Rear hatch superglued
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Rear hatch superglued
I've read a number of posts on this problem but my hatch won't budge and after a half a dozen attempts I need some help, or a sledge hammer. Hatch is stuck shut, key won't work, motor works and turns etc , but nothing.
I've tried with someone outside jiggling hatch at same time, no success. Am I doing right thing? I've tried pushing up on nylon latch with screwdriver (I can't see how you can push backwards as nylon latch is encased in a steel bracket), pushing backwards and upwards on nylon pivot, but still no cupie doll. Look at pics. Is last resort to drill a hole through steel member?
thanks
groppo
1990 S4
I've tried with someone outside jiggling hatch at same time, no success. Am I doing right thing? I've tried pushing up on nylon latch with screwdriver (I can't see how you can push backwards as nylon latch is encased in a steel bracket), pushing backwards and upwards on nylon pivot, but still no cupie doll. Look at pics. Is last resort to drill a hole through steel member?
thanks
groppo
1990 S4
Gluteus Maximus
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I had the same problem with mine, but then I found that if I push DOWN on the hatch real hard (basically with my whole body weight) then the key will turn. Actually the first time, two of us were pushing down on the hatch as hard as we could. I think the upward pressure on the hatch from the seals, misalignment, etc puts so much pressure on the latch that it doesn't want to budge. So pushing down on the hatch relieves that pressure.
Also on mine only my short key works, not the long one.
Also on mine only my short key works, not the long one.
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From: Anaheim California
The white plastic you are calling the latch has NOTHING to do with holding the hatch closed it is in fact the spring loaded plunger which pops open the hatch when you push the OTHER white plastic catch which is inside the post which is bolted to the hatch. To push back on the latch you need to peel up the trim on the body in the very center as high as possible and drill a small hole. Then you can insert a screw driver and pushing to the rear cause he white plastic to pivot back into the post. Having someone push down on the hatch relieves some tension. The actual latching happens at the very TOP of the receiver and not at the bottom.
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From: Boulder Creek, CA
The latch looks like the pic below. Your pics show the latch receiver. This is the piece that bolts to the hatch lid. The bottom of the pic would be toward the front of the car, the right of the pic is toward the bottom of the car. What you need to do is push the white plastic piece on the latch so that it rotates back into the latch body, so that it disengages from the latch receiver..
Captain Obvious
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From: Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Being a ’90 S4 it must have a remote trunk opener. If it does, then try jumping the electric motor at the latch to open the hatch. Just run a positive line from the battery and another to the chassis. The motor should turn and pop the hatch open.
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Problem fixed, and as with most cases I need to shim the rear side of the hatch lid lock about 3mm. Straight away I could tell the fit was better going in the female part. Also, I lowered the motor a bit on it's mount. This was the bit that made it finally work. I noticed that if you activate the motor, and it doesn't sound under stress, then the lid won't open. It has to have a "stressed" noise through it's cycle, than you know it's pushing against the white nylon latch.
groppo
groppo