My liftgate Llatch broke!! How to fix it?

[BroncoIIAddict]

Hey everyone. Today I went to open the liftgate on my 1990 Ford Bronco II (you know, turn the handle clockwise) and the handle just turned around in a circle like it was stripped. I turned it around to it's normal postition and it opened once more. I tried it again and nothing; it just turned in a circle. Feels like it is stripped out or something. I noticed the handle was almost all the way out of the trunk. It was wobbling around.

Before this happened, the handle was loose and had a bunch of slop in it when you twist it from left to right.

Oh, and by the way, my liftgate is a 1 piece design - the glass doesn't open separately.

Any suggestions? Thanks!


Tomorrow when it gets light out, I'll take some pictures for more info. If it's just the handle that is stripped out, I can buy a new one from LMC Truck for $39.99 or a used one from a junkyard B2 for $7.50. Thats a no-brainer.

(the junkyard one )

 

[Joe Dirt]

They just bolt in from behind. Remove the rear trim and it's there. Same handle (or at least style) I believe as the Gen I and early Gen II Ex?

 

[janderson4010]

i actually had this same prob when I got my bII, I took off the trim from the inside and found that the piece that contacts the lever when you turn it was bent so when I turned the handle it slipped over it, didn't contact enough to open the hatch, so I got a big screwdriver and bent it back and it works great now