What to do when you have stripped skid plate bolts.

[2012sr5]

There are two types of 4runners out there...those with stripped skid plate bolts and those not yet with stripped skid plate bolts.

After the Great Oil Debacle of 2017, I decided to start changing my own oil. Lo and behold, two of my skid plate bolts were stripped. :tsk:

So I ordered four more (I figured it's always good to have extras).
part # 90080-11373 .

I had to learn this the hard way: if your skid plate bolts are stripped, and you put a new one in where the old stripped one was, chances are it's going to strip the new one, too. And it will seem like you didn't even have to use enough force to strip it. (Good thing I got those extras.) So you'll need these two things:
1. 8mm x 1.25 tap
2. T-handle tap wrench.

Secure your tap in the T-handle tap wrench, and slowly, carefully screw the tap into the bolt threads by hand. There will be a bit of resistance, as if the threads feel like they're dirty. Well, they are dirty...with the pieces of thread that were stripped off your bolts. Once you run the end of the tap through the end of the threads, it will become far easier to turn. I went ahead a few more turns before backing it out.

When installing the new skid plate bolts, coat them in some anti-seize, and start each bolt by hand. Then, you can use your torque wrench to set them at 21 ft-lbs.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[TPz_Fuchs]

One thing that is not mentioned during the discussion of chasing out dirty/damaged threads with a tap - be sure to back the tap out about 1/2 to 1 turns after every 2 to3 turns into the threads. 3 turns forward and one turn back. This will allow the cuttings and crap you are cutting out of the existing threads to fall into the flutes of the tap and help keep the cutting area clean. And don't forget the oil. You really don't want to damage those threads.

 

[brenfoley]

Been there, done this. Best $12 I have spent buying this tap!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[1000MPH]

I would suggest not torqueing to 21ft-lbs because the nuts are already compromised. Especially if you're going to use anti-seize, I would just do them snug with a 1/4" drive.
I did as you did but finally stripped the nut. !@#$% dealers.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Stripped threads

Yes, good tips on re-threading the welded nuts in the frame and using new bolts.
Be sure to follow TPz_Fuchs advice for using cutting oil or WD40 and backing out the tap every other turn.
But what do you do if the dealer has overtightened the bolts with their impact wrench when doing the "FREE" oil change and then you strip the bolt heads trying to get them out? I had to cut my old OEM skid plate off, cutting around the bolts. Then I used a hammer and chisel on one side of the bolt to start turning it. Once it turned it came out with my fingers. :boom:
You don't need an impact wrench to torque these on. Or a torque wrench. Just put 21 lbs of pressure at 12" out on the breaker bar (or 14 lbs at 18") :yawn:

 

[jrandom]

Yep when “free” isn’t free. Most dealer service = :mmph:

 

[2012sr5]

One thing that is not mentioned during the discussion of chasing out dirty/damaged threads with a tap - be sure to back the tap out about 1/2 to 1 turns after every 2 to3 turns into the threads. 3 turns forward and one turn back. This will allow the cuttings and crap you are cutting out of the existing threads to fall into the flutes of the tap and help keep the cutting area clean. And don't forget the oil. You really don't want to damage those threads.

Great point about working it forward and back. Thanks!

I would suggest not torqueing to 21ft-lbs because the nuts are already compromised. Especially if you're going to use anti-seize, I would just do them snug with a 1/4" drive.
I did as you did but finally stripped the nut. !@#$% dealers.

I would suggest not re-using compromised bolts. :doh: I ordered new ones at the link above.

You don't need an impact wrench to torque these on. Or a torque wrench. Just put 21 lbs of pressure at 12" out on the breaker bar (or 14 lbs at 18") :yawn:

Clean threads. New bolts. Wrench (not impact) set to 21 ft lbs, which is spec. That's how I'm gonna do it.

 

[secretskwirrel]

Helicoil tips

I did my first oil change myself at 5k and took it in to the dealer at 10k. At 15k when I was doing the third oil change, I noticed one of the bolts would keep spinning. After I chased the hole with a tap and replaced the bolt with a new one, it held fine and snug until I made the mistake of taking it to the dealer for the 20k oil change. At 25k one of the front bolts threads was completely stripped and I could slide the bolt out with my fingers. I ended up installing a Helicoil.

If anyone else does the Helicoil fix, here are a couple tips:

1. You need to remove the spacer bracket(s) that go between the skid plate and the frame. It's held on by a single bolt in the rear (14mm) which was pretty easy to loosen, especially considering it was factory installed. No PB Blaster needed.

2. Even with the spacer bracket removed, installing the Helicoil is tricky because the surface of the radiator support frame doesn't allow you to press the installation tool directly onto the hole. There's a 1/16" gap. You thus have to use a tap handle, align the tool perfectly under the hole, then spin the tap handle smoothly and without stopping until the Helicoil eventually pushes into the hole and threads.

3. The Helicoil is slightly longer than the depth of the hole, so after you install the Helicoil, the tang and several wounds of coil will be above and beyond the threads. If you try to punch out the tang, the coil will just stretch up and spring back without the tang breaking. To avoid this predicament, you will need to shorten the Helicoil by approximately three coils. (To be safe, you should measure the depth of the threads and cut out the appropriate amount of coil.) In my case, because the Helicoil was already installed before I realized that it extended beyond the last thread, I just left it that way and the bolt still went in and installed fine.

With anti-seize, I tightened the bolts to 15 lb ft and it seems to be holding fine a few miles later. I'll return and let everyone know if it doesn't hold and something spectacular happens.

Needless to say, I won't be going back to the dealer again. EVER.

 

[yardsale]

Pretty sure the old bolts are fine. What is stripping are the internal threads in the hole.

 

[Jetboy]

Pretty sure the old bolts are fine. What is stripping are the internal threads in the hole.

Run a die over the OEM bolts. They're surprisingly bad in my experience. I cut a lot of metal off of a few of them. Not sure what changed. I've never had this issue with other Toyota models.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Skid Plate bolts

Run a die over the OEM bolts. They're surprisingly bad in my experience. I cut a lot of metal off of a few of them. Not sure what changed. I've never had this issue with other Toyota models.

Hi Jetboy,
What other Toyota models? Do they have skid plates. It may be unique to off-road SUVs. I think the service tech's must see these skid plates as a bothersome piece of sheet metal they don't want to deal with. But driving 8mm screws in with an impact wrench is just stupid. Most of us can apply 21 ft-lb of torque with a ratchet and 6-point socket. As pervasive as this problem is, Toyota should teach their tech's some proper procedures and some respect/courtesy for their customers.

 

[Jetboy]

I've had a bunch of different Toyota models. Three of them with GR series engines that required some sort of panel removal. IS250, RX350, and the 4Runner. The 4Runner is the only one with a steel skid that comes off. But the other two require plastic cover panels to be removed. Lexus does a full oil change for $50. I don't touch em. The general comment though was that the skid hardware is not very good. Nor are the other bolts like the rear tow hoop bolts. They are not the same as the normal zinc yellow hardware Toyota has used forever. Even the OEM hardware on my 1974 FJ40 is in better condition than my 2015 4Runner. The current bolts are crap. No other way to put it.

The 4Runner I swap periodically. My snow plow doesn't fit with the TRD Pro skid. And I broke the TRD Pro skid, so now I have a steel TRD Pro style skid for the summer and the original steel one for winter with the plow sub frame. So I probably install/remove them more than most.

In general the rolled thread hardware has always been trouble free. But after a few broken weld nuts - I decided to see what was happening. I found that the bolts themselves are not very good. You'll cut a lot of metal off running them through a die. Tapping the nuts is often not enough. The bolts are part of the problem.

 

[2012sr5]

Pretty sure the old bolts are fine. What is stripping are the internal threads in the hole.

That wasn't my experience at all. After chasing the threads with a tap and getting all the metal out, brand new OEM bolts have been holding my skid plate snug ever since, and I like to think it's because I'm the only one removing and installing them now. I threw away the old bolts; otherwise I'd post a pic of how smooth they were. It looked like someone sanded away the threads.

The general comment though was that the skid hardware is not very good. Nor are the other bolts like the rear tow hoop bolts. They are not the same as the normal zinc yellow hardware Toyota has used forever.

Maybe it's because it's a lot easier to just get a new bolt and chase the threads when someone messes up. If the bolts were really tough, when (not if) a tech put them in incorrectly with his impact, it would probably ruin the internal threads the first time. Total speculation on my part, but it seems that Toyota knew sloppy techs would be messing up these bolts since these plates have to come off for every oil change.

 

[1000MPH]

A little of both.

 

[Ghostrider]

Not yet climbed under mine since I was moving and the change had to be done so I paid the dealer. However, on my 2001, the first thing I did was replace with factory bolts on the shield with some decent ones from Ace hardware. I can't remember the reason but the folks on the 3rd gen forum back in 2000 highly recommended quickly replacing the factory bolts. Is that an option here - has anyone replaced the factory ones with anything better?

 

[Jetboy]

That wasn't my experience at all. After chasing the threads with a tap and getting all the metal out, brand new OEM bolts have been holding my skid plate snug ever since, and I like to think it's because I'm the only one removing and installing them now. I threw away the old bolts; otherwise I'd post a pic of how smooth they were. It looked like someone sanded away the threads.



Maybe it's because it's a lot easier to just get a new bolt and chase the threads when someone messes up. If the bolts were really tough, when (not if) a tech put them in incorrectly with his impact, it would probably ruin the internal threads the first time. Total speculation on my part, but it seems that Toyota knew sloppy techs would be messing up these bolts since these plates have to come off for every oil change.

They changed a lot of the hardware from yellow zinc to aluminum and zinc coating by the looks of it. The hardware looks something like dacromet - aluminum based corrosion resistance with zinc. In isolation it lasts a extremely well. The problem is that it also has aluminum in it - so it's soft and also very high friction and high tendency to bind. This also applies to other places - like the suspension cam bolts. And the tow hoop bolts in the rear. What works for a one time use hardware isn't always a good option for hardware that is going to be used a lot. And I think that the machining or rolling thread process isn't very good if my hardware is representative of a typical set. The threads just aren't very good.

 

[Nick B]

What is the factory torque spec for the skid bolts ?

 

[Jetboy]

Not yet climbed under mine since I was moving and the change had to be done so I paid the dealer. However, on my 2001, the first thing I did was replace with factory bolts on the shield with some decent ones from Ace hardware. I can't remember the reason but the folks on the 3rd gen forum back in 2000 highly recommended quickly replacing the factory bolts. Is that an option here - has anyone replaced the factory ones with anything better?

I've replaced all the hardware around the rear end of my 4Runner. Next time the skid is off I'll do the same up front. I already know I've got another bad one now based on how it went together last time.

 

[secretskwirrel]

I did my first oil change myself at 5k and took it in to the dealer at 10k. At 15k when I was doing the third oil change, I noticed one of the bolts would keep spinning. After I chased the hole with a tap and replaced the bolt with a new one, it held fine and snug until I made the mistake of taking it to the dealer for the 20k oil change. At 25k one of the front bolts threads was completely stripped and I could slide the bolt out with my fingers. I ended up installing a Helicoil.

If anyone else does the Helicoil fix, here are a couple tips:

1. You need to remove the spacer bracket(s) that go between the skid plate and the frame. It's held on by a single bolt in the rear (14mm) which was pretty easy to loosen, especially considering it was factory installed. No PB Blaster needed.

2. Even with the spacer bracket removed, installing the Helicoil is tricky because the surface of the radiator support frame doesn't allow you to press the installation tool directly onto the hole. There's a 1/16" gap. You thus have to use a tap handle, align the tool perfectly under the hole, then spin the tap handle smoothly and without stopping until the Helicoil eventually pushes into the hole and threads.

3. The Helicoil is slightly longer than the depth of the hole, so after you install the Helicoil, the tang and several wounds of coil will be above and beyond the threads. If you try to punch out the tang, the coil will just stretch up and spring back without the tang breaking. To avoid this predicament, you will need to shorten the Helicoil by approximately three coils. (To be safe, you should measure the depth of the threads and cut out the appropriate amount of coil.) In my case, because the Helicoil was already installed before I realized that it extended beyond the last thread, I just left it that way and the bolt still went in and installed fine.

With anti-seize, I tightened the bolts to 15 lb ft and it seems to be holding fine a few miles later. I'll return and let everyone know if it doesn't hold and something spectacular happens.

Needless to say, I won't be going back to the dealer again. EVER.

Well, 21 lb ft seems to be the magic number. Anything less results in loosening and squeaking within a dozen miles of driving.

 

[rmbertoldi]

They changed a lot of the hardware from yellow zinc to aluminum and zinc coating by the looks of it. The hardware looks something like dacromet - aluminum based corrosion resistance with zinc. In isolation it lasts a extremely well. The problem is that it also has aluminum in it - so it's soft and also very high friction and high tendency to bind. This also applies to other places - like the suspension cam bolts. And the tow hoop bolts in the rear. What works for a one time use hardware isn't always a good option for hardware that is going to be used a lot. And I think that the machining or rolling thread process isn't very good if my hardware is representative of a typical set. The threads just aren't very good.

Just got around to my first oil change since buying my 2013 SR5, and oh would ya look at that, one key bolt on the front side of the factory skid plate with the head twisted straight off...thanks Toyota techs. Looks like i'll be trying to drill out, and retap this bad boy.
Are there currently yellow-zinc coated steel replacements out there to replace these, use zinc-coated hardware a ton on the boat and would love a better replacement that I can properly install for life now?