Fixing crossthreaded skid plate bolt holes

Howdy. I am due for my second oil change on my new to me 2021 SR5. One of the bolt holes was cross threaded on the skid plate when I changed the oil this past summer. I dug around looking for a fix for this but didn't see anything. I know I did a similar fix on my old jeep TJ by using a bolt made of particular metal and just slowly threaded it in.

Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to fix the skid plate bolt? Cheers!

Edit: Just found a video on youtube. I have an M8 bolt from when I fixed my TJ -- believe it is case hardened steel that I used to rethread. Should I buy a tap or just try with this bolt?

 

Use a tap.

 

I found on my TJ that I made a tap out of a grade 8 bolt. A tap is only ~$8 on Amazon so I will just buy one and save my self the hassle. Seems like this may be a recurring issue over time, but I plan to do my own oil changes so hopefully not.

 

I wonder if shops have always been inept and did stuff like this, and those who are recently more willing to work on their own rigs are just now noticing, or if shop help is recently going down the drain as far as attention to detail.

Case in point - took my '03 Tacoma in for a timing belt replacement, got it home when done and no skid plate. Took it back in, got the skid plate put back on. Got home, checked, and 1 bolt completely missing, 4 others were SAE instead of metric, probably put on with an impact wrench, not caring whether the threads were correct or not. I was able to fix mine with the correct bolt.

 

I think this is part of a newer generation working in shops. Good buddy of mine is a service department manager at a Nissan dealer and said the techs there are like a pack of wild animals who fight, lie, cheat, steal, etc. He told me the worst service was a lady came in for an oil change. They drained her car but didn't refill it. She almost made it off the lot before it seized up.

Last week my wife took her lexus in for an oil change and I noticed it was leaking oil. It has the same oil filter housing as the 4runner and they had cracked it. Nobody noticed it was cracked or leaking oil heavily, and I assume they probably didn't use the proper tool to get it off.

I had a 2001 taco for 17 years which required skid plate removal for oil changes and NEVER had an issue so probably a combo of inept employees, cheaper materials, people not taking their time, etc etc etc

 

I had to do all my skid bolts, the bolts were actually sheared off in the holes.

I drilled and re-tapped them, one of them needed a heli-coil insert.

That tap came in handy when it came time to install sliders and front recovery points, I had to run the tap through all those holes to get the bolts to thread in.

 

It's pretty common in the rust belt. Either the threads get mushed, or the weld nut breaks away on the back side and just spins. Drill through to larger size, put in an M8 rivnut. Move on.

 

Invest in some anti seize to use on the mounting bolts after you chase the existing skid plate mounting holes.

 

This is why I am fully DIY. I know not everyone has the time or inclination to do the same.

Nothing excuses the shitty extremely expensive "service" offered by many places but I like to speculate on the reasons at least:

Too many people in the stack that need to get paid. . . tech, tool-man, writer, manager, shop owner, franchise fees, rents, etc.

Kid doing the work is likely being paid chump change, might be carrying an education and/or tool loan, and writer DGAF so long as the customer pays the service.

There's no way for customers to win at this game.

Techs probably do everything from wheel lugs to texting with a big ass impact gun in their hands . . . delicate fasteners holding fascia die accordingly.

Jason

 

IMHO dealerships service departments hate Toyota vehicles because they are loosing money due to the fact, that most Toyota vehicles probably up until recently, required very little service, and most people, for saving money, done most service themselves. It's all gonna change with introduction of hybrid vehicles and EV, and people will not be able to service such complicated machinery and will be spending thousands $$ on maintenance and extended warranty. Just look or any vehicle with suspension components made from aluminum. in a couple of years it will be impossible to change ball joints or something else, like nub bearings or anything steel with contact with aluminum. My point is: service department will intentionally destroy your vehicle. New vehicle? Even better, that Toyota corporation will cover cost of warranty or "free to you" service. rant out.

 

OP, good on ya for DIY. My '16 4R got the careless impact driver treatment on its 2nd (free) oil & filter change. I had to drill & retap both of the rear holes (to the next size up) for the main skid. And as another said, Anti-seize is our friend, just remember to glove-up. That shit gets everywhere.
I also do my own work on my '03 TJ. I've got a coffee can with a bunch of old Torx fasteners that were replaced with hex bolts of the appropriate grade and they all got a dab of Anti-seize.

 

I love this forum so much. Thanks for the info on RIVNUT (rivet nuts) Last oil change we realized i'd broken one of the weld nuts that holds OEM skid plate. A Rivnut would have been perfect for fixing that problem! and now I don't have to worry so much about impacts causing the new skid plates to strip the old bolts/threads. I can drill and put in a super strong coarse thread M8 rivnut and put the skid plates back on.

 

Just got it all fixed up with a tap. That was so easy. Did the oil change too and the 4runner is absolutely purring. I love this truck.

 

Don’t forget to grease your 6 zerks while your under there!! I use this one, easy one handed operation and accesses all zerks.

 

Where are these grease points you speak of? Any videos to reference?

 

Four U joints and the two slip yokes.