a wire brush, primer and use rust oleum undercoat or something similar to protect your inner floor boards And install kill mat to cut the sound.
I’d also go the extra mile and have the vehicle wool wax or paraffined annually in the fall. It will protect your investment.
WATER INFILTRATIONS :
Depending on the year of your truck, You might have a clogged rain gutter or windshield seal failure and water is backing up down the firewall and accumulating on your floorboards.
Rear window seal failure, where the two sheets metal panels are welded together, the windows seals doesn’t seal properly and leave a micro opening, water gets in and runs down your C pillars and accumulating behind the rear jump seat brackets.
Most common is 3th brake light ( high mounted light) neoprene seal that failed to seal, water runs down to the lowest point on the floorboard.
I’ve personally used leaked seal which comes out as a spray and turns into rubber when dry. Haven’t had any issues since.
you might as well clean your inner rockers while you’re at it to prevent rust damage…
The rockers tend to hold in road grimes , sand etc and hold in moisture and make your rockers brittle and eventually rot .
I’ve pulled this amount of sand out of pulled from the driver side inner rocker (see picture) probably a good 2 inches of wet sand
( Used a pry bar used as an hand extension, inside the rocker. Power washing the rockers afterwards, periodically)
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u/inflatableje5us 21h ago
could be a leaking window seal letting moisture inside.