TRD Skid Plate Install

Hook on the right or left side? I’ll have to double check.

 

Something is way off…

Plate looks bent, you buy it new?

Hopefully you didn’t cross thread any bolts.

Heck it almost looks like the wrong plate for the vehicle.

 

I think it's bent. May be hard to see but I <tried> drew a straight line at the top of each skid plate.

 

When I installed mine I had a similar issue. I almost could not thread in the fronts at all. Turns out the keeper washers on the spacers to keep them from falling out were very loosely put on there and were hanging up when trying to thread the skid plate on. I had to remove the skid and take a socket to the keepers to knock them farther down the threads. After that I had about 75% more exposed threads and everything aligned and tightened as it was supposed to.

 

Yeah, everything went smooth after I added significant pressure to the front with my opposite hand. It was a bit of a challenge. It wasn't as easy as I've seen in some videos...

 

This scenario has my vote. Definitely something wrong but I can't imagine that the skid plate itself is bent.

 

Since no one else asked, I will go ahead and ask where you bought it. Any chance it was Amazon?

 

I had a second person help, all the bolts threaded in by hand. It literally took us about 5 minutes to install the plate.

 

I believe that is how a person, in one of the video's of the install, performed it, with ease. I do not have the hooks. I replaced them with demon brackets. And no, I don't pull anything with them.

 

The bolted-on "TRD Off Road" tow hook on the passenger side.

 

My original install went just like that. Crazy oil change kids...

 

Are the Member Braces still there? The fore / aft channels that the four arrows are on.


If you are going to oil change places, I would save yourself some hell and remove the skid beforehand.

 

I looked at your photo from your first post, and it clearly looks bent.

 

The plate has an access door for the filter and large hole to access drain plug.

Why are people removing the TRD plate for any reason?

 

the only reason would be for front diff gear oil. For the engine oil, definitely no reason.....that was the whole reason I bought my TRD skid, because it has the access hole vs the stock skids that don't which I was tired of removing.

 

I’m going to try and completely remove the plate again today to see if the frame is bent. And if lot, re install and make sure that the frame isn’t getting caught on anything.

 

Agree with this. I'd loosen all the bolts and try putting in the front passenger side bolt first.

 

I doubt the frame is bent and I some what doubt the skid plate is bent. From this side of the monitor this appears to be escalating to 'worse case' very quickly. The skid plates are STOUT and so is your frame, you'd have noticed one or the other being bent before even starting the install.

It looks to me like the spacers aren't in the correct locations (like maybe two small spacers on one side and two large on the other?) Or maybe you are hung up on something. I think someone else already said this but be sure you're threading into the correct holes.

Reset and have another go at it. When I did mine I used a floor jack to position it into place and then crawled around to make sure I could identify the holes I was going to use and then inserted the bolts a little at a time to get it held in place, started with the middle to snug 'em up, and then moved to the front/back.

Good luck, You got this!

Ted

 

Thank you for this. What was the easiest way you installed yours to get it aligned properly? Middle, front, rear? Or Middle, rear, front?

 

OP - I'd recommend you "draw the line" on the pic like you did above, but across the front bolt heads and see what that looks like. Bent or not, the bolt heads would line up in the same plane. If that matches up, there's something bent. If not, you've got a likely cross threaded bolt/frame nut for your passenger skid plate bolt.