Vic
VCA Venom Member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2000
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Have you ever tried to close the rear glass, but it just won\'t latch?
Here is what I did, when this happened to me.
All I had with me in the way of tools was my trusty 12-in-1, good-for-nothing Leatherman. And as luck would have it, some WD40.
It was the end of a long hot drive, and the car was really baked by the sun, plus the engine had been idleing in stop and go traffic for hours. I think the car and I had reached that theoretical state of thermal equilibrium, where everything is at the same temperature. After getting something out of the trunk, I tried to close the lid, but it just kept popping back open.
Chances are, you can fix this yourself, and you don't need a degree in mechanical engineering. All that happened in this case is that the lock was being continuously released, as if the key was being turned. Checking the tumbler, I found that the key was not stuck in the release position, so the problem was not in the tumbler, but in the lock itself.
To reach the lock mechanism, you need first to remove the press-on rubber molding that surrounds the hatch area. It has been put on with some kind of super sticky black compound, almost like a tar, that will stick to you, your car, and whatever else it comes in contact with, so don't let it get all over the place. You only need to pull it back far enough to expose the plastic lock cover, which goes over that lock bulge in the rear portion of the trunk rim.
Using the Phillips driver, remove four black screws that holds the cover over the lock mechanism. There are also two little snaps that you have to pry out with a straight blade. Don't lose the screws, and note differences in the length.
Crane your head in the trunk, downward, until you can see the lock mechanism. After the blood has stopped rushing to your eyeballs, and you can see again, note that the lock mechanism is housed in a sheetmetal can-type assembly, that defies analysis. (!)
That's ok, we only need to lubricate it at this time.
When you turn the key toward release, you are actually pulling a cable that goes from the key tumbler, up to the lock mechanism, which rotates a cylinder, which releases the catch. This cable was not taut, indicating that the "signal" for release was not coming from the cable, as when the key is turned.
This two part plastic cylinder, keyed together with serations, must rotate to release the catch, when the key is turned. When the key is released, the cylinder is supposed to return to its normal position, which allows the lock to catch the bar on the glass, and hold it, keeping the lid closed.
This cylinder had rotated just fine, when the key was turned toward release, or open, and the only problem was that it had not returned to its normal position, holding the catch mechanism in a constant release state.
Spraying some WD40 right onto where that cylinder rotates casued it to return to its normal position right away.
If that works for you, put everything back just the way you found it, and note that the screws for the trim need to go back into holes in the rear clip, (Or trunk tub), and to find these holes, you must look behind the trim, as you push the screws in, until they are lined up, then you can spin 'em down.
So if your glass won't close, don't freak out. All is not lost, and the answer can be very simple.
Here is what I did, when this happened to me.
All I had with me in the way of tools was my trusty 12-in-1, good-for-nothing Leatherman. And as luck would have it, some WD40.
It was the end of a long hot drive, and the car was really baked by the sun, plus the engine had been idleing in stop and go traffic for hours. I think the car and I had reached that theoretical state of thermal equilibrium, where everything is at the same temperature. After getting something out of the trunk, I tried to close the lid, but it just kept popping back open.
Chances are, you can fix this yourself, and you don't need a degree in mechanical engineering. All that happened in this case is that the lock was being continuously released, as if the key was being turned. Checking the tumbler, I found that the key was not stuck in the release position, so the problem was not in the tumbler, but in the lock itself.
To reach the lock mechanism, you need first to remove the press-on rubber molding that surrounds the hatch area. It has been put on with some kind of super sticky black compound, almost like a tar, that will stick to you, your car, and whatever else it comes in contact with, so don't let it get all over the place. You only need to pull it back far enough to expose the plastic lock cover, which goes over that lock bulge in the rear portion of the trunk rim.
Using the Phillips driver, remove four black screws that holds the cover over the lock mechanism. There are also two little snaps that you have to pry out with a straight blade. Don't lose the screws, and note differences in the length.
Crane your head in the trunk, downward, until you can see the lock mechanism. After the blood has stopped rushing to your eyeballs, and you can see again, note that the lock mechanism is housed in a sheetmetal can-type assembly, that defies analysis. (!)
That's ok, we only need to lubricate it at this time.
When you turn the key toward release, you are actually pulling a cable that goes from the key tumbler, up to the lock mechanism, which rotates a cylinder, which releases the catch. This cable was not taut, indicating that the "signal" for release was not coming from the cable, as when the key is turned.
This two part plastic cylinder, keyed together with serations, must rotate to release the catch, when the key is turned. When the key is released, the cylinder is supposed to return to its normal position, which allows the lock to catch the bar on the glass, and hold it, keeping the lid closed.
This cylinder had rotated just fine, when the key was turned toward release, or open, and the only problem was that it had not returned to its normal position, holding the catch mechanism in a constant release state.
Spraying some WD40 right onto where that cylinder rotates casued it to return to its normal position right away.
If that works for you, put everything back just the way you found it, and note that the screws for the trim need to go back into holes in the rear clip, (Or trunk tub), and to find these holes, you must look behind the trim, as you push the screws in, until they are lined up, then you can spin 'em down.
So if your glass won't close, don't freak out. All is not lost, and the answer can be very simple.
