Dash Click/Rattle

[SlovakBeerChip]

Do you have an idea on which side they worked on? I really wonder want kind of insulation they put

Regular, everyday ticking noise, it was on the right side, directly vertical of the middle of the wiper blade. Sorry, i didn't go as far to ask what kind of insulation or padding he put under there.

 

[4RunnerTRDPRO]

Winter is coming so what's the official definitive fix for this temperature sensitive tick?
Is it the wiper tubes, the cowling, the clips, the windshield?
Is there a TSA? Anyone with 100% certainty?

 

[heffelfinger007]

My 16 Limited windshield tick came back because it dipped into the 50s again. It's infuriating, and I'll probably be tearing out the cowl to see if I can find anything this weekend.

 

[Boyds4Runner]

So I think I found My Squeak and associated ticking noise

Since about the 3rd month of owning my 2015 4Runner on my first off-road trip in the snow I started to hear a ticking kind of squeak noise coming from the passenger side, front windshield lower dash area.

At first it mostly happened in very cold weather (below freezing for sure) and during flex moments or going over bumpy terrain at decent speed.

3 years later and during a recent sub-20-degree-F cold snap in the Mid-Atlantic East Coast it became constant. To the point where I really had to try and find it.

I originally suspected it was coming from the passenger dash speaker area. Driving around with that removed along with the A-Pillar garnish on the passenger side did not stop the noise.

I tried the double-sided foam tape on the inner wheel liner fasteners but that did not do it for me.

Finally, after some mention here about it coming from the outside cowl area I decided to take a look there.

First I had to remove the wiper arms. Once the cap is off it needs a 14mm socket to remove. it's not on super tight. Picture 1 and 2.

There are two push-button fasteners one on each extreme side of the cowl that need to be removed. There is also an edge trim piece that goes up the bottom side of each end of the windshield that pries out. Picture 3 and 4

With the cowl off I decided to spray and wipe the contacting surfaces with Silicone spray. Picture 5

I started thinking that a squeak had to come from some area that should show some type of friction wear.

I think I found it! This is the passenger side area where the cowl clips in with the push-button fastener. Driver side was not as worn but did have some wear although the squeak didn't seem to come from the driver side. Picture 6

Double-sided stick foam tape in the holes for the push-button and Silicone spray for all of the contact points seemed to have silenced the noise for now. I will report back after some more weathering on the cowl.

Hope this helps solve it for some or most of you.

 

[transistor]

Since about the 3rd month of owning my 2015 4Runner on my first off-road trip in the snow I started to hear a ticking kind of squeak noise coming from the passenger side, front windshield lower dash area.

At first it mostly happened in very cold weather (below freezing for sure) and during flex moments or going over bumpy terrain at decent speed.

3 years later and during a recent sub-20-degree-F cold snap in the Mid-Atlantic East Coast it became constant. To the point where I really had to try and find it.

I originally suspected it was coming from the passenger dash speaker area. Driving around with that removed along with the A-Pillar garnish on the passenger side did not stop the noise.

I tried the double-sided foam tape on the inner wheel liner fasteners but that did not do it for me.

Finally, after some mention here about it coming from the outside cowl area I decided to take a look there.

First I had to remove the wiper arms. Once the cap is off it needs a 14mm socket to remove. it's not on super tight. Picture 1 and 2.

There are two push-button fasteners one on each extreme side of the cowl that need to be removed. There is also an edge trim piece that goes up the bottom side of each end of the windshield that pries out. Picture 3 and 4

With the cowl off I decided to spray and wipe the contacting surfaces with Silicone spray. Picture 5

I started thinking that a squeak had to come from some area that should show some type of friction wear.

I think I found it! This is the passenger side area where the cowl clips in with the push-button fastener. Driver side was not as worn but did have some wear although the squeak didn't seem to come from the driver side. Picture 6

Double-sided stick foam tape in the holes for the push-button and Silicone spray for all of the contact points seemed to have silenced the noise for now. I will report back after some more weathering on the cowl.

Hope this helps solve it for some or most of you.

Thanks for posting this write-up! I've tried everything without any success so far. I really hope this does the trick.

 

[Boyds4Runner]

Thanks for posting this write-up! I've tried everything without any success so far. I really hope this does the trick.

I have been through snow, lots of days below 30 and 20 degrees and several car-washes since.

I can say with complete confidence that this fix did the trick for me!

Not a single squeak, click or tick has come from the front windshield area. Not a peep! It's quiet inside the truck again except for the road and tire noise of-course.

I would say it was definitely the piece of double-sided foam tape placed between where the push-button fasteners attached the cowl to the firewall that did it (One fastener at each end).

Cover the hole on the firewall frame with the tape and poke a hole through the tape for the push button fastener to go through once the cowl is back over it. Removing the entire cowl and spraying silicone lube all over was not necessary.

Hope it works for you!

 

[Judd94]

This is great info. I’ll have to come back to this thread later

 

[transistor]

I have been through snow, lots of days below 30 and 20 degrees and several car-washes since.

I can say with complete confidence that this fix did the trick for me!

Not a single squeak, click or tick has come from the front windshield area. Not a peep! It's quiet inside the truck again except for the road and tire noise of-course.

I would say it was definitely the piece of double-sided foam tape placed between where the push-button fasteners attached the cowl to the firewall that did it (One fastener at each end).

Cover the hole on the firewall frame with the tape and poke a hole through the tape for the push button fastener to go through once the cowl is back over it. Removing the entire cowl and spraying silicone lube all over was not necessary.

Hope it works for you!

That did the trick! There was foam between the plastic and metal on the passenger's side in my 2017, but not on the driver's side where the squeak was coming from. I thought it was the windshield this whole time...

 

[nb rob]

I finally got around to this.
This explains why my tick would go away after for a while every little tweak I did... it was those two push pins.

I put the double sided tape between the metal and the cowl and pushed the pins through. So far so good. That tick was the worst, and I've got lots of sounds now after 3 years.

Great pics [MENTION=3442]Boyds4Runner[/MENTION]
They will be helpful to others I'm sure

 

[nb rob]

That did the trick! There was foam between the plastic and metal on the passenger's side in my 2017, but not on the driver's side where the squeak was coming from. I thought it was the windshield this whole time...

I was convinced it was the windshield too

 

[Boyds4Runner]

That did the trick! There was foam between the plastic and metal on the passenger's side in my 2017, but not on the driver's side where the squeak was coming from. I thought it was the windshield this whole time...

Glad it worked!

Was the car purchased new and Toyota almost had a complete fix? Or was it a second hand purchase and the previous owner figured it out for the passenger side only?

 

[transistor]

Glad it worked!

Was the car purchased new and Toyota almost had a complete fix? Or was it a second hand purchase and the previous owner figured it out for the passenger side only?

It was purchased new. I wonder if they just forgot to put the foam on the driver's side on mine, or maybe it rubbed off? It was that really light-duty foam material, so I ended up putting double-sided Gorilla mounting tape on both sides.

 

[barcainho]

I also had this slight squeak near the windshield/speaker passenger side. I thought it was the speaker mesh thingy and when applied a bit of pressure to the top of the speaker the squeak goes away. I haven't figured out a permanent solution yet

 

[transistor]

[MENTION=3442]Boyds4Runner[/MENTION] Is your fix still working for you? Mine still works on smooth roads, but I took it on a forest service road for the first time since I tried fixing it and it's just as bad as ever. Not sure if it's the warmer weather or what, but I'm about to take a baseball bat to my 4runner...

 

[kenbelt]

I purchased a new 4Runner in Dec and it was squeak free. After a short off highway excursion on a washboard dirt road here in AZ that all changed. As soon as I returned to the asphalt the squeaking from my dash/windshield area was insane.

Now, I'm again squeak free. My fix was to run a plastic (nylon) trim removal tool the entire length between the dash and windshield. Afterwards I drove about 60 miles off highway and the squeaking has not returned.
Hope this helps.

 

[Boyds4Runner]

[MENTION=3442]Boyds4Runner[/MENTION] Is your fix still working for you? Mine still works on smooth roads, but I took it on a forest service road for the first time since I tried fixing it and it's just as bad as ever. Not sure if it's the warmer weather or what, but I'm about to take a baseball bat to my 4runner...

I am still free of any noise from the passenger front windshield area.

I did use double-sided foam tape under each hole where the plastic fastener goes through to the steel part. The tape is thick, almost insulating type tape about an 1" wide and 1/16" thick.

It's been through sub-freezing temperatures, heavy rain, car washes and pot-hole addled roads without any noise.

Maybe try something thick or more foam oriented? Something that the constant rubbing between the plastic and metal wont wear through as easily?

I imagine at some point I will have to replace the foam tape if a hole rubs through to make contact with the plastic on steel again but for now it's holding nice and quiet.

 

[LandCruiser]

Rattle from the dash, rattle from somewhere in the front driver's side of the engine compartment, started fall 2013, squeaking of cargo tray and rear seat attachment brackets, whoop whoop sound of rear suspension over bumps, popping sound from sunroof, buzzing sound from t-case lever... I'm sure there's more.

 

[transistor]

I am still free of any noise from the passenger front windshield area.

I did use double-sided foam tape under each hole where the plastic fastener goes through to the steel part. The tape is thick, almost insulating type tape about an 1" wide and 1/16" thick.

It's been through sub-freezing temperatures, heavy rain, car washes and pot-hole addled roads without any noise.

Maybe try something thick or more foam oriented? Something that the constant rubbing between the plastic and metal wont wear through as easily?

I imagine at some point I will have to replace the foam tape if a hole rubs through to make contact with the plastic on steel again but for now it's holding nice and quiet.

Hmmm, yeah, I might try to line the entire piece of metal with foam tomorrow. I want to just remove that entire plastic piece like you did and drive on a gravel road to see if the squeak completely disappears, but I'm having a hard time removing the wiper arm. I took the bolt off, but it's not budging... Did you do anything special to get it off?

 

[Boyds4Runner]

but I'm having a hard time removing the wiper arm. I took the bolt off, but it's not budging... Did you do anything special to get it off?

So, yes there is a bit of a trick. I saw this YouTube video where the person bangs the wipers at the joint to "unflex" it from where it's bolted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeDds3dLY7E

I found that I didn't have to bang on the joint but more like bend it up to release its angled pressure on the bolt that holds the wiper down.

In other words it seems like the spring to keep the wiper pulled firmly onto the windshield exerts enough pressure on the bolt using it for leverage. You kind of have to release the spring pressure and flex the wiper arm toward the passenger side and it will let the whole arm assembly slide straight out from the bolt.

Also, when replacing the wiper arm back, be sure to line it up properly at its resting point on the windshield so that when it sweeps up and down it doesn't bang into the bottom of the cowl or start too high up from the bottom of the windshield.

See if the video helps!

 

[mrblah]

wait til you drive fast over washboard roads for any significant amount of time.

Everything in your car will squeak including the fillings in your teeth. Also any screws you didn't locktite....GONE...lol.