hard to turn liftgate handle

[Blaster K]

got a question for the panel. love the site, read the new things every night before I put the kids to bed.I have a 1995 XLT 4X4 with 115 thou miles. I purchased the truck approx 18 months ago and am pretty happy with the truck. Here is my question; it is impossible to turn the tailgate handle to get the window or tailgate to open. I can usually get it open, but if my wife uses the truck, she cant. Does anybody know if there was a recall, or how to fix this? It seems like it is seized up and I sprayed some wd-40 in there with no luck.Thanks for all your suggestions.

 

[TAKECOVER]

Me too!! Any ideas?

got a question for the panel. love the site, read the new things every night before I put the kids to bed.I have a 1995 XLT 4X4 with 115 thou miles. I purchased the truck approx 18 months ago and am pretty happy with the truck. Here is my question; it is impossible to turn the tailgate handle to get the window or tailgate to open. I can usually get it open, but if my wife uses the truck, she cant. Does anybody know if there was a recall, or how to fix this? It seems like it is seized up and I sprayed some wd-40 in there with no luck.Thanks for all your suggestions.

 

[BuffaloXplorer]

Does the handle turn, but it just won't "pop" the latches? If so, let me know - i've got the fix for ya!

 

[bills]

OK, whats the fix?

 

[BuffaloXplorer]

Replace/rework the latches. Being in the northeast, rust has likely frozen the moving parts of the latches. Have you tried PB Blaster? Try it again?

If you don't know how the system works, the actuator rod, when the handle is turned, pushes on a "release" button inside the latch, which allows the hooks to release away from the striker. Chances are good that the "button," which pivots on a rivot, is rusted frozen and no longer (easily) actuates the latch. You may be able to rework the latches, but more than likely you'll need to replace the latch itself. Decide what you want to do first (try to fix or repair) because getting the parts off are MUCH harder than fixing them. I removed the guts, made whatever repair i could (fixed one latch but could not fix the other, so i left the other disconnected from the actuator rod), and then put it back together, only to have to go in a second time to replace other parts (i did a total overhaul), and then a third time to adjust the system.

DO NOT buy these parts from ford - they're $50 or so A PIECE. Find a newer 2nd gen at a junkyard and get a pair of latches - or contact midwest mustang (EF username "ped5stang") and get them from them.

The repair:

-Remove the interior hatch trim panel.
-Remove any existing (black) access panels to gain entry to "guts" of tailgate.

With tailgate open/up, make the latches latch (by hand). Each set of latch "hooks" should click twice and form a complete circle when fully closed (as if they were hooking around the door striker). If they don't, or when pushing one latch in the other pops, the latch is either bad, or the actuator rod is still pushing on the latch release. While latches are "latched" and tailgate is up, grab both actuator rods and push/pull them outward toward their respective latches. If it seems that you need excessive force to get the latches to fully release, or the latch will not release at all, the latch on that particular side needs to be reworked/replaced.

If the latches pop with ease, note whether or not the actuator rods spring back to their "neutral position" - if not, the main body of the latch mechanism may be the possible culprit (there's a tiny spring on the main body that, in conjunction with the spring around the handle, help to return the actuator rods to their resting state) Now make the latches latch again and try it with the handle. If the latches have a hard time releasing with the handle, but worked fine with the rods as described above, we assume the latches are not the problem.

When performing the following steps, pay special attention to the exact alignment of the actuator rods going to the lock cylinder, the power lock actuator (if equipped) and the glass latch. Misalignment when reinstalling will cause binding (i know - i've done it).

To remove the latches & latch mechanism:

-Reach into the tailgate and unclip the door ajar sensor harness from the door sensor on each latch.
-With flashlight & (preferably magnetic) philips screwdriver, from within the tailgate, reach in and unscrew the 1/4" long screw that holds the sensor onto the latch. 1/4 twist & remove the sensor. (NOTE: You can try removing the latches without doing this but i could not get them out with the sensors attached)
-Remove the (3) bolts holding in each latch mechanism.
-Remove (2) bolts holding down the glass latch - this not only fastens the glass latch but also secures the main center "body" of the latch mechanism. The glass latch is on its own actuator rod that you'll need to remove it from - remember: note the alignment of the rod before removing it.
-Remove the actuator rod from the lock cylinder (remember: alignment) - you'll need a flat screwdriver to release the plastic clip on the lock itself. This may break if force is needed, so be careful - (this may be a good time to replace the cylinder if it doesn't work anymore.
-Remove the (1) bolt located in lower-center section of tailgate - this will totally release the center "body" of the mechanism.

At this point you should be able to pull one latch away from the tailgate enough to remove it from the actuator rod. Once removed, remove the other (if needed). Inspect the inner workings. You'll see an "L" shaped actuator that is actually supposed to pivot on the body of the latch. This is probably where it's "frozen." You can try cleaning the rust and trying to make it work again, or you can grind/drill out the pivot and using a small machine screw/bolt combo as a pivot. That is what i did to refurb the salvageable one. (My advice is to just replace the both of them).

Once i did this, i put it all back together and tried it out. It turned out that the rods seemed to be sticking in the "actuate" position, causing the latch to "pop" without turning the handle (theres a story somewhere on EF about my wife losing a TON of groceries out the tailgate while accelerating from a dead stop b/c it just popped open)

TO BE CONTINUED>>>>>>

 

[BuffaloXplorer]

CONTINUED:

Now onto reworking the main "body" of the unit. Again, this is what helps the actuator rods to return to "neutral," releasing pressure from the latches themselves. If your latches work ok now, but it's still hard to keep the tailgate shut, the rods are probably not returning to the resting place.

If you've reinstalled everything to test the new/reworked latches, uninstall everything again. Once the main body is free from the liftgate shell (by removing the (3) bolts that held it in), you now need to get it out and onto a workbench. This can be done (2) ways, and chances are good that the easy way won't be an option:

1) The easy way: The body comes out after the actuator rods are removed. The actuator rods are connected to the main body via threaded ends that connect to little "nubs" that are clipped onto the main body (you'll see what i'm talking about) - they're probably under a coating of rust, which will prohibit you from doing this the easy way. Technically, the actuator rods are adjusted by screwing them either in or out to achieve the perfect amount of pressure, but most of ours are covered in rust and cannot be done this way.

2) The hard way: You need to remove this 6' wide part through one of the 1'x1' holes. A lot of back-n-forth, over/under/around the wiper motor, etc. This is a PITA but i had to do it. You could remove the wiper motor, which will help, but it's just something else to reinstall.

Once it's out, you should be able to remove the actuator rods which will allow you to reinstall them after you put the body back into the tailgate. While it's out, clean it up (brake parts cleaner(?)). A good wire brushing helped too where obvious rust had set in, hindering the part that the actuator rods from returning to neutral. If it's cleaned up and operating well, (play with the center pivoting part to see if the (very small) spring is actually doing it's job), lube it up and reinstall it. Mine wasn't, so I tried adding a spring to it, but the body was still binding and the springs weren't strong enough so i decided to wait and replace all of the guts. If yours is working, lube it up and reinstall. (i opted to replace this part, as the amount of rust was so great that i couldn't get it working well enough - but that was on another trip into the liftgate).

Remember, when putting it all back together, remember that proper alignment and reinstallation of the short actuator rods (to the glass latch, the lock cylinder, power lock actuator, etc) is very important. When i put it back together, i didn't align something quite right and the manual hatch lock (the one you see go up and down when pressing lock/unlock) binds, adding undue stress to the power actuator.

If you plan to keep your X for a while, i would advise a complete northeastern overhaul (latches, rods, body, lock cylinder - approx. $100 from a (southern/western) junkyard. Take it apart once, see what the problem areas are, fix what you can, and then find the rest through midwest mustang or someone here that's willing to part out a tailgate. My wife loves me for it.

PM me if you've got questions. I assure you that once you "see" these parts i've described, you'll be fine

 

[bills]

Thank you very much that should be helpul. As you suggested will will try some PB blaster / WD40 / some thicker grease / oil to help this out before I rip it apart.

I think part of these problems are caused from some idiot trying to force it open when its locked!!!

This goes into my next question, is there an easy way to make the interior lights all turn off so when Im camping I can have the gate / doors open and not attract the whole campground's population of mosquitoes and other bugs.

 

[thrawn5499]

my handle turns 360 is it broke

 

[Tbonejr]

I would think so

Yes I would think that is a definate indication that it is broken. Mine had always been hard to turn also. Ive been waiting for it to brake too.
:roll: