Band Aid fixes on 4runners

Any tips, tricks you have done whether its temporary or permanent to get your 4runner back fixed while on trails or anywhere..
I used zip ties for my bumper gap on the limited, as I finally noticed ( old eyes) that both sides were missing a total of two teeth/nubs used to click into bracket by fender/headlight to lock bumper in.. Holding fine with 175lb tensile strength zip ties..

 

Back in my tuner days me and my friends would call our zip tie fabrications "custom mods".

 

Spare tie rod ends here. They are a tick fragile. I carry 2 inner and outter in my tool "case".
If a zip-tie or tape can hold whatever, i don't worry about whatever. I have a used hub assembly also. (The ifs is the weak point if you actually wheel hard) Other than that, shes been beat to hell, and, wants to go again.

Edit- oh, a jump box, handy man jack and shit like that, and spare fuses. If you wanna count that.

 

Zip ties and Duct tape are miracle fixes no doubt.
I have used a coat hanger to hold a rocker arm down on another vehicle.. The locking nut wasnt locking anymore, so we locked it down with a coat hanger. Pretty tough wire. Enough to get us home..
Zip ties made of stainless steel are invaluable too..

 

Got any photos of what you did with the zip ties? Mine has a bit more gap on one side, and I've considered a wire or zip tie fix, and would be very interested in your method.

 

I have a Limited, so I took out the one clip that hold the fog light housing closet to the outside. Then I ran a couple zip ties from the metal tab from the housing where the clip was to a metal hole in the framing of the radiator area.
Its a temp fix, as I am sure the zip ties will break over time. I put my knee on fog light housing and pushed it in a little.. It brought it in tight.. What I did notice is the fender itself is , on both sides, pushed/bent in further than bumper can possibly go. Another member mentioned the fender needs to be slightly pulled out so its flush.
Maybe when I take my bumper off to replace it, as it is missing two teeth that hold it to bracket on fender near headlight.

 

Thank you. I have no idea how the Limited differs in that area from an Off Road. I guess I'll need to pull back the fender liner and do some investigating.

 

here is a a pic of the Fender, of which I think is needing to be pulled out slightly. If you look here on your bumper, see if your fender is in further, when bumper is in proper spot, clicked in..

 

Here's some photos of mine.

First, the driver's side, which is fine:


Passenger side, which, when the temperature goes up, the bumper cover wants to push outward:


When the temperature cools off, it tends to stay closer to the headlight. Weird.

This is how I would like it to stay all the time. I am pushing the bumper cover in toward the headlight with my thumb:


That's why I wish I could attach something to the back of the bumper cover (just above where the end of my thumb is) to pull it in and have it stay put...or, somehow change the shape of that one spot to remain pushed in.

 

Unless you use an epoxy , there is nothing right there behind the bumper. I did use the TSB Toyota put out with the velcro and new brackets.. Didnt really help due to my bumper being broke, via missing teeth to hold it down. I will be getting new bumper, when finances permit. Right now, its zip ties and patience.
I think the zip ties pull and hold better than velcro.. I understand they dont want to reengineer the bumper and attachments, but dang Toyota..
I have seen an untold amount with the bumper hanging open. And when its hot, its worse.

 

Is that spot on the back side of the bumper cover accessible from the wheel well, without removing the bumper cover?

I know what you mean about this. A buddy of mine has a 2018 SR5 that both sides are sticking out about 1/4" at that spot.

 

On my last picture in post #6 where you see the white zip tie looped through the fog light housing, that is when I pulled the liner out a bit with my phone.
Just a quick photo of the indent the fender has in relation to the bumper cover.

 

Sorry I never got back to you. But yes, you can pull the clip out of you full liner back a little. Or, from the bottom. If you are patient, you can pull it from passenger side area where I went through to put the zip ties. But, you cant see it, so its a bit frustrating.

 

Hopefully no one ever needs to do this, but if you ever broken/replaced your CV axle keep the old one and cut/shorten the rod and keep it during trails. This way if you break a CV on the trail and have to pull it you can stick the old, shortened CV into your wheel hub so you don't blow up your bearing and have the tire take off without you. Been seeing too many horror stories of people losing tires while driving home.