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Re: latch replacement Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Tue, 28 May 2002 10:53:46
In Reply to: latch replacement, Sizzabb, Mon, 27 May 2002 04:38:37 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The latch mechanism can be replaced without having to resort to breaking things.
Open the hatch, and look up at the lever - the lever is the flat part you squeeze (nomenclature is important here). It's a flat piece with two thin legs. Squeeze the lever, and see if BOTH the legs move. A common problem is for one of the legs to break, because that's a thin point. If one is broken, or one is bent, you've got to replace the latch. A new latch mechanism from the dealer is about $75. I've replaced them before.
If they look OK, it might just be binding in the latch mechanism. This can be addressed by lubrication or adjustment.
The lock mechanism is pretty much independent of the latch, so it shouldn't need replacement if the lock works.
To replace or adjust/lube the latch, remove the door panel. Open the hatch. At the bottom of the hatch is the grab handle - remove the two torx screws holding it in place. Just below the window there are some plastic disc with slots - put a screwdriver in the slot and turn it 1/4 turn. It doesn't matter which way. You should then be able to pull the disk out. If it gives you much resistance, turn it a little one way or another. Once all of them are out, take a flat screwdriver (I like using a stiff putty knife), and slide it between the bottom of the hatch and the fabric panel. The panel is held in place with snap fasteners. You want to pry the panel straight out from the door. Start at one corner and work your way around.
With the fabric panel off, things are a lot clearer. When you squeeze the lever, the mechanism pulls up on a rod. That rod goes to the bottom of the hatch, where the actual latch release is. You can get binding in any of those places. All the lock does is move a bar back and forth - when 'locked' the release lever doesn't contact the rod that controls the latch release. When 'unlocked', the release lever can move the rod.
If you need to replace the lever mechanism, you undo the bolts holding the center brakelight in place, and then a couple of bolts to remove the lever.
My guess, the lever is either bent, or the lever mechanism is binding and needs lubrication or adjustment. The length of the rod is adjustable, and if the latch mechanism (the actual 'grabber' at the bottom of the hatch) is aligned wrong, it can bind. The levers bend or break because they're exposed to water and salt, and the relatively soft metal (aluminum?) corrodes over time.
Good luck!
posted by 140.157.4...
, Tue, 28 May 2002 10:53:46 <-- Viewing This Message
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