Hood Flutter Investigated and Corrected

[okcG24]

Guys, I just raised the hood and adjusted the lil rubber lifters to the max height I could get and still shut the hood (with a little effort), same height on both sides, and went for a short highway drive to 85 mph and I think my hood flutter is gone...or at least 95+% gone. No need to do anything else for mine at least, ymmv..

Adjust your lifters.

 

[Bluegill]

I adjusted those little rubber bumpers until it takes some effort to squeeze the hood closed and it didn't solve the flutter for me.

 

[okcG24]

Bummer man. After driving a bit more on the highway I still have tiny a little flutter but I stand by that mine is like 95% better. Now just need to fix lumbar on driver side (already fixed passenger massager) and an exhaust rattle at the rear that happens only at low, held, RPM.

 

[incognito.gx]

This is what my dealer found/did to “correct” mine. Still flutters but not as bad

 

[Bluegill]

Interesting....I had mine in for the 5,000 mile service this morning and they offered nothing at all for the hood flutter problem.

 

[German88]

Interesting....I had mine in for the 5,000 mile service this morning and they offered nothing at all for the hood flutter problem.

I thought you already “MacGyver’d” your’s?

 

[Bluegill]

Yes but it's not perfect, still getting flutter....less than before but it's still there. I slid the metal strips out of my hood before I took it in for service just in case the dealer might say my MacGyver fix screwed something up and voided any warranty fix for my hood flutter. When I brought up hood flutter they just kind of started at me and offered no advice, it seemed like they didn't want to acknowledge the problem exists.

I'm going to call the dealer and bring up incognito.gx's screen shot of his repair.

 

[German88]

Yes but it's not perfect, still getting flutter....less than before but it's still there. I slid the metal strips out of my hood before I took it in for service just in case the dealer might say my MacGyver fix screwed something up and voided any warranty fix for my hood flutter. When I brought up hood flutter they just kind of started at me and offered no advice, it seemed like they didn't want to acknowledge the problem exists.

I'm going to call the dealer and bring up incognito.gx's screen shot of his repair.

That dealer fix incog. received seems like the best case scenario. Keeps them on the hook and builds the database for future improvements.

 

[Jupiter]

Yep, aluminum hood. One of the reasons it is so light and fluttery.

I agree on rubber spacers/orings/bumpers strategically placed in the gap. Slather some adhesive on the top & bottom and wedge them in there in a few key support points.

I also like the idea of thick felt but I don't want to alter the heat dissipation characteristics.

An air bladder would be interesting. Trying to think outside the box.

.. Mine does same.

I understand old barbie and Ken arms and legs don't work...

Please don't ask how I know this..

 

[JPE]

.. Mine does same.

I understand old barbie and Ken arms and legs don't work...

Please don't ask how I know this..

How about wedging in an old Stretch Armstrong?

 

[rancejunge]

My hood flutter made me nervous LOL, like I hadn't closed the hood completely. I had a hood fly up and cave my roof in once so maybe that is why I had to fix it LOL? I had some very sticky self adhesive sound deadening material which I cut into strips rolling them up into little logs. I stuffed them into the slots in the hood forcing very solid contact on the surfaces. This stopped the flutter for good. To bad they tried to save weight with the aluminum hood only for me to have to add it back in a $75,000 dollar SUV?? Hood sounds more solid when I close it now! Now I have to work on those tinny sounding doors as I already sound deadened everything from my front seats back. It is much quieter now as Lexus didn't sound deaden the back wheel-wells at all?

I have checked before and after sound with a db meter. The sound level drops a few db but what helps me is quieting the high frequency noises and the lower frequencies that are left are not near as annoying YMMV.

 

[Bluegill]

Good job. Do you think the sound deadening material will be ok in there with the engine heat?

 

[rancejunge]

Good job. Do you think the sound deadening material will be ok in there with the engine heat?

So far so good on the heat. The deadening has thick aluminum foil backing and the hood pad will shield it some and would catch anything that came loose. The heat will make it stick on better also. Another thing is that the surface area is widespread to the cold air traveling across the hood, and it will act as a heat sink to the rubberized material (my GX550 is white). You can feel the foam rubber blocks that Lexus placed between the hood skins so I feel this solution will be as high temp. oriented as that material. It looks to me Lexus used to soft and not enough of that material to stop the hood flutter at high speeds.

 

[Cobalt650]

Bummer man. After driving a bit more on the highway I still have tiny a little flutter but I stand by that mine is like 95% better. Now just need to fix lumbar on driver side (already fixed passenger massager) and an exhaust rattle at the rear that happens only at low, held, RPM.

Is your driver’s side lumbar issue that it deflates n about 10’? Thank you

 

[R!ck]

Nice find on the foam, I wonder if there are different thicknesses foam available? This is a case of the first year model woe’s. And I agree, you would think an $80K ish vehicle you wouldn’t have to finish assembling it at home. Have to say Toyota and Lexus have been a little disappointing lately.