Tailgate Need Adjusting?

[nU7OuxIx]

I have a stock Rubicon and haven't done anything to the tailgate other than add a little table....but I've never put anything of significant weight on the table. I have the stock ~33" tires and I had the factory install the reinforced hinge when I ordered the Jeep.

I noticed the other day that it looks like there are some markings on the latch and the plastic bump stop thing. Is this normal, or do you think I need to take it back to the dealer for a tailgate adjustment? The tailgate looks inline with the body panels and I didn't see any paint scraping/missing. I'm afraid that if I take it in they may do more harm than good.

Thank You!

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[Jeepeto]

It looks like it might be a little low. The adjustment is super easy. You have 4 torques bolts that hold the gate to the hinge on the exterior of the gate. They’re painted so be careful to fully insert your bit as to get good purchase on the bolt. (The paint may fight you when inserting the bit) Loosen them and shut your gate with a piece of cardboard under the gate to lift it just a tad. Make sure everything looks aligned properly and tighten the bolts back up. You may need to add a second piece of cardboard, just use your judgement

 

[nU7OuxIx]

An update to this... I looked at the body panel alignment and it looks like the tailgate was a little bit down... I took the spare tire off and it seemed to line back up again.

I ended up loosening each of the torx bolts and retorqueing them. Honestly, it didn't feel like it was at the 35 ft/lbs. I was tempted to add a little blue loctite but I was afraid that something (washer?) would drop and then I would just have another headache.

I went through and also re-torqued the bolts that held the tire carrier on. They say it should be 13 ft/lbs, but those felt a little loose too.

Hopefully this fixes the problem!!

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