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Lift Gate Stuck Shut? Latch Help?

M

mrk442

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Tucson
So I backed into a telephone pole....stupid i know but my rear window was covered in mud lol. and i bent my cheap factory bumper like a pretzle slightly to the left of the middle "drive side" i dented the hatch slightly and cracked the plastic just below the window but the dent stops before the rear window and did not touch the glass.

the problem is that the handle no longer works and i cant get the gate open its almost like the mechanism that connects the handle to the latch came loose..

any ideas how to pop it so i can remove the trim and get into the dang lift gate to a look... :)

Thanks,
Matt
 
yah you can remove the nuts the hold that thingy the latch latches onto but it has studs that will not let it swing free... so you think i am going to have to try and pull the trim with the gate down?
 
yep, i was gonna say a prybar....?

you might just have to pull the latch and rock the hell out of the whole hatch...push it in and out...
 
lol i was thinking about cutting of the studs on the latch bar thing and using a pry bar sounds like it might be the way to go i mean wth right the hatch is already bent :)

now i just gotta find a replacment for that any idea if they are the same from 84-02 lol i would think so but i have a 98 so i guess i will just hope and find a yard in tucson that has one its real easy to remove when you can open the hatch since its only two bolts...after you remove the bumper that is :)
 
how much trouble was it to get the inside panel off with the hatch down the hatch is banged up but i dont want to break any of the trim pieces so i can use them on a replacment
 
the only real trouble i had with mine was the spare tire was in and made it a real pain but i think it should be real easy with out a spare tire in the way
 
lol guess i shall try and remove the spare if i cant get out the trim ill start cutting those studs i suppose i was hoping that there was some sort of way to trip the latch from the inside without taking it all a part...sigh that would have been to easy :)

Thanks!!
 
when I bought my 97 the rear hatch didnt have a working lock so I had to replace it. Replaced the lock and come to find out that the mechanism itsself was what was broken and couldnt get it open. I had just started to get my dremel ready (was gonna cut a square out of the trim so I could get to the mechanism) then my buddy showed up, and this is what he did. Climbed over the backseat and into the cargo area, pulled the top of the trim out and away from the liftgate (couldnt get to the screws that held it in place) and slid his whole arm down inside there til he reached the mechanism.....presto! no cutting do drilling no tools required just someone with really thin and long arms...as far as I know you can't use a hatch from any other years except 1997-2001 because from what I have seen is that pre-97 all the hatches are fibreglass and attach at the roof on the outside unlike ours....
 
I've got the same issue and been battling it periodically for a while now - about ready to give up and drop it at a body shop.
How do you trip the latch from inside? I've been messing with it... lots... and gotten nowhere. I'm not the brightest guy but damn, i've tried everything I can think of... Manipulating the rods does nothing good. Yack - I'm not a fan of the design.

-Tom
 
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