Skid Plate Removal

Afternoon Everyone, I am leaking fluid and in order to mend the problem I need to remove the stock skid plate. I've heard it's just a few bolts but I want to make sure how exactly to remove the stock skid plate so I don't mess anything up. I doubt it makes a difference but my rig is a 04' Prerunner 2.7l
Appreciate Any Help

 

lefty loosey righty tighty
that should cover it

 

Really easy, use a socket wrench for 5 bolts up toward front, but two bolts in the rear kinda suck because you have to hold the top nut while screwing the bolt... if I remember right.

 

3 bolts across the front, 2 at the back. Done.

 

the rear two bolts are up inside those holes and go in at an angle, they come out easy but are often stripped out when someone tries to put them back in facing straight up instead of the 30 degree angle or whatever it is at

take your time with it and before reinstalling, run the bolts all the way into those rear threads to be sure they are clean and not stripped. that's the time to do it if you need to rethread it or tap them to a new bolt size to fix a stripped one.

 

On my 04 Tacoma it's a two piece stock skid plate. With a clip between the two, one is a male part and on the other skid plate is the female side plus all those bolts. So if you don't pull the two skid plates apart they just stay together. Putting the two skid plates back together is more of a POA cause you have to get the one clip to slide onto the other before they will connect to each other. Also where the front 3 bolts are located right below the valance there are these two hooks that are hooked into the same place the bolts are.

 

Thanks for the help guys, any idea what size the bolts are off hand? Gonna rip that sucker off in the morning

 

something i didn't drunkenly see mentioned. the front part of the skid plates has hooks holding itself in after you remove the 3 front bolts. makes it easier to mount.

so remove front 3, let hang by hooks, remove 2 very back, unhook fronts, reverse process to remount, done.

 

If I recall correctly they're 10mm socket

 

Thanks everyone, it was a 12mm @LocknLoad , got the front skid plate off and long story short had to take it to the shop