I am in the process of deleting my 'S' spoiler and adding an S4 one. I got a hatch and windows and trim pieces and seals all to the tune of $160 last month. The parts were from an '80 or '81, can't remember. I swapped the hatched today and initially it looked fine, but when I test fitted the lock, the hatch was sticking out too far and the lock was off by about 1/4 inch. There is no adjustment in the mounting bolts, they are tightened down, and the shocks are the same. Is there some way to adjust the hatch I dont know about?

 

What exactly are you "asking" ??? you bought a rear hatch (apparently)...from an 80-81 model, and can't make it fit an 1980 Euro S ?? OR.. are you trying to mount an 87 or newer spoiler on the OB hatch, and cant fit it correctly ?? OR...is it the new, / (old)...replacement hatch doesn't align... lock to receiver, with your car ?? This is what I am guessing you are posting as is the trouble. Well.. do you have the manuals, or manuals on CD ? The hatch lock, (upper) ... isn't laterally adjustable, (maybe slightly).....the receiver "can" be moved...but not much, the combination of the two...is all you have. Check the manuals, or take it to a local bodyshop...see if they can align and fit your"project". Good Luck .

 

Yeah, the hatch is not aligning. when I first put it on it looked fine. upon test fitting the lock, i realized that the hatch sticks out too far. just thought there was some trick to it.

 

well airflite...what... (if I might ask)...was wrong with the hatch assembly on your car ? Is it possible...that the new, (replacement)...was OK..but the car was somehow damaged, or not straight...due to a previous rear end collision ??? Or, perhaps your replacement parts... could have been from a car being "parted"...due to a previoous collision, causing misalignment of the relacement hatch on your car ? In any event, there is a very limited adjustment range for the upper hatch lock, and the lower lock receiver. If the alignment is such, that this scale of adjustment is inadequate, for your car, either the 'replacement Hatch" is bent or your car is not in correct alignment for the part to work. I have to wonder..."why"...do you need to replace the hatch on your 80 Euro ? Certainly not to add and "S4" type spoiler. You must have some reason you bought a replacement hatch, besides for the issue of your desire to remove the "S" spoiler, and replace it with an "S4"...

 

If it's riding lower than the roof at the top seam with a wide gap there, and sitting rearward further than the top edge of the rear bumper as in my pic below, you need to get a helper to pull the hatch forward and upward while you loosen the hatch hinge bolts and allow it to slide. Remove one hinge bolt and look in there; there should be at least a few mm of slop.

 

My 83 S has a couple rear hatch problems too.

The receiver does not stay locked down, you can push it closed and it will cilck into place and stay. However when you start to drive the body flex of the car and the the bumps in the road cause the hatch to "pop" back open everytime. Also the lines of the car do not quite line up but are still pretty close.

The weatherseal at the top of the hatch does not keep water out all the time. If you take it to a car wash or use a high powered pressure gun on the car and hit the seam of the hatch it will leak into the car and onto the rear center console area. If it rains then no water comes through even if you drive slow and it is really raining out. Also I can wash the car and not get any water in if I dont actually hit the seam for longer than a second or two.

 

hmmmmm.........a, uh, helper you say....what is dis helper? I do not know of such thing.....
LOL got it. Thanks!

 

For the first one I use to have the same problem. This is caused by the rubber part that lines the inside of the hatch receiver being worn or in my case, gone. The only way to get one is to find a used part from someone, hoping theirs is still in good condition, or do what I did and buy the entire receiver NEW from 928 intl. It does not come seperate. IIRC $125. Not cheap for a tiny piece of rubber.

The second one you probably need a new hatch seal?

 

dfroelicher, mine did the same popping-open thing, but only on large bumps. Realigning the hatch helped a lot. Replacing the worn latch(~$10) made the problem go away for good.

Borys, get your girlfriend to help if you must -- but you have to have the hatch open, since you need to be able to push upward and forward at about a 45° angle with the bolts loose. You can do one side at a time. I suppose it's possible to do it alone, but you will have to be practically laying across the 1/4 panel and window. Careful you don't scratch the paint!

 

thanks Shark, I had bought the piece a while back but was not sure if that was the problem. Was going to try it then the Hall sensor wire went bad, (begin replaceing everything until it works, or just rennlist!! ) now I am driving the best car in the world again and can start all the little projects again.

 

does anyone have any experience removing the pin in the hatch lock?

I have tried to pound it out like the instructions say but no luck and would like to avoid drilling it out as I am not that steady and can see drilling the window in half.

It almost appears that the one in the WSM is different than the one in my car, no little mushroom part where you are supposed to pound.

If anyone could shed some light on this issue it would be greatly appreciated.

 

One of the local owners got help from someone to align the hatch, but they didn't get it right and apparently ran out of time. Months later he's still driving around with a misaligned hatch.

When you tackle this, make sure you not only have enough hands, but also enough time with all of those hands, so you can complete the job...

 

My ears are burning -- Yeah that other guy and I just ran out of time after we ripped his whole fuse panel out one day and refreshed all of the connections in there... we meant to get to the hatch too, honest!

Some info on the surgery you're talking about here.. Look at the third pic. By using a small enough drift, you can push the pin out and the swaged part will roll up and out of the way as the pin pushes through. If you don't have a thin enough drift punch, a 16-penny nail with the point ground flat is about the right size. Careful, the spring that lives inside there will try to get away!

 

Well, put some ice in those ears and relax. No one is spreading rumors. Or loud complaints. Check your email.

 

Ice -- check. Now to deal with the puddles on my shoulders.