Tom in Austin

Hi all, how does one remove the upper hatch latch mechanism (the part that's fastened to the hatch)? I tried loosening the two bolts and they just spin in place, do you have to get behind there somehow to counterhold the nuts? Is it held in place by something else?

I'm chasing the old rattly-hatch syndrome, and saw there's something sticking out beneath the forward edge of the upper latch, holding it about 1/8" out from the trim. Looks like maybe a loop of the alarm wire or something that got caught under the latch plate? It's wedged in there very tightly, so can't just work it back out of the way, need to free up the mechanism and put it back where it belongs.

Since the hatch itself sits higher than the fenders on each side regardless of how the bumpers are set, I think this is could be culprit ...

Mrmerlin

a picture would be good and what year car are you working on?
The bolts that hold the hatch part are blind nuts they are welded to the inside of the hatch you might have to drill the heads off to remove the lock

SeanR

Tom, they should just screw out (if you are talking about the allen headed ones) and just come out. Then you should be able pull the key mechanism out.

Tom in Austin

Well &*(^(*, they just spin, never come out. The one on the right will tighten up after the while, the one of the left just spins in both directions

SharkSkin

Grab the bolts with some needlenose vise grips (vise grips oriented along the bolt axis) and pull down while turning. It sounds like you have some stripped threads to contend with. Either that or the threaded portion inside the hatch -- probably nuts welded internally -- have come loose. Hopefully it's just the bolts that are messed up. Once you have the latch off, open the tool panel cover and unplug the interior light switch from the lower latch so you don't drain the battery while you sort this out. This could get ugly...

Perhaps someone that has a hatch with the inner trim removed can tell you if you can access those "nuts" from the other side.

jcorenman

Tom,

I was just on there today replacing the upper and lower lock on our 90GT. As Mrmerlin said above, what's in there (in '90 at least) are hex-nuts welded to the inside of the hatch frame. If your '94 is the the same then either they are stripped (seems unlikely, they were real nuts and not some cheeseball tin-thing) or the welds have broken and they are spinning free (which is consistent with one of them tightening after a while).

One option-- if you had a different car-- would be to remove the trim (two-part trick fasterners along the bottom, clips at the top) and then-- opposite each bolt-- cut an access hole through the sheet metal behind the trim, large enough for a peak and to sneak a 13mm end-wrench in there. You can't do that, however-- such hacks are strictly forbidden when you have the only rasberry-red 928 in the world.

The other option would be to drill, grind or otherwise turn the two bolts into metal powder, remove the lock and then remove the rubber grommet around the lock-cylinder, and then get into there with mirrors and flashlights and see what is going on. I think that is your best option.

Good hunting!

Mrmerlin

the bolt heads are ready to be drilled, grasp the outer edges with vice grips and drill out the center put a big towel down so metal chips dont get everywhere. after that you can JB weld some new nuts into the hatch after you make sure to remove the loctite from the threads of the new bolts, use anti seize

Tom in Austin

Thanks all, I'll be hoping the opening (after drilling out bolts and removing the latch) is large enough to reach in and install new nuts.

BTW, what is the trick for removing the two-part trick fasteners?

Tom in Austin

Thanks all, I'll be hoping the opening (after drilling out bolts and removing the latch) is large enough to reach in and install new nuts.

BTW, what is the trick for removing the two-part trick fasteners?

Mrmerlin

First disconnect the battery.............Then remove the rear light housing, pay attention to how the rear hatch light is wired.
.then get a small sharp knife or needle and slide it under the pins heads they slide out, then pull the remaining portion out of the hole.

Note spread a big blanket under the work area as the pins have a nasty habit of flying into the unknown recesses of the rear seats and the battery box and quarter panels edges.
Once the pins are out with the hatch open sharply strike the rear edge of the trim forward this will dislodge it. watch for the wire harness and any falling clips. follow previously posted instructions for drilling also a helper with a vacuum cleaner next to the drill bit works great, they may also be able to hold the vice grips as you drill the bolt heads off