Whistling noise after front air dam removal: final verdict?

[Hacksaw]

I removed the air dam late last night. My 4runner (ORP) has a different structure and different hole pattern than in those Tacoma pics and it looks like they used two oblong "tandem plugs" to plug 2 holes with one plug each.

It almost looks like the oblong plugs are part of the metal structure so I did get a pic at the very edge of the oblong plug where you can see a little air gap, indicating it is a plug not part of the metal:

I haven't driven it yet, since removing the air dam last night, but hopefully this is the plug fix from the factory and there will be no whistling. If your 4runner doesn't have these oblong plugs, there must be a Toyota part number for them but I don't know what it is.

UPDATE: I drove it on a short errand and didn't hear any whistling, at speeds up to 60 mph. The people who have heard it say it's loud enough that you don't have to try hard to hear it, so I guess the plugs shown in the pics above fix it. Also, I forgot to add, I put all the screws back in after removing the air dam.

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[rajib77]

I removed the air dam late last night. My 4runner (ORP) has a different structure and different hole pattern than in those Tacoma pics and it looks like they used two oblong "tandem plugs" to plug 2 holes with one plug each.

It almost looks like the oblong plugs are part of the metal structure so I did get a pic at the very edge of the oblong plug where you can see a little air gap, indicating it is a plug not part of the metal:

I haven't driven it yet, since removing the air dam last night, but hopefully this is the plug fix from the factory and there will be no whistling. If your 4runner doesn't have these oblong plugs, there must be a Toyota part number for them but I don't know what it is.

UPDATE: I drove it on a short errand and didn't hear any whistling, at speeds up to 60 mph. The people who have heard it say it's loud enough that you don't have to try hard to hear it, so I guess the plugs shown in the pics above fix it. Also, I forgot to add, I put all the screws back in after removing the air dam.

I have the same pattern and factory plastic plug like yours. I think the issue is specific to Tacoma.

 

[Woodsmith]

What's the final verdict on whether you have to plug or cover any holes (I think the holes are in the lower control arm) to get rid of the whistling noise that some have heard after removing the air dam? It doesn't seem to be resolved in other threads on this topic.

Are there only certain trim levels where you have to plug holes? Or maybe they now come plugged from the factory?

Also, what about re-installing the screws that held the air dam, after you've removed it? Is that another source for noise if you don't re-install the screws?

Anyone who has removed it, could you comment on any resulting noise (and what speed you hear it at), what trim level you have, and whether you re-installed the screws after removing it?

I removed the air dam on my '26 iForce Max Hybrid Limited. I replaced all the hardware and if and when I sell the 4Runner, I'll put that brand new air dam back on for the next guy.

I have no whistle at all.

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