Polar Vortex Cold caused propblems

badattitude said:
I did hit it with a heat gun. The wrinkles smoothed out and I was pleased. Until...the wrinkels came back when it cooled.
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DAG GONE so close..
If you are lucky the film may have an adhesive on the back. I'd try it again, and this time use a terrycloth towel and burnish it in a little as it cools to transfer some of the heat and stickyness(if any) to the main grille. Maybe try just a small spot first to see if it takes then work in one direction.
Then if the towel doesn't work, maybe something stiffer like a soft squeegee.
The stuff looks basically like monocote that they use on model airplanes, or is it a lot thicker?
 
gaber6 said:
DAG GONE so close..
If you are lucky the film may have an adhesive on the back. I'd try it again, and this time use a terrycloth towel and burnish it in a little as it cools to transfer some of the heat and stickyness(if any) to the main grille. Maybe try just a small spot first to see if it takes then work in one direction.
Then if the towel doesn't work, maybe something stiffer like a soft squeegee.
The stuff looks basically like monocote that they use on model airplanes, or is it a lot thicker?
Click to expand...

Please keep posting pics, I don't know why I'm so intrigued by this but I am. I have to see how it turns out. :pound:
 
Power steering made some noise and it was tight steering, heat took extra long to get warm and my coilovers were extra stiff but otherwise it was fine..
 
Dang you guys, your stories sound terrible. I’m in San Diego, we got some rain but it’s currently 62 degrees and sunny.


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More heat gun on the grill last night. It shrunk again but the sticky back wouldn't hold, even when pressed on.

I was intrigued as well, sorry no new pics.

Looks like I have to decide to leave it or fix it. At this point I plan to get a new smoked chrome grill in the Spring. Other option for me is to go color matched like a limited but I like the Sport package trim and will likely stay with the original-type grill.

I bought this 4runner with 59,000 miles and as far as I can tell this is the original OEM grill.
 
I'm another Minnesota winter victim! Mine wouldn't start when the Polar Vortex hit last week - it spent 3.5 days parked. It took a little while to get moving again, but (knock on wood) all is well now!
 
ToyoT4R said:
The battery heater just sits under the battery, no need to apply any adhesive. Battery heater is a must in Alaska. The oil pan heater is applied using RTV silicone and it lasts for years. I've had one on my VW GTI since 2006 and it's still on there like I just installed it. A block heater usually replaces one of your freeze plugs and heats your antifreeze. On my VW the oil pan heater was enough to keep it from freezing and it was exposed to -65F.
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For the V6 the block heater slides into a cast hole in the block, so it's apparently super easy to install.

For the V8, the block heater replaces one of the freeze plugs. It's hard to buy the correct part (not sure if they still make it), and it's extremely difficult to install. I got mine to work eventually, the hardest part was getting the freeze plug out. But I think I read at least one person here attempted to install and couldn't get it to fit in any orientation, so had to find a replacement freeze plug. The instructions have conflicting information about which freeze plug to use, and it might depend on what year your engine is from.

I don't notice much change when I run the block heater, and it uses a noticeable amount of electricity (400 watts, so 4 cents an hour). I'm not sure it's worth it unless you live somewhere so cold that it's necessary to start the engine. I bought it to hopefully get cabin heat faster to defrost the windshield faster, since I park outside.

I knew someone who had the wrinkly grille problem on a stock highlander. Heat gun only worked temporarily for that as well, and probably made it slightly worse in the end. I don't think it was caused by extreme cold. Maybe water getting behind the plastic"chrome" and freezing?
 
badattitude said:
Other option for me is to go color matched like a limited but I like the Sport package trim and will likely stay with the original-type grill.

I bought this 4runner with 59,000 miles and as far as I can tell this is the original OEM grill.
Click to expand...

It may be OEM but I doubt the smoke coverlay is. Toyota wouldn't use a cheap film and from what I can tell they are all either chrome or colored.
You have a late 4th gen, you could pretend its an urban edition which has the sport trim & color matched front end.
 
badattitude said:
More heat gun on the grill last night. It shrunk again but the sticky back wouldn't hold, even when pressed on.

I was intrigued as well, sorry no new pics.

Looks like I have to decide to leave it or fix it. At this point I plan to get a new smoked chrome grill in the Spring. Other option for me is to go color matched like a limited but I like the Sport package trim and will likely stay with the original-type grill.

I bought this 4runner with 59,000 miles and as far as I can tell this is the original OEM grill.
Click to expand...

YotaMafia released this recently: 2006-2009 4th gen 4runner backlit grille – YotaMafia

Looks pretty good. I might be picking one up for my rig.
 
badattitude said:
Did anyone experience weird problems due to the cold weather this week? My steering was stiff. Today I noticed the cold ruined my smoked chrome grill.
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I have a Sport '07 Chrome if you need to replace it. HMU with your best offer on pricing. Comes with screws and the big ass box where my Satoshi grille was shipped to me in
 
kippem said:
Idler pulley
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I’ve noticed a squeak immediately after ignition on mine too when it’s below 15 degrees or so. I guessing it’s the same thing. Is it a reason to be concerned? Do I need to replace it, or just be thankful that spring is around the corner?
 
atalarico said:
I’ve noticed a squeak immediately after ignition on mine too when it’s below 15 degrees or so. I guessing it’s the same thing. Is it a reason to be concerned? Do I need to replace it, or just be thankful that spring is around the corner?
Click to expand...

Mine only did this on the coldest of days, and im pretty sure its been doing it all 6+ years ive owned it.. Then it gets warm out and I forget it ever happens. So I would say, get to it when you get to it lol. Just make sure your serp belt is still good
 
I just took a look at the grill on my 07 sport and noticed the same wrinkles. I'll wait until spring to see if anything changes and then look at possibly replacing it. Other than that I'll keep checking this thread to see if you find a fix.
 
Saw a hairline crack on my windshield (looked like it may have been caused from a rock)...the frigid temps caused the crack to spiderweb across my entire windshield.
 
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