I've read that the tailgate cap where the step is comes off/breaks often if people are siding material out of the bed.
I recently purchased my friends 2017 with step tailgate and that piece is missing from him sliding stuff out of the bed. Rather than buy from Ford $120+, I bought the cheapest I could find ($23) because I figure if it's a recurring problem with the "best" factory part, I might as well lose the least money if it breaks again. There's a chance the replacement has a smaller lip and may not catch as much. I'm not working with my truck but I will slide things out occasionally. I hate janky-*** crap as much as the rest of you do. But not sure if a cheapie part is a bad thing or even makes a difference in this instance.

I want to do two things...my questions:
1- Before I snap it on, there is a small amount of light rust at the button pivot, spring, and latch from being exposed to weather for a couple years. Should I use lithium spray grease or molybdelum grease? Once the plastic button cover is on, I don't think it will get water on it anymore. Just want to improve it's action if I can. I'd love to put gunsmithing skills to work and polish the contact point so it's a smooth push, hahaha

2- Should I run a bead of construction adhesive along the full length close to the edge that would catch and get pulled off (the top edge when tailgate is down)?

Any thoughts?

 

Both sound like good ideas. I'd use silicon spray instead of grease, but a very thin film of grease would be fine also. Probably not necessary but as long as you have it apart, why not.

If you slide a lot of things out of the bed, the adhesive might be of some help. I've never had that cap come off but I don't slide sheets of plywood in and out all the time either.

 

Mind sharing what you purchased? And what do you think of the fit and look once installed? I can attest to the fact it does catch and break tabs when sliding things out of the bed. I've considered replacing mine but doubt I will for $120. Thanks

 

$120 is a non-starter when it’s available $25-$75 provided the cheaper versions are 90%+ as good. I might do $120 if I was selling the truck. It’s a low tech item, so I don’t see the need.

Today I lined up the cap, all the tabs and guides lined up. All I had to do was push it down another quarter inch and it would have snapped in. The edge that everyone says gets caught, doesn’t seem to protrude AT ALL. Hard for me to imagine it gets caught, pulled, damaged, and pulled off. But maybe once snapped in it’s a bit different? One thing…I didn’t have the plastic button in place, but I don’t see how that would have changed it much.
If I didn’t hear all the stories of how it gets yanked off, I wouldn’t even question it and snap it in right now. But I’m cheap and I feel I have a lot of information from a lot of people and I think I’d be foolish not to run a bead of adhesive across it, just in case and it broke off.
Be smarter.

I isolated where the button is “catching”…it’s actually the return spring on the latch, not the button at all. I feel if I were to perhaps file a surface burr a tad, the spring would slide without “catching”.

I’ll report back once it’s installed, maybe in a week or so now that I’ve made it so complicated (filing, greasing, adhesive).

This is the one I purchased:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11424770640...mis&media=COPY

 

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

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Did you replace with an aftermarket replacement then?

Where did you purchase it, & do you have a link for the $23.00 replacement, or was it a salvage item?

Mine has been damaged too, & getting tired of slapping it back in place.

It was originally damaged in hunting season sliding an animal out of the bed at the butcher shop.

 

This is the one I purchased, I'm guessing several people sell the same ones made in the same molds:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/11424770640...mis&media=COPY

I decided I'm going to use construction adhesive to glue it on. No reason not to, not supposed to come off.

I have pics showing how it sits (not pushed on all the way or glued but it is definitely where the cap will sit.
I will try to see a same generation tailgate cap in the next day or so and see how a factory cap sits. I never had the factory one so I don't know. My buddy said it blew off on the freeway at 70mph. I'm guessing the factory ones that keep getting pulled off could be glued rather than replace, but maybe they stick out too much no matter what.

When I glue it, I'll put adhesive around the perimeter and a blob on each push-in.

Test fitting the button seems to be a bit sticky. I've never used a factory so dunno how smooth/positive the button works.

At this point I'm going to file the face of the latch where the spring rubs to smooth out the action, seems like there is a small burr, everything else is smooth and flawless.
I'm going to put moly grease where the spring slides against the latch and where the latch engages the stop on the tailgate. I'm playng with the plastic button in the plastic tailgate cap to get it to sooth out a bit, probably will put a film of moly on the little plastic guides. Anything will help. It will drive me nuts if it doesn't return to its flush position after pressing it every time. Hope to do this week. When it's done I'll do a post-mortem! hahahahahaha

 

Seems to sit away from the edge, which seems helpful to me from what people have said. Maybe it's better engineered?
Will know after installed permanently.

 

Gonna put some moly grease on the button guides since it sorta gets stuck. I’ll work it a couple hundred presses to loosen it up before installing.

This is the only marking/identifying mark on the tailgate cap: