2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission rusted door guts

[BBarry]

My drivers side window got stuck down early this week and I finally had a chance to pull the door panel off tonight. Everything inside the door is one big rust ball. The window stopped working because the regulator was so rusted up that the motor couldn't move it anymore. The power door lock that hasn't worked in months looks like one big hunk of rust. The crash bar across the door is all rusty but the door sheet metal is fine. Anybody else had this problem? The trucks only 30 months old and has 74,000 miles on it.



Brendan

 

[Joe Mc]

Brendan,



This is not normal for a 2002, let alone a 1993, immediately I wouldn't try to fix this on your own. My 1999 is not rusted at all. I'm thinking someone missed something on your truck's journey down the assy line (seal coater on drivers side had an itch that needed to be scratched?). Check the passenger side door to see if the same condition exists - not sure if your truck is a quad or not, check all doors. Compile data from other TDR member replies, if someone has a similar issue I'd ask the year and if it too is an 02, if so see if they'll share their vin #with you (if the # is one off from your's it could have been one heck of an itch?). Add this info to what you've found in your other doors and head off to the dealer. Maybe they will rectify this for you. If not, I'd go the next level, I think there's a Regional Customer Satisfaction Rep that tries to handle customer issues that the dealers kick before they make it to DC Corporate. I'm sure someone else will chime in with how to contact them - hope this doesn't reach that level. However, if it does and when you speak to the rep it's worth mentioning that you belong to an organization of 20,000 members that only own our type of truck that is looking forward to hear the outcome of this issue.



You may, or may not, know that Chrysler had a bad rap for being rust buckets - if you've ever heard of "MoPar = Mostly Old Parts and Rust" - that's why. Long before the D entered C, they spent grand amounts of $$$ on R&D and advertisement trying to reverse this rap. Hope you get satisfaction from them.



A thought: It's possible the door to window seal is bad and passing water and/or the drains at the door bottom are clogged - still doesn't sound normal that everything would rust to the point of failure in only 2 - 3 short years.



If you don't wish to go that route and want to just do it yourself, plan on gutting your door (window, tracks, speaker all wiring etc) and spending some time removing all the rust inside, undercoat all metal surfaces (applying pieces of tape to where everything you took out bolts on first and small straws inserted into the drains so as not to seal them) and then removing all rust on the tracks and other parts removed, throughly greasing them (we always used white or yellow grease when doing restorations) and then (since everything is apart) you should probably get new seals, wheels for the window regulator etc. , etc.



With the brief description of what I can only imagine is needed without looking at what's really involved, if it was me I'd try dealing with the dealer as 1st option.



Lastly you could just take some penetrating oil and spray the heck out of everything and get it working again. But I'd save this as the "last" course as it will only prolong the inevitable re-occurrence.



Sorry for the length. Keep us informed.



Joe Mc

 

[BBarry]

Well too late for the dealer I already fixed the window and the door lock will be fixed as soon as the lock assembly arrives. I think I figured out how the rust started. There are two rubber plugs in the bottom of the door. The forward plug on my truck is missing right where all the road salt accumalates in the winter. My guess is the salt and water mix was just blowing up in the doors while driving and there was alot salt residue inside the bottom of the door.



Only the components inside the door are rusted. The door itself doesn't seem to have any rust on it. I'm still going to wash it out good before I put a new plug in the door.



No amount of penetrating oil helped that window regulator. We tried to free it up when we first got it out of the truck and couldn't get the thing to budge.



I still have to check the passenger door out. I will do it later this week. I decided as long as the doors are ripped apart I might as well upgrade the speakers. Might as well have something positive come out of this mess.



Brendan