TStango

Well, the access hole to the spare tire mechanism is now misaligned. Hope I don't get a flat anytime soon.

I over looked this small detail after installing a 1" body lift last weekend. Has anyone else addressed this problem?

delboy

May have to remove rear bumper and never put it under there again or else climb under and turn it with a wrench or something. Not very practical if its raining!

atarinaper

get a rack and a basket and put it up there... easier

zedex

suggestion. Drill a new access hole in the bumper if possible and install a chrome plug to hide the hole . You can buy plugs for this purpose at industrial supply stores. They are called (hole button plugs). Need to use the spare. pull out the plug.

Wild_Bill

The short answer is use a 3/8" ratchet with a 3" extension and reach under the bumper and stick the extension in the "horn" thingy. You can then lower or raise the tire with the ratchet. Better answer is relocate your spare (rack, bumper, etc.)

Victor

There should be some leeway. After my rear spring lift I went up 2" in the back and mine works better now than before

delboy

A sring lift wont change the relationship between the Body and the chassis, so the alignment of the hole will remain the same. Only appies to body lifts!

Cebby

OK, who's going to step up and fab some CV or U jointed spare tire crank rods?

TStango

I'm going to do what Wild Bill suggested and try to get it down with the 3/8 ratchet and extension. Then I will be able to see the mechanism better and drill a new hole in the bumper or something.
I think Cebby is on to something though:beaver:

TStango

I was able to lower the tire using a 3/8" drive ratchet with a 4" extension. Thanks Wild Bill. I didn't think I was going to be able to swing the ratchet with the limited room above the tire, but there was just enough space.

With the tire out of the way I was able to fix the problem. I bent the hoist mechanism towards the rear of the truck to slightly raise the "horn" shaped reciever (it really didn't move much). Then I used a hacksaw to enlarge the existing hole in the body to allow the crank bar to tilt down and align with the reciever horn thingy. I cleaned it up with a file, painted it and it works perfect.

Here are some pictures:


Pic 1

Pic 2

Cebby

You need to log yourself out of webshots before copying the URL..It thinks we are trying to log in as you (doesn't work for us, probably works for you though)

TStango

Good point Cebby. Sorry about that

upndair

The little detail that you missed, is that you should have a few brackets to lift the bumper up so that it stays aligned with the body. If you properly lift the bumper, you won't have the problem.

If your lift didn't come with bumper adapters, you may want to make some.

Victor

I thought the rear bumper was bolted to the body. Is it different on the 3rd gen?

Robinhood150

If the 3rd gen is like our 2nd gens, then the bumper is mounted to the body so there's no need to raise the bumper. I think that was tstango's problem, the bumper was too high and didn't match up with the route the winch tool thingy usually takes. Probably wouldn't look good if he lowered the bumper either.

Steve

Cebby

Aren't 4Runner rear bumpers attached to the body? And the gearbox for the spare to the frame? I'm pretty sure that's how my 2nd gen is (been a while since I've looked at that). Not sure of the 3rd Gen setup.

Now I'm

Cebby

Steve - you beat me to it.

TStango

The rear bumper is attached to the body, so it moved with the body. The hoist mechanism is mounted on a cross member between the frame rails so, the holes through the bumper were an inch higher than the "horn".

TStango

I can't type fast and watch TV at the same time

Robinhood150

I've been learning from Master Corey.