The latch is slotted, it will move enough to allow it to close tighter for example if your seals are worn
Read the section on the second picture, its adjustable in and out with shims, and sideways to adjust for alignment

 

Mine is not slotted- round holes-
Thats what I'll do then- make it slotted.

 

The nuts they screw into are in a cage with big holes in the panels, undo it and you will see how far it moves.

 

Just looked- its maxed out by the previous owner. Needs new rubber or a hack.
Its going to the transmission shop on Monday- so, when it gets back.
Many thanks

 

The circular bumper the arrow is pointing to is how you adjust the tail gate - slacken the bolt securing it, you'll find the hole in the bumper is oversized, allowing it to be positioned to support the load of the door and the spare tire.

 

Well I used the old carpenters lipstick trick and smeared it all
around the 'circular' bumper and adjusted it based on where the lipstick was
transferred to the cup/female section, but it did not help.
The hook part is as far in as it can go but when the gate has been slammed
shut you can still press it inwards about a 1/4" or more.
Could it be the latch itself is bad ?

 

Well I used the old carpenters lipstick trick and smeared it all
around the 'circular' bumper and adjusted it based on where the lipstick was
transferred to the cup/female section, but it did not help.

You've adjusted it incorrectly - the idea is not for the rubber bumper to enter the cup without touching - it's for the bumper to rest on the lower part of the cup and support the weight of the door and tire - you want it to touch..

 

It is touching both lower, and upper sides of the cup but not much if any,
on the back/bottom as I assumed it would limit the amount the door can
go inwards. The play in the door is inwards, not up and down.
Its still in the transmission shop. Many thanks for your help.

 

It is touching both lower, and upper sides of the cup but not much if any,

Read that line again - it is touching both lower and upper sides - but not much - if any.

It's either touching both or it's not - and whilst I could be wrong, I don't think it's possible for it to touch both - it would jam and not move inwards as it is designed to - I have no intention of taking mine apart to find out, but I could probably put a caliper on it this evening and maybe get you some numbers.

I'm going to say this again - you've adjusted it incorrectly - look closely at the cup - it's tapered - the upper & lower sides are sloped - the idea is for the bumper to touch hard (jam) on the lower side only, when adjusted correctly, it sits on the lower slope and because it's on a slope, when it stops it moves neither down or inwards - the weight of the door and wheel hold it there.

 

Fordham- what I was saying is that if you move the disc rubber bumper too far forward
it will hit the bottom of the cup.( you edited out a part of the sentence)
I will readjust it so it looks like L84skys photo.(thanks)
The point is that wherever it hits, after the door has been slammed shut there is
play when you press on the door. I'll live with it and move on.

 

The point is that wherever it hits, after the door has been slammed shut there is
play when you press on the door. I'll live with it and move on.

You haven't moved it low enough - it's MEANT to hit the bottom of the cup, move it down so that when it hits the bottom of the cup it JAMS against it, that's how you get it to support the weight of the door and the wheel

 

On my vehicle that does not move in or out - the only adjustment is the rubber bumpers, there's that circular one, which is what deals with the rattle and a second one near the top corner - be very careful adjusting that top one - if you adjust it incorrectly it prevents the tail gate from compressing the seal and water (and dust) can leak in.

The circular bumper, if set too low will prevent the door from moving inwards.

He says he has 1/4" of play - I'm wondering if the door is fully latched - it should click twice - the difference between the first & second "clicks" is about 1/4 " of play.

 

On my vehicle that does not move in or out

I have never tried to adjust mine. It was perfect from the factory...

but my FSM says the door lock striker is adjustable in both the horizontal and vertical directions. 2013GV said the nuts in the door jamb float.

I put a mirror through the jack access door this morning and it does seem like the nuts could float (at least on my car). The OP said his door lock striker had already been adjusted to the limit.

I'm wondering if the door is fully latched

That would explain a lot.

When my cargo door closes, it is flush with the quarter panel and it does not push in any farther.

 

This is the shape of the cup on my car, you can see that the top and the bottom are divergent.

Look closely at the bottom and you can see where the paint has been rubbed off through contact with the bottom of the circular rubber bumper - pay attention to how far up the curve the wear spot extends - that contact between the cup and the bumper is what limits the inward travel on my tailgate.

L84sky, if your tailgate has never rattled in the 15~20 years you've had the car, consider yourself lucky - it may be a factor of road quality, but out where I am, if you're going to hit the trail with a tailgate mounted spare, you know it's just a matter of time before the tailgate sags, rattles and no longer seals properly, you may never see a drop of water leak in, but I guarantee you're going to find the fine red dust from the trail surface on the inside of the tailgate.

Doesn't matter what vehicle you have - Land Cruisers, Patrols, Vitaras - anything with a tailgate mounted spare, and if you're running a larger, heavier tire, it's going to happen sooner

 

it may be a factor of road quality

Well since I've never taken it off-road I would think you are probably right. The first two years it stayed under a carport and the last nineteen it has been garage kept. It's had a pretty pampered existence.

 

You missed one modification, shift the steering wheel and pedals to the correct side

 

shift the steering wheel and pedals to the correct side

I had to special order it that way because I'm left-handed.