Crack in body under spare

[PETERPJERO1]

Have found a crack in tailgate body under spare. I dont know about the first two owners but I havent done any really bad roads. Im well out of any warranty now. Have a spare wheel lift kit fitted. Crack in LH lower area. Any thoughts please.

[Hill]

Stress fractures

Previous owner/s were not as kind to vehicle as you.

Monitor and fix if cracks get worse.

Hill

[RoyHarvey]

To monitor sounds like a reasonable option particularly now that you have a photo to compare at next check.

If it were mine I would want to remove the internal trim and see if there is a bracing panel or bracket adjacent to the crack, or possibly some way of adding support to reduce the stress in that area.

[KiwiNTPajero]

maybe some tape or small marks with a marker to be able to see where the ends of the crack are at the moment.

[old Jack]

The crack you can see on the outside of the paint will be slightly shorter than the actual crack. Also the longer the crack is left like it is the more it will grow.
Best to remove the rear door trim and have a look to see if there is something causing the issue. Then find the end of the crack on the inside of the door and drill a 3mm diameter hole so the edge of the hole just touches the end of the crack. Then with a 4mm drill carefully enlarge the hole from the outside. Deburr both sides and touch the paint up. This will stop the cracking from growing longer.

OJ.

[geopaj]

The crack you can see on the outside of the paint will be slightly shorter than the actual crack. Also the longer the crack is left like it is the more it will grow.
Best to remove the rear door trim and have a look to see if there is something causing the issue. Then find the end of the crack on the inside of the door and drill a 3mm diameter hole so the edge of the hole just touches the end of the crack. Then with a 4mm drill carefully enlarge the hole from the outside. Deburr both sides and touch the paint up. This will stop the cracking from growing longer.

OJ.

That's what I was going to suggest but I'd then seal the holes with a blob of silicone to minimise dust/moisture entry.

[old Jack]

That's what I was going to suggest but I'd then seal the holes with a blob of silicone to minimise dust/moisture entry.

Foil tape on the back to weather proof is better as the silicon can be absorbed into the surround paint work that then can cause issues when painting the repair later on. Alternatively there are non silicone sealants that are acrylic polymers (Selleys All Clear) that work just as well as silicones that are silicone free.

OJ.

[NFT5]

Drilling holes and silicone isn't going to fix a crack in sheet metal long term.

This is not something that I recall seeing or knowing of as a Pajero problem so I'd be investigating the actual cause. First on my list of suspects would be the spare wheel lift which I suspect may change the way loadings from the weight of the spare are distributed around the door. By lifting the attachment point of the spare it seems very likely that increased stresses are going to be created opposite, i.e. down low on the door.

I'd be getting it fixed properly, welding the crack and repainting but I'd also be looking at ways to better distribute the stresses - on the basis that it may just come back.

[old Jack]

Drilling the ends of the crack will stop them from getting longer. Also this is a good practice prior to doing a weld repair on thin metal.

OJ.

[PETERPJERO1]

re Crack in body under spare

Holes drilled, crack now rust treated and sikaflex appied. Crack is unsuitable to tape because of shape of area. I will inspect it later. Yesterday I found more evidence of vehicle being in an accident which may be the cause. Thanks for the help much appreciated.

[starjunk]

Holes drilled, crack now rust treated and sikaflex appied. Crack is unsuitable to tape because of shape of area. I will inspect it later. Yesterday I found more evidence of vehicle being in an accident which may be the cause. Thanks for the help much appreciated.

Bummer. I hate when sellers don't disclose full history. Most people are just too greedy to do so. Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong... Every time I sell a car, I feel ripped off.