Rusty jack compartment

Hi Guys

Just a quickie but i was tinkering with my Jimny this evening . . and i knew the Jack compartment was rusty but this evening i put my finger through it and it went straight through :ohmy:

Its also going in other areas but only where the jack has been - so figured i would do the other areas aswell at the same time!
Question is can i just weld a plate over it or do you have any other suggestions.

Would this be an MOT failure?

Thanks in advance

If its with in 30cm of a seat mounts. seat belt mount. Body mount then its a fail

markyp2000 wrote: If its with in 30cm of a seat mounts. seat belt mount. Body mount then its a fail

Out with the tape measure then! :laugh: :laugh:

Iol well its in a straight line not following the contor of the panel just think of a 2ft round ball and put a seat mount in the center any thing that comes within that area with corrosion or cracks could fail

markyp2000 wrote: Iol well its in a straight line not following the contor of the panel just think of a 2ft round ball and put a seat mount in the center any thing that comes within that area with corrosion or cracks could fail

You'd think they'd make a special case for the Jimny :laugh: :laugh: as everything is already close to everything else. :lol: :lol:

Massively common problem, especially on the soft tops. It's caused mainly because there is a metal support strap, about the same width as the jack well, directly in contact with and below this area. Water gets trapped between the surfaces and it rusts from the underside. You don't know it's rusty until it starts to show under the jack, by which time it's too late.

scrape the rust away, which will reveal a largish hole and hammerite the area fully. Don't panic...a plate can be welded on the top for about £45.

Once welded, it would be wise to waxoil/underseal from the bottom, although you would need to remove the rear exhaust to do this. I would only advise this if the exhaust is fairly new as the bolts rust and are a real pain to undo.

It's wise to underseal your Jimny anyway, at least every three years - prevention is better than the cure!