Front bumper removal - HELP!

[woodman60]

I want to remove my bumper covers on my 2005 SR5 and prep them to repaint. I've searched the threads and looked at the Field Service Manual pages. While it all reads pretty straightforward, and the bolts and clips are easy to remove, I cant for the life of me find or figure out how to disengage the four "claws" that hold the top of the front bumper cover.

I assume they are in the gap that I've marked on the photo? If someone who has removed their bumper cover and can elucidate this for me
(with pictures if possible) I would be in your debt.

 

[TowMeOut]

Take out the one bolt then grab the edge along the fender well and give a firm tug, straight out. That worked fine for me. Some people wrap the tip of a slotted screwdriver with tape and try to "ease" it out. This just seemed kind of a pain in the butt.

Basically....there's a lip on the top edge of the cover with a slot in it. This lip goes in between the "claws" and a little barb on one of them grabs into the slot (that probably makes little sense). If you kind of pull straight down on that area you can see the edges of the claws on top a little better.

 

[Inv4drZm]

Yep, pull hard straight out.

Make sure to get the bolt way up high in the wheel well.

 

[meltdowner]

Can you do me a favor and take some photos of where the bumper should be pulled off from and what the "claws and tongue" look like? I couldn't get mine off when I tried a couple months ago.

I didn't want to break anything and was too afraid to do the firm tug.

 

[simple]

There is a screw hidden up in there on the inside. Make sure that is removed, or you’ll be real sad when your bumper cracks.

 

[woodman60]

There is a screw hidden up in there on the inside. Make sure that is removed, or you’ll be real sad when your bumper cracks.

I know about the screw that is in the hole in the upper fender guard. Is that the one you're talking about.

 

[simple]

I know about the screw that is in the hole in the upper fender guard. Is that the one you're talking about.

There is a screw that you cannot access from the outside. You have stick your hand up behind fog light to area to unscrew it. You should be able to see it with a flashlight if you’re under the vehicle, but you won’t be able to see it while your arm is up there. The more I think about it, the more I think I might have used a 10mm socket to remove it, instead of a screwdriver. So it might be a bolt.

 

[Mike Beyers]

FYI, I broke a few of the blue "claws" when I removed mine. Everything was unscrewed, but the claws were not cooperative. Had to buy some new ones. Just so you know, I have very little patience for bullshit little fasteners like that, and my time was well worth the price of new claws.

 

[woodman60]

Can you do me a favor and take some photos of where the bumper should be pulled off from and what the "claws and tongue" look like? I couldn't get mine off when I tried a couple months ago.

I didn't want to break anything and was too afraid to do the firm tug.

A few photos of the "clips" attached. One of my problems was previous owner decided in needed another screw to hold it together from the inside of the bumper. Dumbass...

Once I got that out, it really did come down to just taking out all the bolts/screws/fasteners and pulling. Helps if you do one side at a time, support the bottom and pull from the top near the wheel well.

Seems like sticking a screwdriver in there to depress the clip just makes it harder to get out by jamming more stuff in the small gap.

 

[hutchison]

I know about the screw that is in the hole in the upper fender guard. Is that the one you're talking about.

there are 2 screws above the fender. one is upside down u can see if through a hole (arrowed) if you look upwards in the fender( i think you refer to that one)
the other one is a horizontal 10mm screw right up behind the fender where the ckips are, feel around with your fingers .

it is real close to the upside down screw 'just' on the inside of the fender. it is above the other screw marginally and just forward of it by a few inches toward the bumper, aligned horozintally. you have to stick your fingers up inside the fender to feel it, it sits surrounded by the square plastic bits.





this the other horizontal aligned one, same bracket as vertical screw but another face. the back of the wrench is touching the inner fender thats how close it is, the screw location is about where my finger is in the above picture but inside the fender.

 

[meltdowner]

there are 2 screws above the fender. one is upside down u can see if through a hole (arrowed) if you look upwards in the fender( i think you refer to that one)
the other one is a horizontal 10mm screw right up behind the fender where the ckips are, feel around with your fingers .

it is real close to the upside down screw 'just' on the inside of the fender. it is above the other screw marginally and just forward of it by a few inches toward the bumper, aligned horozintally. you have to stick your fingers up inside the fender to feel it, it sits surrounded by the square plastic bits.





this the other horizontal aligned one, same bracket as vertical screw but another face. the back of the wrench is touching the inner fender thats how close it is, the screw location is about where my finger is in the above picture but inside the fender.

I bet I missed that one! I was under there for an hour looking around. I just decided to work around it when I replaced the headlights. I'm going to take this bumper off in spring and do some rust cleanup and prevention. Thanks a lot team! This is extremely helpful!

 

[hutchison]

I bet I missed that one! I was under there for an hour looking around. I just decided to work around it when I replaced the headlights. I'm going to take this bumper off in spring and do some rust cleanup and prevention. Thanks a lot team! This is extremely helpful!

you have to pull the plastic liner out, and then pull it toward caliper enough so you can get your hand in, get your hand up where the green arrow is. there are two 10mm hex head bolts up there. one vertical arrowed is easy to find, one horizontal.. best way i can describe it is you will feel a load of 'squares' with your fingertips on that plastic bracket where the tiny socket is , the tiny 10mm socket drops into one of those squares, and is hiding a 10mm self tapper hex head bolt just sub flush!....unless you felt to the bottom of the square holes you would not feel it with your finger tip. your o/all socket size needs to be equal or less than 1.25" to get in there, but they come loose relatively easy.. its probably rusted a bit, but it sits threaded into plastic so its not totally seized. once both sides removed pull the lower part of the bumper away from the car at that join seam and it should come off forwards away from the engine bay.

far too cold out there now to be rollin on the concrete :smow:
by the way thanks for the camber bolts woodman, top job.

 

[nalkify]

front bumer install on 4th gen

in trying to install a bumper because most of the screws were already missing from the last owner that had it and i cant find where the screw screws into under the fender liner because its just a hole and there's nowhere for it to screw into anything. so if anyone can post pictures of where that screw screws into that would be nice.

Thanks