Ugh...I just found rust. What is this part?

[Emission]

My '86 930 didn't have any rust on it... until I was putting some grease on the rear deckled latch and found some. I hate it when that happens.

I don't think this is on the body/chassis of the car, it looks more like a pan (surround?) around the engine. I don't think it is the engine mount/brace. What is it? How hard is it to get to? Should I worry about it immediately (or can I wait a few months)? Will the rust 'grow' if the part stays dry (don't drive in the rain)?

(The pic is from the driver side, looking back towards the bumper. The engine mount is on the right, with the large black pipes on the left for the intercooler.)

[Wayne 962]

Looks like the rear shelf - which is part of the chassis...

-Wayne

[GeorgeK]

Looks a lot like the rear engine support to me.
BTW you may want to replace some rubber there.
GeorgeK

[Adam]

It seems to be looking back towards the rear bumper. That's the sticker advising timing/idle etc in the upper middle of the shot.

[dean]

It is hard to tell but it looks like the engine tin got hot from the turbo and the paint came off. It looks like surface rust on the tin and the rubber seal is torn. If that is the case then you should fix the rubber seal, so the fan doesn't suck hot air.

[Jadams1]

If it's just surface rust clean it up and get some POR-15 on it then spray it with some touch up paint. Blown is right, replace the seal so you don't pull hot air back into the engine bay.

[Todd Simpson]

That's not too bad, it looks like rust on the engine tin. You'll need to drop the motor to replace that seal and get to the piece that needs to be painted, maybe a partial engine drop would do it.

[gregk1]

Boy if that's all the rust you got Your a Lucky man! POR 15 It Like Jadams said

[Emission]

Thanks for the help (and words of encouragement). Being from Southern California, the slightest bit of rust scares me. Come to think of it... even rain scares us!

POR-15, and a new gasket it is.

[surflvr911sc]

Help me! It might rain today!! Will we melt??

I wouldn't be too worried about the rust yet. It's surface rust and I would just take care of it at the next opportunity. Of course that seal may be just the opportunity you need.

Maybe SBRI & engine drop clinic on Feb 8th?

[reed930]

I'll look tonight, but I think that area is very close to the turbo which puts out alot of heat. On my '86 930 with just 6k miles I have some surface rust right around there, very close to the turbo. If it's the piece I'm thinking of, it is just very thin tin which has a matt paint on it. I don't think I've ever seen a turbo without some rust around there. Hope this helps.

Chris

[Emission]

Originally posted by reed930
I'll look tonight, but I think that area is very close to the turbo which puts out alot of heat.

It is just above the turbo. That piece of metal can easily hit 400 F. (so paint doesn't really stand a chance unless it is BBQ-ready).

On mine, I wonder how long it has been there... I'll feel much better knowing other 930's have it too.

[john walker's workshop]

they all rust the tin down there. that's a difficult piece of tin to remove on a 930, so best to deal with it in the car.

[reed930]

Emission,

I just checked my car and there is rust in the same place as on yours. Most of the paint is still on that tin piece but where it is flaking there is rust underneath. I've noticed this before and just chalked it up to the high temps in that area. I really wouldn't worry about it, and I worry just about everything.

[Emission]

Thanks to all with 930's who share my pain (rust). Now that my pulse is back to normal, it doesn't seem that my engine will fall out tomorrow. Whew.

If, and when, I tackle the repair... I'll post procedures and pics. Please do the same if you get to it first.

Regards.

[tsuter]

Don't know about the rust but that motor mount is shot!

[Emission]

Originally posted by tsuter
Don't know about the rust but that motor mount is shot!

That goes on my (ever growing) list. This is my first used car since I was in High School. I never realized how long the 'List of things to do' could get!

[dean]

Originally posted by Emission
That goes on my (ever growing) list. This is my first used car since I was in High School. I never realized how long the 'List of things to do' could get!

Amen brother

[logician]

Hi,

What you see rusted is only the rear engine tin -- not structural. I agree with others that the heat from the turbo and exhaust has cooked to paint off. While the tin is held on by only a few small screws, it is a real pain to remove and replace because of all the pipes that run through it, and also because it is behind the engine mounts. So I would leave it alone until the next time you have to remove the engine. I recently did some work on my 930 engine, and while I had all the engine tin off, had it powder coated. Hopefully, the power coat will hold up to the heat...

At any rate, the slightly bigger problem that you might be concerned about is the chipped rubber road seal that you see there in the picture. Since it is broken, some air from under the engine will get sucked up through the space, and potentially cause your heating air to smell. That was the case in my 930. I think you might be able to replace that seal without removing the engine entirely, although I believe that you will have to lower the rear of the engine down enough to access the seal. I replaced the seal while the engine was outside of the car.

-Juan

[Emission]

Originally posted by logician
"...Since it is broken, some air from under the engine will get sucked up through the space, and potentially cause your heating air to smell. "

-Juan

I am getting a strange exhaust-type smell in the car under hard acceleration/RPM. I wonder if it is from that broken gasket?