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Shocktower rust

7K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  andyg 
#1 ·
If a van alittle shocktower rust{not thru} is that ok? Neighbor said he heard that there was an issue with mopar van shocktowers. I have a dime size spot on the drivers side tower top. Is that ok?
 
#5 ·
Let me ask this, isn't there a seal on top of the strut to the tower?
My wife and I will be looking for a van for her soon, if I find a van with a bad tower is it fixable or not worth the effort{$$$}? Any other bad areas to look for on these vans{GEN3 or 4}?
 
#6 ·
They are fixable I have done a few for people and myself. There is a cap I have welded them in place. It almost always happens on the driver side. If the tubes thatdrain the windshield cowl clog and the moisture sits up there mixed with the acid soup from the battery gassing you get this.
Clean out those tubes, keep the area clean it helps.
 
#7 ·
A dime size area is not a problem, but get it taken care of.
Diamler chrysler does sell a "kit" for a repair, but if it gets to bad than this is useless as well.

I just got done replacing both strut towers in my 97 minivan. Both sides were gone. It was about 10 hours worth of work but it can be done.

Here's how I proceeded:

Scoured the local salvage yards and found a 97 with good towers (no rust).
The yard cut the frame section containing the towers out for $200 a pair.

Put my van on the hoist, removed the hood and wiper box (cowling).
Removed both struts and plastic inner fenders.
Cut both towers out at about an inch above the radius (where the tower goes up from the" flat"). Then cut the top of the tower right at the frame.
All the cutting can be done from the insides of the fender wells using a straight and right angled die grinder with a 3" cutting wheel.

Removed the tower and used a unibit to drill the spotwelds out of the top brace to the frame. Throuroughly sanded all areas down to the bare steel.

The replacement towers:
Cut the towers out of the frame sections about a 1/2 inch beyond the lower radius. Drilled the spotwelds out of the main brace to frame section.
So now I have a tower with a complete top brace.
Thouroughly sanded the areas down to the steel where the old / new sections would mate for welding.

Inserted the "new" towers from the bottom up. Because of the way the old towers were cut out, and the new towers were cut out, they mated perfectly at the lower radius and the main top brace fit right back in the frame section. Also because of the "overlapping" of new to old, you do not have to worry about getting the tower to high. Once the new tower is pushed up all the way, it simply cannot go up any further.
Welded all areas with a wire welder, including the top brace that mounts to the frame.
Cleaned the areas with a wire brush and undercoated all the areas.

Is it a lot of work? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes to me it was a lest costly investment than the price of a new van.
Is it safe? Yes, since everything was welded back in solidly.

Total investment:

$200 for the yard tower sections.
$20 in cut off wheels and sanding discs.
$6 for a can of undercoating.

Would I do it again? Yes definitely.

Regards, Bart
 
#8 ·
Shock tower repair metal.

Hello folks. I have been a lurker hear for about a year. I have save a lot of money from reading the wealth of info here.

I too have shock tower rust. Mine is getting pretty bad. Is the only way to get a repair piece to take it from a donor van? Does someone sell a repair piece? I have a nice MIG welder so that is not a problem.

John
2000 Caravan 121K miles.
 
#10 ·
Hello folks. I have been a lurker hear for about a year. I have save a lot of money from reading the wealth of info here.

I too have shock tower rust. Mine is getting pretty bad. Is the only way to get a repair piece to take it from a donor van? Does someone sell a repair piece? I have a nice MIG welder so that is not a problem.

John
2000 Caravan 121K miles.

Yes there is a replacement tower cap kit from Chrysler for each side. This is a VERY well known issue. The replacement caps are actually bonded in place with a structural adhesive. Welding is not advised because of further rust potential if not prepped and done perfect. I also need to do my drivers side as it is really bad but have been waiting for warmer weather. I already have the cap.

Here is a link for a thread here and there are more. Also go over to the allpar.com site and search those threads

http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/showthread.php?t=2962&highlight=strut+tower

Skidad In MA
2000 AWD T&C Limited 58,000 miles Toshiba H1R bulbs
98 AWD GC LE 198,000 miles for sale, runs good, tranny perfect
 
#9 ·
I would assume so considering not everyone has access to a salvage yard, not to mention one that just happens to have a 3rd gen. DCX van in it.
 
#13 ·
Alternative Repair to Shock Tower Rust

I know I'm going to take some heat for this, but bear with me.

I have a 1999 Dodge Caravan with about 150,000 miles on it. I had "moderate" shock tower rust, as noted previously, much more on the driver's side than passenger side. It was to the point that a sector of about 45 degrees in the front left was so badly damaged that it was just flakes of rust. I tried a little sheetmetal wire welding on it, but it was pointless. It just blew holes through it.

The tower did not seem bent or pulled up yet, but it was obvious that left alone, it was going to have serious problems.

Unaware of any alternatives, I tried something that I know will evoke laughs: JB Weld.

I cleaned the surfaces (especially areas still having good bonded paint) with acetone, and pulled off much of the loose rust. I cut a plate of steel (probably 1/16th inch thick) to fit over an area that had really rusted out.

I applied the glue to both sides of that place, and placed it in to fill the hole. Then I built up the top of the tower in the damaged area with a lot of JB Weld, probably at least 3/8ths inch thick. I feathered the glue out into areas that were not rusted yet, to give it some place to bond and transfer the load.

I'm sure some of you are thinking that this would fall off in a day, or crack or something like that. But a year and a half later, it is still firmly bonded, with no sign of cracking or other damage. There are some rust stains at the edges of the JB Weld , but it has not gotten bad enough that it has come loose.

So far, so good. I check it every once in a while, but as of yet had no reason to repair or replace the JB Weld. I think the key is to use a lot of it, and spread it generously into undamaged areas of the van's structure, as you are depending on the JB Weld to carry some structural load.

While it may not last forever, even if I have to do it again sometime, it is a lot less work overall than the alternatives suggested here. And my thinking is that it may outlast something else that will kill this van eventually.

Terry
 
#14 ·
I know I'm going to take some heat for this, but bear with me.

...

While it may not last forever, even if I have to do it again sometime, it is a lot less work overall than the alternatives suggested here. And my thinking is that it may outlast something else that will kill this van eventually.

Terry
If it works, that's all that matters. I had to cut out portions of my tower and weld thick sheet metal in place just so I could weld the cap over the top. I doubt that any shop would have wanted to repair it without doing a full replacement. It was bad to the point where the metal was cracking and the strut was beginning to push through. Been almost a year for me and still looks good. The other side will need to be done soon while I can get away with just a cap.
 
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