Post-Full Skid Plate Installation

It sounds like the ehxuast is rattling on the skid plate. I had this issue with my pelfrey skids with URD exhaust and needed to "massage" them to fit (cut and trim). You will be able to see on the pipe, where they are touching (as they will scuff the paint / etc.). Mine would only rub / rattle in reverse going up hill, because of how the motor as torqued.

 

Some cheap looking eBay crap ..

 

Fully agree with everything you said.

 

I had full Shrockworks skids on my trail rig, never got any rattles or a louder engine. Sorry you're having issues, but it does sound like that's some very thin steel. Along the lines of stock skids. You may need to drill yourself a few more holes and add more hardware to tighten those up more to the frame and supports.

 

@RatDaddy ... question ... why is it you "liked cgs2k2's comment above, and then in your comment below you are all... contradictory to what you've said... "I will not be buying any skid that makes me remove factory braces/brackets without replacing them..." really?

 

when you installed your RCI's did you have to remove those brackets mentioned above?

 

appreciate the info. I'll have to check under the truck some more and see if we can adjust the parts away from each other. I'll let you know how that turns out.

 

Go to a muffler shop and re-route the exhaust crossover pipe behind the transfer case. It'll also let you get rid of the low-hanging hump below the transfer case skid.



But yes it's possible for the thin skids to rattle like a baking pan. I'm running 1/8" thick BudBuilt "Lite" skids and it rattled a bit... until I lowered my tire pressure below 30 psi. Vibration and resonance can be weird to chase down.

 

Greatly appreciate the info about re-routing the exhaust pipe and the photos are extremely helpful too.

 

The front ones are there to bolt the factory plate to and the rear ones are to “protect” the cats. Removing them to install a skid plate makes no difference. You really think those thin pieces of metal are bracing a thick steel truck frame? Also, you are replacing them, with a skid plate that is significantly stronger than those brackets.

 

Please don't mistake these skid plates for RCI people...

Sometimes the old school mechanic's trick to pinpointing strange noises is spraying a shot or two of wd-40 in suspected areas. Been there done that more than a few times !


Good luck chasing down the vibration OP.

 

OP said he was using the RCI install video for instructions on how to mount his skids. NOT that he had RCI skids..

 

Ya want a sturdy skid plate if your gonna be skidding on it.

 

Spray the top side of the skid plate with rubberized undercoating / sound deadener ? I'll bet the exhaust brackets flex/vibrate/shake on most any vehicle ? Then, you add a somewhat thin skid plate that reflects the sound towards the cabin.

 

Not that it's any of your business why I liked someones post, but the reason is because he answered my question that I had asked previously. Why are you creating an issue out of nothing? Likes are not something you should be bothering yourself with....

Unless you are one of the engineers who designed the tacomas ladder frame, you are only assuming that what you just wrote is correct and I absolutely disagree with you. . If you read what I wrote, the entire reason for this thread is that flimsy skid. That is definitely not stronger than the braces it replaced, lol. Now a Quarter inch or maybe even a 3/16" plate, might be ok as a replacement, but not that plate.

That's good to know, that they are not RCI

 

Not only did I read what you wrote, I literally quoted it. You referenced the video, which are the RCI skids. Since you have no experience with them, I encourage you to go get a front RCI skid and compare it to one of those front brackets and then let us know which you think is stronger. I don't need to be an engineer to realize when one thing is stronger than another.

 

First, I misunderstood the original posters info. He said his are not RCI, just that he used the skid video. Someone corrected me above, and I acknowledged it, apparently you did not read that part. As for the better RCI skids, I am glad to hear that they are indeed stronger.

We were talking apples and oranges, probably due to my original miss impression of who made the skid. I will not disagree with you about the RCI, as I know nothing about them. However, if you are stating that the OP's skid is stronger than the original braces, yes I do disagree with that. But I don't think that is what you were saying. OP's skids are have very low stiffness and will add little to nothing in strength and stiffness to a frame.

 

Gotcha, that makes more sense. You're correct, I don't think the OP's skids are stronger than the braces, I think all the issues with noise are because they are not a thick, quality skid plate. They are thin, like a sheet pan, so the metal is vibrating. Either that, or they weren't designed as well as others and they are coming in contact with something else on the truck, causing that to create the noise.

 

If I was OP, I would return them. A lower cost is not worth the trouble, IMO.

 

Likewise but everyone has different needs. Those will offer some protection, but I wouldn't trust them for more than the errant rock or wood smacking up under the truck.
I have aluminum skids, which many will say aren't good enough either but they are perfect for what I need.