Welding Sills?

Hi all.

Alternatively, if you have a compressor and paraffin gun with a probe or flexi pipe, I've found on all of mine that the grommet in the back end of the sill section (faces the rear wheel) actually has a slit precut in it, so you can offer the spray probe in, give it a good blast and withdraw it without removing the grommet itself. You do have to pull the arch liner aside though to get at it.

Mike.

May be a silly question, but if filling from that slit in the rear wheel arch Mike, are you able to pack out the entire sill with waxoyl etc, or do you tend to just give it all a liberal coating?

I keep meaning to try Peter's oil idea, just need to find a patch of ground where I can leave the cars for a few hours while it all seeps out!

Ciarán

Hi Mike and Ciaran


Didn't know about that one Mike, but by the time I've found my paraffin gun and run the compressor up, I could have done it with the oil can. Your workshop is obviously more organized than mine!


Ciaran

The sills on mine have been pretty oil tight, its taken some time for the oil to reach the outside. You only need about half a pint and if the car is on a slope you can put it all in one end.

Peter.

Is old engine oil any good, or is it better to buy a specific type?

Cheers

Ciarán

I use the cheapy stuff that I normally use in the oil can, 'Motorway' or something similar, about £5.00 per gallon. Used engine oil tends to make a mess when it drips out - and if you get it on your clothes!

Peter.

Yeah -----

My workshop is to organised what George Bush is to world peace and harmony !!

Joking aside -- Ciaran, My aim with the gun is not particularly to get a shedload of the stuff in (Ankor Wax, as you didn't ask !), but to get a coating that will catch all the inner sill surfaces. It's only the layer directly on the metal that's actually doing anything; there's no need for quantity at all. Nice thing using a proper gun is that it produces a 360 deg. mist of the proofer rather than just have some run onto the lower sections. Either way, of course is vastly better than none.

For any XM virgins out there, you also need to remove all your arch liners for inspection of the metalwork behind when you get your toy. They are prone to a considerable and potentially damaging build up of soil and debris behind the liner, against the front door post. The paint on the thin tin work ahead of the liner always looks a bit dubious to me, as well.

Two other places to check, while on the topic, are above the pipe cover that runs down the LH side of the car, underneath and -- if fitted --- above the engine bottom cover. Evil device that holds wet against the subframe with potentially terminal results.

Mike.

This post has been edited by onthecut on November 01, 2008 08:04 pm

You still have a bottom engine cover!

Hi Peter.

No fear. Those of mine that have come with them I have always ditched them at the first oil change, for ease. Unfortunately, on my mothballed 2.5 the cover had led to significant corrosion on one side of the subframe.
Great shame for an important component to get stuffed by a completely useless one.

Mike.

My car is exactly the same, the passenger side at the front, towards the mudflap, is rusted. However the other side and even the back of the passenger side is perfect, solid as you like.

I put the rust down to this: When we got the Xm the windscreen washer bottle had no top, we didnt bother fixing it for a couple of years. However the car always had a slow drip of water coming from around the front mudflap (where it is now rusted) on the passenger side. Even though it had not rained for days.

Eventually we found the top of the washer bottle, it looked to be covering up a drain hole behind the washer bottle. We fitted the cap back on and cleaned out where it had been sitting for a few years. The drip stopped.

On the next MOT it was mentioned that there was a slight rusting on the front of the sill, where it had been dripping. So thats my theory on that, as the rest of the cars chassis is very solid.

The rust patch has not been mentioned on any MOTs since, however the problem is getting worse - only noticable if you look from under the car though.

So i took it to a place this morning for a quote and to book it in. We have used the place before, they did a cracking job doing a lot of welding on our old Renault 4, it looked a very good job, so i can imagine the Xm will look just as good after their fix.

So its going in next week while im away for a few days.

It seems though its a bit of a weak spot on the Xms, shame really as mine is very tidy otherwise.

Check carefully and dont get mixed up, the front wings come down OVER the cill and attach to the bottom.. this can make it look like the cill is corroded when actually its the wing... Its also a good "Crap Trap" in there!!!


Rgds
Paul

Thanks for that, unfortunately it is the sill, its rusted just back of where the wing stops. The bottom of the wing is perfect.

Very annoying!

Thought id add here:

My Xms sill has now been repaired, the garage cut out a small section, but a plate behind it as it was close to the jacking point and repaired the outer sill section. It was then filled with wax and painted.

Ive got to say, it does look a neat repair, i have some picutres of it if anyone is interested in how it looks.

The OS sill had been bent up slightly by some kind tyre fitter, so that was straightened, waxed and painted too, so both sills now match. Hopefully there wont be any more rust issues with it.

Sounds a good job well done

I'd be very interested in seeing the pics if you don't mind.

Ciarán

I have just taken delivery of my new 130a Mig welder yesterday.. so now at last I can make a start on welding up my Rear sills on the v6 24v S1.. I shall picture it as I go so you can al have a laugh at my amuter welding skills!

I have some slightly thicker then normal plate to go on, so it would be the last part standing....

I then need to tackle the front passsenger side sill on my s1.5 12v V6.. were the jack made a nice hole last year after a blow out and no trolly jack on me.


Rgds
Paul

Is there a need to disconnect any ECUs and other delicate electronics boards prior to electric welding? I remember being advised many years ago to disconnect the alternator to avoid risk of damage to the rectifier diodes, in addition to the battery of course.

Robert.