Taking down my headliner

Mixed4u

New member
OK. I've had the audio system installed that I'm fanatical about. Now I'm addressing all the rattling my 4Runner is making that is caused by the new sound system. I can't believe my 4Runner is so 'loose' all over. I've searched the site and cannot find exactly what I am looking for. Has anyone had any experience dropping their headliner? I have the rattling sound near the back and it's in the roof over the headliner and it's driving me nuts. Like it
 
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It can be done just a couple things to think about:

-have some help, if you don't you can easily bend the cardboard while taking the headliner down. It is large and awkward so you need another set of hands.

-be very careful with the clips, do not just rip them down otherwise you will be looking for replacements.

-allow for a couple days to do this if you haven't done it before, you don't want to be half way through and have to go back to work...he he...been there before...

-oh and of course be organized with all the trim pieces and screws you will have to take down so you can find all the parts easily.
 
As mentioned in the previous post, it is definately a lot of work. I imagine it will cost quite a bit if you pay someone to do it since it is a lot of work. If the rattles are bugging you, they will continue to drive you crazy until you fix it.

To get to the headliner, you need to remove all the panels in the cargo area (floor parts, lower side panels, and upper panels). Then comes the accessories on the headliner like the lights and visors. The electrical wiring runs down the A pillar to the fuse box (with cable ties along the way), so if you want to remove it completely, you will have to disassemble part of the dash (similar to removing head unit). However, you can access most of the roof for sound deadening with the electrical wires connected and the headliner hanging down on the seats.

You will need two people to hold the headliner and upper cargo panels when removing and replacing. Also, be prepared to spend more than one day on this project and be prepared to drive around without the cargo panels if you don't get everything done in the time frame you hoped for. On the plus side, this will give you an opportunity to sound deaden much of your truck.

I found the toughest part of the project to be taking off the overhead console/sunroof control and replacing the upper cargo panels. With the panels, I think I just had too much sound deadening material and it was preventing it from going back on OK.

As far as instructions, I don't have a write up. There are pretty good instructions for removing the cargo panels on this forum...search Rando's posts. If you need any instructions on any particular panel, or any pictures, let me know. I recently posted a pic of the bare roof, search my posts if you want to see what it looks like. I don't have the rest of my pics on this computer, so I will post them another day if you want to see them.

The headliner is pretty robust and I did no damage to it. It is back on as tight as before. I broke a few clips, mostly from being careless after getting fatigued. It cost me about $30 to replace my mistakes. In reality, the only clips you might need to replace is the small round ones (4) in the headliner, and they are about 50 cents each from the dealer. There are a few tricky pieces - the star shaped cargo net holders especially. See Rando's instructions on those.

Good luck.
 
DId you notice a significant decrease in ambient noise when "sound-deadened" you did the headliner?
 
Originally posted by Jrunr
DId you notice a significant decrease in ambient noise when "sound-deadened" you did the headliner?
I went back to the place that installed my system (Best Buy-Chino Hills, CA) and they agreed to sound deaden my 4Runner for me and include it as part of the original install so it's going to end up costing me nothing to have it done. I have an appointment scheduled for this Sunday. I'll post the results after they are finished.
 

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