Another Liftgate Thread (New Handle Popped)

[Godzilla2y]

Last night I (attempted to) change the handle for the liftgate. What a royal PITA that is--I think I invented some new swearwords along the way.

The old one was nearly entirely seized--some PB B'laster in the crevices would loosen it up juuuust enough to be able to turn and open the hatch and/or glass.

Got the old one out (busted the rusted studs off trying to loosen them) without taking anything else back there apart (lock or latch assembly or wiper assembly), got the new one back in after fiddling with it for about 3 hours.

Buttoned it all up, closed the hatch, went to turn the handle... POP! Tried turning it the other way to get the glass... POP! Now the handle mostly just spins.

I know the latches themselves on either end are free. I can move them with my hands and the cables weren't too stiff to manually pull. I could press the glass latch lever with my finger to pop it open.

So before I take it all the way apart again, what gives? Did the yellow clips bust free? Why did they not with the old handle?

 

[Godzilla2y]

BUYER BEWARE

Fished the handle pieces out of the rear hatch today while I took a break from programs malfunctioning at work.

I bought a Dorman handle from Amazon, which did not come with the necessary mounting hardware.

I thought the only needed hardware was the two nuts (M6 x 1.0, future reader) with built-in washers. Most parts stores don't sell these on the shelves, btw. Don't buy regular hex nuts or assembling the whole thing will make you, too, invent new swear words.

Turns out the handle ALSO needs a bolt on the reverse side, to hold the arm onto the handle post. Product pictures show this screw on the handle. It is not there.

Handle arm and spring, after fishing them out of my hatch:

Bare handle post poking into the hatch (took a bunch of pictures while making sure there weren't any extra pieces missing):

Arm on handle post, as it comes in the box (reassembled after fishing all the pieces out, to make sure I wasn't crazy and nothing was permanently broken):

Old OEM handle WITH the bolt that holds it together:

Old OEM handle soaking in some penetrant oil, so I can hopefully get it out of there and buy a new one:

Again, the Dorman product pictures include the screw that holds the wiper onto the handle post.

The product does not come with this screw.

I tried twisting the handle many times prior to installing it in the hatch to ensure it worked. I never tugged on the little arm, as I assumed it was attached. As far as I knew, it was just put together a different way than the OEM one.

Do not make the same mistakes I made.

 

[Godzilla2y]

Another update, post hardware store run.

The good local hardware store had a LOT more options than I last remembered them having. They've always had a good selection, but they blew my socks off today.

I picked up new nuts and bolts for the hatch handle.

For the nuts, I got two M6 x 1.0 flange nuts. These were much easier to install than the original hex nuts I bought.

For the bolt (that holds the arm to the handle), I grabbed an M4 x 0.7 hex bolt (12mm long) and an M4 fender washer. You'll need a nice wide washer to make sure it covers the handle post <i>and</i> the face of the arm. I'd also recommend a 10mm bolt, intsead; looking back, I think I would have been able to get that bolt sufficiently snug with a slightly shorter bolt.

I had to recoil the spring one coil and squish it back on there. That was not fun. I wrote a friendly email to Dorman about the whole thing.

I got it all back together in the truck (after reassembling the handle) much quicker this time around. A regular 10mm wrench and standing on the bottom rung of a ladder made things a lot easier.

Onto the next project!

 

[Godzilla2y]

Unfortunately, I have another update to this saga.

Dorman replied to my email and called me an idiot, more or less:

Hello-

Our picture for part # 15780 does not show screws.

The package contents says 1 handle.

I am not sure where the hardware for installation could be found.

I apologize.

Their response is a lie. The screw (circled in red below) is visible in product photos 3, 4, 5, and 6.

 

[Godzilla2y]

Another response from Dorman:

Hello-

Unfortunately, we do not have anything loose to ship for this.

You may need to return the part to your place of purchase and

Try to order again.

I do apologize.







If there is anything else I can assist you with please do not hesitate to ask.

We appreciate your business.

Have a nice day!

I didn't expect Dorman to do anything right here; I just wanted to warn, prepare, and inform any future readers.