Noise after removing air dam

Yeah I mean I’ll be honest I wasn’t listening for any noise I drive with the radio on not loud but on. Usually noises jump right out at me but can’t say I heard anything out of the norm with windows up and windows down

 

The noise on my truck, you'd hear it even with the windows up. And you'd have to have the radio up pretty high to drown it out. So I'm guessing you won the no-noise lottery and me and jakedawgy didn't.

 

Yeah I guess so, I bet Toyota will come up with some kind of fix for it but the problem is it’s a air deflector that affects mpg so they might not be able to do much with the epa over their shoulders

 

Toyota's not going to do anything about it because it works as delivered. We might get it figured out here on the forums though, and then someone will use that information to make an aftermarket solution and then buy a new boat.

 

Yup

 

What about 3d printing some plugs out of TPU? They could be designed with drainage holes, or maybe covering 3/4 of the frame hole diameter would be enough to stop the noise and allow for water drainage.

 

Go back up a few comments and you'll see the plugs you can order from Toyota.

 

With U.S. prices, they are $3 a plug. That's a lot for a piece of plastic. I've got an OR coming, so I won't be whistling Dixie. I do have a 3D printer and if it were me, I'd whip a design one out and print them off for a few pennies.

It's a good idea if you have access to a 3D printer.

 

Someone with a 3D printer should copy the OR plug set and sell them. Ideal application for a 3D printed part. They'd be quick to print and use about 25 cents in filament.

Edit: Sagebrush beat me to it.

 

Yep, I saw it, and was just suggesting a lower cost alternative.

 

Picked up the plugs today. They are not rubber as I thought but rather a hard plastic. They just clip in.

Those are the 4 holes they go into.

 

Solved the whistling?

 

There were people commenting about "is Toyota going to fix this?" So, the fix is already out there. They just aren't going to fix something for free that happens when you take a stock part off.
I'd probably go down to the local parts store and poke around to see if I could find some workable plugs.
On the other hand, I've been looking for an excuse to buy a 3d printer...

 

Yes, no more whistling!

 

I would agree if Toyota didn’t specify in their own literature that the chin spoiler is removable. They should say it’s removable, but will also create annoying whistling noise because we saved $0.15/truck by not installing some plastic plugs on models that come with the air dam.

 

Just recently got an SR5 and was initially told about the whistling noice when air dam is taken off. I was initially under the impression that if you get the metal skid plate that would take care of the issue but sounds like these plugs are a better option. I am in Hawaii so skid plate might not be a bad idea regardless with all the loose rocks and shit roads to begin with.

 

Excellent detective work @Jakedawgy. Mine was one of the ones that did not whistle after removing the Air Dam, but I purchased some plugs anyway as a fairly inexpensive howl deterrent.

Update: After buying the plugs assuming they were not on my Sport model, got underneath and lo and behold, already had them installed, so assume that is why I never suffered from the howl/whistle after removing my air dam. This does indeed seem to explain why some Sport owners have the issue while others do not. Mine was manufactured in the Guanajuato factory.

 

McMaster probably sells a compatible plug

 

Those are the same plugs that run down the sides of the frame. I removed 10 of them that size, and 4 oval ones when I installed my rock sliders. They're extremely easy to break if you ever have to remove them.

 

$51 for plugs? 3D printing? Those look just like standard hole plugs that you can get in various sizes from Amazon, auto parts stores or hardware stores for $12 a box of 100.