03 Skid plates... HORRIBLE CLANKING

[jonnyquest]

I just had my first oil change on a used (new to me) 03 4Runner (V8 w/99k miles). As i was getting close to home noticed a lot a clanking coming from underneath.

Stuck my head had underneath and shook the truck and noticed the racket coming from the skid plates. I haven't jacked it up to further investigate yet, but thought i'd check with you guys first.

Is there a trick to putting them back on?

There's also a lot of clunking coming from the rear as well??
(My 99 4Runner is so much more quieter!)

 

[spyne]

Make sure all four bolts are on and tight. Perhaps one, or more, were left loose after the oil change.

 

[Fumbler]

When I got my 2003 a few months ago I found that two of the 4 skid plate bolts were missing and the tabs at the front of the plate were bent.

First, make sure you have all 4 bolts.
Second, make sure the tabs at the front are not bent. When taking the plate off, you pull it towards the front of the 4R, let the plate down a little, then wiggle a little to unhook those tabs. If they are bent then the skid plate will not mount correctly and can cause the front bolts to jam making it impossible to tighten it down all the way.
Third, make sure your bolts aren't stripped. That happens easily...