Howdy guys,

Ever since I bought my 4Runner in August, I've noticed that the hood has an ungodly amount of flex in it while traveling down the road at highway speeds. (I'm talking a good 1/2 to 3/4 inch movement!) The wind is making it shimmy and shake at the two front corners, and along the middle where it meets the cowl.

I've already adjusted the hood stop/bumper thingies as far up as they will go, and it doesn't make a difference. The hood lines up with the fenders perfectly, and the gaps are even all the way down the fender/hood.

With the hood up, it is rock solid in the hood mounts, but it is rather flexy/twisty from side to side. From what I can tell, it's the original hood (has factory Toyota vacuum, belt routing, etc. stickers on the underside), and it doesn't look like it's missing any support beams/ridges.

My 4Runner does have a bugshield on it...could this be causing the flex by catching the wind?

Is your hood rock solid, or does it shake like a leaf in the wind?

 

like a rock

 

Mine did that at first, then i adjusted the ruber pin things they have to be just right, they cant be too high or too low

 

My 98 used to to it pretty bad. I thought something was wrong and it was going to fly off at me. It has to do with the bug defector increasing the wind resistance on the hood itself. I took mine off and it reduce the vibration by at least 70%. Plus it looked cooler without it if you ask me.

Yet even without the deflector mine still vibrated slightly, but not enough to annoy me.
Good Luck.

 

Mine goes crazy down the freeway, I know its latched though so it doesnt really bother me..

 

Mine shakes bad. I also have a bug deflector.

I ran accross this once during a google search. http://www.flankersolutions.com/ I have no idea how it works or what it is. Anybody with some insight on this.

 

I have a 92 and my flutters really band at the back end of the hood. IT doesn't bother me that much but when I'm going anywhere between 55-80 mph it sounds like someone is throwing rocks at my windshield. I don't know if the two things are related, the do happen at the same speeds. Anyone else get loud tapping noises like me?

 

I have a 96 4Runner with a bug deflector. The hood will flutter with the deflector on. I removed mine for a while & the hood didn't flutter at all. As long as you know the hood is latched keep drivin'.

 

my 98 shakes pretty bad, but not like yours, unless its windy.. i think its just the car...

 

Bug deflector does it.

 

one reason i didn't get one of them giant bug deflectors but i got this lund avenger its enough to help the front end look a little better

 

Its got to be the bug deflector....I have a 99 along with a relative who has the same year and deflector and both of ours do it.

 

can you weld? maybe shorten up the little steel loop that latches the hood down

 

on my '98, it moves a bit in the middle of the hood closest to the cowl at highway speeds only. it did this with my stock hood and bug deflector, and now with my sport hood and no deflector. i've played around with the height adjusters under the hood with no change. i know it's secure and seeing it wobble a little only at high speeds doesn't bother me.

 

No bug defector, and mine doesn't move at speed. though i never have payed too much attention

 

The hood on my 91 flaps around pretty good at highway speeds also. It's no longer attached to the under side framing in most places, I was thinking a little JB weld and I be good as new.

 

I also had viibration on rear the edge of the hood on my 97 4runner with Toyota bug shield. Adjusting the front stops upward reduces the vibration, but resulted in hood sitting higher than fenders in the front.

My son has a 2004 Tacoma double cab. I noticed the Tacoma cowl cover has a rubber bumper mounted in the middle on front edge of cowl (see picture). No hood vibration on the Tacoma with bug shield.

I tried the Tacoma cowl and it fit perfectly on the 97 4Runner. The Tacoma cowl totally eliminated vibration on the rear edge.

The part number stamped on the Tacoma cowl is of Toyota 55708-04030 and 55708-04040. I ordered the 55708-04040 cold weather cowl, installed today. Another option might be to attach a rubber block to 4Runner cowl cover.

2004 Tacoma Cowl Information from Online Catalog:
55781F 5570804040 LOUVER, COWL TOP VENTILATOR. COLD AREA PACKAGE TACOMA $110.84