Rusting Raptor Rocker panels

[rptr]

They all rust. My 2012 rusted up to holes had to cut and weld new ones. Ny buddies 2014 rusted out in 2 months as soon as winter hit.

 

[Bussy]

@13raptorcrew

 

[13raptorcrew]

The bad news is these rockers usually rust from the inside out, so by the time you see some rust the damage is extensive.

You sir are correct. The key is to keeping the paint/metal clean. Some of us that live in the frozen tundra 6 months a year (aka they salt the roads) have a little harder time keeping it clean.
The tape on the back side of the rocker panels was placed there so you can access the back side of the rocker panel (where it rots from the inside out). A body shop that I talked to stated this to keep the rocker from rusting:

Remove the tape from the back side of the rocker panel (lay on a creeper)
Stick a hose in EACH hole
Wait for the water to come out the bottom drains as shown in one of the pictures on here. You will likely get soaked so save it for a warm day...)

If water does not come out the drains, they are clogged with dirt/debris and should be unclogged. (You can use a little mirror on a stick and see in there easily)

Once you see CLEAN water come out of ALL of the drain holes, let it dry completely. I sped up the process by using my girlfriends hair dryer. Then clean the back side of the rocker so NEW gorilla tape (or similar) can be applied over the holes. I also used the hair dryer to warm the metal around the holes because it was 45 degrees outside when I did it last. This tape will keep any more dirt/debris, that could plug the drains, out.

I was told to do this ONCE PER YEAR, but tape and hose water are cheap, so I will likely take a look at the condition of the tape and address it as need be. My 2001 Supercrew was victim to rotting rocker panels and I am determined to not let that happen to my 2013.

I will add pictures of mine when I get a moment.

 

[justvettn]

Not mine but another Raptor member posted this in another thread.
When he cleaned off the rust spots he was left with holes. Said his truck was low millage and barely seen any winter driving.

 

[Deleted member 12951]

How many drain holes are there? If I have the Ford Premium ESP till 120k miles, is this fully covered?

 

[TheWolf]

The last time I did the Amsoil MPHD undercoating, I pulled all the tape off the rockers and used the straw nozzle to coat the inside of the rockers. I really loaded them up good, spraying in every directing in each hole. After letting it dry for a week, I then put foil HVAC tape back on to cover the holes. It seems to be sticking fine. I considered using a stronger tape like Vycor, but thought it would be better to use a tape that is somewhat removable so that I can coat the insides with MPHD every fall. Even with the holes taped up, moisture is still going to get in there so the having them coated on the inside will protect against rusting.

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f195/amsoil-mphd-heavy-duty-metal-protector-amh-17731/index8.html

I also read somewhere about WeatherTech or similar style floor mats causing water to get inside the rockers from tracking snow and salt onto the mat where it melts and then runs out onto the door sill where it can get under the plastic sill piece and into the inside of the rocker. Because of this, I stayed with the OEM rubber mats since they will just collect the water. For those of you in snowy climates that have WeatherTech mats, check and see if this is happening when your mats are wet by popping off the plastic sill and seeing if there is moisture under there. This issue would obviously be minor in comparison to the situation where the cheap factory tape has fallen off and the rockers get loaded up with mud, snow and salt. But, it could be a source of moisture even if you keep the tape in place.

This is not my truck, but I found this pic to show how the mats send water onto the sills.

 

[TheWolf]

How many drain holes are there? If I have the Ford Premium ESP till 120k miles, is this fully covered?

There are lots of holes that are taped over. I am too lazy to go count but I would say maybe about 10-12 holes per side.

I am not sure about the Ford ESP, you would have to read the exclusions. I check my 10yr/120k CNA Vehicle Service Contract and it excludes body panels so this rusting issue would not be covered.

 

[13raptorcrew]

Here is the picture of the tape and the drain holes. The tape is the black squares in this image (i used Gorilla tape) and the drain holes are the openings along the two pieces of pinched metal. No rust on my 2013 with 50k Minnesota miles.

 

[Bulletnjm]

Anyone have any rust under the bed on the cross bars

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Stingray23]

Inexcusable to have rust on any modern vehicle.