The late on my tailgate- (the metal door, not just the window) sometimes gets stuck, and I can't open it unless I press dwon & in on the tailgate, while pulling on the handle to open the tailgate.
My neighbor has the exact same problem with his 98 GC.
Is this fairly common? What is causing this ?
Can I fix it on my own- or does it require a skilled mechanic who is going to charge me an arm & a leg?
thanks
Cappy2112 did pass the time by typing:
Couple of possibilities. Most likely the latch mechanisim is full of dirt and needs to be cleaned and re-lubed. Chassis shift can do this but that is usually the result of an accident (rear-ender).
Take some silicon lube and spray the latch mechanisim, that might free it up for a while. Watch using grease removers like TB cleaner as they can dissolve plastic. And wear eye protection when using spray cleaners. That stuff stings like a sombitch.
Also it may be a issue with your latch post not being in the correct position (IE the post is too far forward or way to far back).. If cleaning it doesn't do the trick then loosen the 4 screws on the latch post and move it forward or back about a Centemeeter tighten it back up... this is a trial and error thing and may take a couple (say 20 tries) to get perfect.. once you have done that then make sure to use some Locktight on all of the screws one at a time so that you don't loose position and you are good to go :)
So what exactly goes wrong? IS it the latch itself? Is it the solenoid actuating the latch? When I press the remote control, I hear the solenoid engaging in the tailgate. Whether the solenoid is actually connected to anything- I don't know.
I'm not sure how to get inside to take a look- to see if I want to go any further on my own.
What do hinges have to do with this?
This thread is about is the tailgate latch mechanism on my 98 GC that doesn't always open when I lift the handle.
Your lock is probably corroded and that is stopping it from working. You will have to take off the interior door panel from the tailgate to get at the lock. Much easier if you can coax the tailgate to open. I've had this experience. Just buy a new latch mechanism and install it and put the Interior panel back on...
Walt Johnson
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