rear hatch prob

having problems with getting my rear hatch open for a while it would only open if i pushed on the left side of the door and opened the hatch at the same time now i cant get it to open at all. any help would be greatly appreciated thanks guys.:huh:

take your rear plastic off and there will be an opening you can get down into the latch mechanism with, from what i remember there is a threaded rod that you can adjust the opener with, just adjust move it um untill theres no more slack in there and it should open fine.

What year of XJ do you own??

Here is the 87-?? hatch relaese as viewed from the inside.

Assuming you have a 99, I had the same problem (as does just about everybody else). If you've got skinny arms, or have a friend who does, you can crawl in through the back seat and pop the plastic trim on the hatch back from the bottom of the glass, and reach your arm down to the latch mechanism. When you get to it, pull up on it and it should open the hatch (just make sure you're not leaning on the hatch when it opens!)

Once you get it open, crawl back out and finish taking the trim off so you can get to the latch easier. Some people adjusted the rod (if memory serves you need to adjust it up) and put it back together with no problems, others like me got creative with a couple of zip ties after adjusting the rod to keep it from moving again.

Here's a 97+ linkage. Pull on the rod to open the gate. I'd try real hard to get it open one last time before messing with the trim. To open, push hard above the license plate while pulling on the handle.

Once you get the back panel off (using a screwdriver and t-20 torx), adjust the linkage. You want the metal clasp that grabs the ribbed linkage as close to the bottom of the door as possible, like it is in the pic below. Test the operation and ability to shut the door correctly before proceeding. Next use the smallest hose clamp you can get. Put the clamp on the rod, just above the clasp. You may need to trim the clamp as you tighten it. The clamp will keep the clasp from slipping in the future. I've fixed my door two times before installing the clamp.

FYI, Chrysler changed the ribbed linkage to a threaded linkage after '99. I have the part number listed somewhere if you search for my username and 'hatch'...