Surprising Hood Tolerance variance on my 4Runner

[rob_dixon]

To answer the first question.... no the 4runner has never been in an accident.

I pointed this issue out to the dealership during routine service and they stated "it is perfectly normal, they are all like this"

Which is a blatant and easily checked lie - I was literally standing in a parking lot with many other 4runners. Ok, whatever dood. The fact he actually said this makes me want to never trust him on other "service issues" I need again. Anyway, I digress.....

My point here is to see if others noticed this on theirs and to point out how surprised I am that Japan's factory of expertise allows this type of variance. Its about a .5" up close.

 

[rob_dixon]

Well, if anyone knows why my image wont show up it would be helpful.

But here is the link:
5th gen 4runner hood tolerances - Album on Imgur

 

[ryguytheman]

Mine has this same issue, but I know what causes it. I left a little too much plastic around the edges of the plastic bumper that I cut to make room for my SSO. My metal bumper is pushing the original plastic part up a bit on one side. At least that's my theory, as I haven't gotten around to shaving it down yet.

But I'm willing to bet that your front bumper is fitted slightly differently on one side vs the other. Whether it's the tightness of the bolts/screws or maybe a clip out of place, I have no idea.

 

[gbarr]

All you have to do is turn the rubber hood height pads clock wise on one side and counter clock wise on the other. I can't believe you couldn't figure this out.

 

[rob_dixon]

All you have to do is turn the rubber hood height pads clock wise on one side and counter clock wise on the other. I can't believe you couldn't figure this out.

Thanks I will try it. I take no offense as one, I 'aint exactly mechanically inclined (didn't even know there was such a thing as hood height pads) and two, the Toyota service specialist who's been working for 14 YEARS as a service technician didn't figure it out either.

 

[DougR]

It appears to me the drivers side headlight is mounted a little too far forward and deforming the blue plastic forward and away from the left front corner of the hood. More pictures would help determine if this is the cause. Open the hood and do some measurements around and about both headlights.

 

[pDubs]

Just look for these on the hood, screw or unscrew to adjust.

 

[DougR]

All you have to do is turn the rubber hood height pads clock wise on one side and counter clock wise on the other. I can't believe you couldn't figure this out.

According to the pictures, it appears the distance between the hood and top of the headlight is about the same on both sides. Measure the gap on both sides before doing any adjustment. If you make an adjustment, count the number of quarter turns on each side so you can return the pads to their original positions if this doesn't fix the issue. After adjustment, check to see if the hood is higher/lower than the nearby fender just behind the headlights.

If a hood height adjustment doesn't fix the issue, then more photos at various angles are needed.

 

[rsimi72]

Well, if anyone knows why my image wont show up it would be helpful.

But here is the link:
5th gen 4runner hood tolerances - Album on Imgur

Mine is the same. I have pulled and reset the upper grille hoping to improve it, adjusted the rubber stoppers and even asked my dealer about it. The dealer said they would be willing to dig into it, but was honest that tearing it all apart might not make it better in the end. I decided to live with it and not take the risk of having it torn apart. I think there is a lot of plastic between the bumper and the grille and the headlights, etc., and the parts are only so precise.

 

[Espresso_OI]

All you have to do is turn the rubber hood height pads clock wise on one side and counter clock wise on the other.

Resurrecting this older thread to ask the question: Is there any other adjustment for the hood - other than these two rubber height pads?

My hood has almost no gap on the driver side, and a little gap on the passenger side.

*Not in an accident but I have bottomed out the skid pretty hard while offroading...

 

[NWsuperwhiterunner]

Looks to me like when they installed the TRD PRO grill cover at the port that the guy installing it didn't re install it correctly.

 

[Nobody Special]

Well, if anyone knows why my image wont show up it would be helpful.

But here is the link:
5th gen 4runner hood tolerances - Album on Imgur

 

[sdunio]

2023 Hood Spacing

Responding to bring this thread back to life. I've installed the TRD Pro hood on my 2023 SR5. It is a capa certified hood and not OEM. I have this same issue. The sides are spaced evenly, and the hood is flush with the fenders except towards the very front. The hood is very slightly higher than the fenders in the front but the gap between the hood and grille is larger than other 4Runners. It seems like the gap is bigger on the drivers side like yours. Mine is black so it is not that noticeable, but I'd like to adjust it properly. I adjusted bump stops and there was a slight change, but the hood rattled then. I think the issue could be like was said above about the TRD pro grille install. I installed it on mine as well and I also had the bumper off again to install the TRD pro bumper valances. I'm going to try a more extreme adjustment of the bump stops lowering the drivers side and raising the passenger side to see if that helps and also prevent rattling. I have not adjusted the latch. I don't want to loosen the latch bolts unless someone can confirm that there is room to adjust them. I can't see that drilling is going to do anything good in the long run.

If anyone has any new info please reply.