1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Main 95 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: My first Saab! ...but problem with hatch latch Posted by NP [Email] (#244) [Profile/Gallery] (more from NP) on Sun, 21 Aug 2005 00:33:56 In Reply to: Re: My first Saab! ...but problem with hatch latch, scirocco1, Fri, 19 Aug 2005 23:50:39 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Tried using some WD-40 (don't have any bearing grease on hand, and don't really know what it is). I oiled the latch up, but I'm starting to doubt whether lubrication is the issue. This will be difficult to explain in words...
The latching mechanism for the wagon hatch seems to to pivot and clamp down around the post on the floor of the wagon. Imagine a Swiss Army Knife with its blade hinge pointed towards the ground. Then open the blade clockwise. That's roughly the path that the latch makes when it is open (at least as far as I can tell). As the latch "unfolds," at a certain point near the completion of its path it should trigger the hatch lights to come on. For some reason, my latch doesn’t hit the right spot to turn on the lights. When I look at the latch right after opening the hatch, it appears that the latching mechanism doesn’t fully complete its “unfolding,” but only by a bit. If I move the latch a little, I can get the lights to come on.
I think I’ve found an tolerable solution. I pull the handle on the hatch, but only enough to pop the latch—I don’t pull the whole hatch up yet. At this point the latch is still partially engaged. When I yank the hatch towards me a bit, the motion bumps the latch just enough to trigger the lights to come on. I’ve tried it about ten times today and I’ve been consistently able to trigger the lights. It adds a couple extra steps to opening the hatch, but it doesn’t cost any money and it’s only necessary when it’s dark out. Maybe this method will come in handy to anyone with a similar problem—if anyone has this exact problem.
What I don’t understand is why the lights are only triggered at that one point in the latch’s travel. You would think the lights would come on when the latch was in its fully open position. Yet the point at which the lights come on is at about 4/5 of being fully open. Actually, I’ve only been able to manually get the lights to come on by pushing the latch backwards COUNTER-clockwise to the 4/5 point. Imagine the Swiss Army Knife again. You pull open the blade, but somehow it doesn’t trigger the desired result. So you have to partially close the blade before it hits the correct trigger spot. I’m not sure if this makes sense to anyone reading this. The point is that the way the latch interacts with the lights is counterintuitive. Any advice or further suggestions would be great.
posted by 172.137.16...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.