Rewinding the cargo shade

[koda2000]

I recall reading once where there was a way to rewind/re-tension the cargo shade in the Gen II's. Somehow my daughter has managed to pull hers out and it's not going back in by itself. Does anyone know how to accomplish this?

 

[koda2000]

Google to the rescue... though I don't really feel like going through this much effort (not today anyway). Apparently either the spring has broken or it has come out of it's retainer.

Tools

• Drill
• Drill Bit Set
• Punch
• Rivet Gun and Rivets

When the cargo cover fails to retract, there are normally two causes. The coil spring for the cover retracting mechanism is broken or the spring has come out of the retracting mechanism plastic end piece. The procedure should help you determine and correct the cause of the retracting mechanism failure.

1. Carefully hand roll the shade into the cargo cover assembly.
2. Remove the whole shade assembly from the back of the rear seat. There are two large screws, one on each end of the shade assembly inside and approximately one inch from each end.
3. Place the assembly on a large table or counter top.
4. On each end of the assembly you will see a plastic end piece cover. Each cover is held in place by pop rivets. Remove the passenger's side end cover by drilling out the pop rivet (you only need to remove one end cover). Be careful not to damage the area of the end cover around the pop rivet during removal.
5. Once the plastic end cap is removed, slide the roller & shade out of the open end of the assembly.
6. With the roller and shade removed, CAREFULLY unroll the shade being careful not the tear it.
7. Looking at the unrolled shade and the roller, you will see that the roller is a hollow silver metal shaft which is slotted along the entire length with white plastic end caps pressed into both ends.
8. You may be able to separate the shade from the shaft by carefully sliding the end of the shade out of the slot of the roller. If you have difficulty sliding the shade out of the shaft, stop and proceed to the next step. You don't want to risk tearing the shade.
9. At each end of the roller there is a white plastic end cap. The caps are pressed into the roller and the metal shaft is dimpled in three places to hold each of the end caps in place. With an electric drill and a bit the same diameter as the dimple, CAREFULLY drill out the dimples. You will drill slightly into the plastic end cap but that's okay. We'll worry about that later. Remove the end cap with the flat tip which is attached to the spring assembly. The spring assembly is hidden inside the metal shaft and is attached to the white plastic end cap. You only need to remove the cap from that end.
10. Now that you have drilled out the dimples, pull out the plastic end piece with the central shaft and large coil spring. The spring and shaft are covered by a brown paper sleeve. Remove the sleeve and set it aside for re assembly.
11. If you haven't done so already, slide the shade out of the roller.
12. When you inspect the removed end piece and spring you will see where the end of the spring is or should have been attached to the white plastic end piece. This is the typcial problem area. The end of the spring has probably separated from the white plastic end piece or the end of the spring may be broken.
13. If the end is broken, you will have to re-bend approximately 1/8 inch of the end. You will have to heat the end of the spring and allow it to cool, making an "L" shaped bend to fit into the plastic end piece.
14. Once you have identified and corrected the problem with the assembly, re-assemble in reverse order. When you get to the drilled out dimples, simply re-dimple with a metal punch, next to where you drilled out. When you have reattached the shade to the roller and are about to place back into the assembly, you will need to rewind the spring inside the roller approximately 10-15 revolutions. You can make a little hand crank out of a piece of coat hanger wire. You won't be able to wind it with you fingers.
15. After re-assembling the cargo cover, re-install the assembly using the two large screws that go at either end of the assembly.

Clark's Garage © 1998