New Truck- Offroading in FL mud and rust?

Hi folks, new member here with a new 4x4 offroad as my first truck. Only had cars previously. Currently the truck has 4400 miles and has been offroaded 3-4 times. That has included a few muddy puddles 2-3 feet deep max maybe? I wash the truck after every excursion and use a lawn sprinkler on the underside as well.

When installing a new skid plate I was surprised at the residue left on the inside of the stock skids I removed, as well as parts of frame, driveshaft, and suspension, even after what I felt was hours worth of meticulous cleaning. Pics attached. Do I need to worry in terms of rust and longevity? I’ve read online that mud can be bad for a frame, but not sure if what is in the pics is considered within the realm of frame damaging mud. Fluid film and other recommendations I have seen from folks in the north seem like overkill here, with no salty roads. But is it recommended when offroading?

I’m new to the hobby. Thanks so much for your advice.

 

Nah you're probably alright. Seem pretty normal. But cleaning it out is pretty important. If u wanna stay on top of it, look into fluid film / cosmoline.

 

Now that you know where it hides just wash it out better.

That whole sprinkler thing is better than nothing. Barely.

 

Rinsing is critical, as a Floridian! I live in beachside and rinse every couple days. A buddy rinsed 10lbs of Moab mud off his 4Runner in my driveway last week, it finds places to hangout

 

Why are you going through water that deep? Do you know that water is that deep before going through or are you bombing through and just lucky to not have damage yet?

 

That mud is the worst. I feel like it lingers in the gutter for so long haha.

 

Made it all the way from Utah to fl haha

 

Thanks for the replies. Are you all using pressure washers to get into the crevices? I will need to add one to the shopping list, but was a bit nervous about peeling the frame paint from the pressure. @TokyoJoe. 3 feet is maybe a bit of an exaggeration. It has never gotten over my side steps. So maybe a foot and a half? Needless to say I will be avoiding standing water now that I know better.

 

Don’t avoid it, just be careful! Some are much deeper than they look (; I use one of those “pressure wands” on my regular hose and it does fine. Pressure washer might be overkill

 

I live in Minnesota where we have salt and mud and I don’t do anything other than spend $20 at the manual car wash to get most off it off. If you want to seriously get it all off, you need to dismantle the truck. Mud, salt, and grim get everywhere.

I don’t spray anything sticky on my truck (or dirt bikes) , because it tends to collect grime and just generally be counter productive. I use a bit of T9 sparingly on areas that need lube and corrosion resistance.

Maintaining the inner functional parts of your truck/motorcycle is more important than the exterior. Tacoma’s are pretty maintenance free in this regard, but there are grease zercs on the drive shaft and on many aftermarket upgrade parts (eg SPC UCAs)

 

I’ve never removed paint with a pressure washer at a manual car wash, but there is also little reason to use that much pressure for mud. I think it’s better to get in there with your fingers, a stick, or a brush after getting it wet. Sometimes you just need to scrape it away. The stuff with a lot of clay resists water almost like concrete.

 

Mud is corrosive. Mud pits are fun but I don't personally think that fun is worth extra rust. If you can get it home and wash it off before it starts to rust, it's less of an issue.

 

Especially in Florida, we’re just a big sandbar, been under water before and will be again!

 

Nothing to worry about there sir.

It’s important to wash your undercarriage right after off-roading, if you can of course, to wash off all the mud before it dries.

 

I really don’t worry about mud causing rust on my exterior, but I do worry about how much more work it will take to get off if I let it dry.

Mud is unavoidable if you drive off road in wet states. It’s just something you have to deal with if you want to get out there. It can be tons of fun too!

 

X2.

 

Thank you all for the replies. I love how active this forum is, and appreciate all the good advice. I'll get under there and wipe down as much as I can post offroading.The funny thing is everything looks clean when it's wet. When it dries, you can get to see all of your leftover dirty spots. Lol

 

Try one of these.

$35 ZALALOVA Pressure Washer Undercarriage Cleaner, 16" Power Washer Surface Cleaner Attachments, Under Car Wash Water Broom w/ 2 Pcs Extension Wand 1 Pc 60¡ã Angled Wand, 4000 PSI

Amazon.com: ZALALOVA Pressure Washer Undercarriage Cleaner, 16 Inch Power Washer Surface Cleaner Attachments, Under Car Wash Water Broom w/ 2 Pcs Extension Wand 1 Pc 60° Angled Wand, 4000 PSI : Patio, Lawn & Garden

 

Yes!- something like this is on my list if I ever decide to invest in a power washer

 

I feel your pain/concern

After 7 months I was alarmed by the amount of rust under my truck see thread here.
I have since:

Sanded and painted 2 visible spots (small but was driving me crazy)

Sprayed Woolwax under truck - you can get it in convenient spray cans (got a 4 pack with some gizmos to help apply for like $60)

Ordered mud flaps - I drive on a gravel/ dirt road on a somewhat regular basis, I suspect the rocks kicking up were chipping slightly at the black coating on the frame/drive shaft. causing some of what looks like small rusty dots. (I will remove them for offroading or possibly long stretches away from this area since I don't really like flaps appearance typically.)

For your case I say just rinse it really well after going through mud/ offroad and you should be fine I am a bit nuts so I might spray some woolwax anyway now and again since it seems pretty resistant to washing away so maybe it will provide an extra layer of protection.