Jchiodi

I've tried pushing pulling etc. on all sides of this thing and cannot get it to release!

I've enclosed a diagram of the mechanism and there is a white nylon sleeve, that looks as though it's the piece pulled down by the motor bar. I've gotten a screwdriver in there and levered it down, to it's stop. No release! I don't have a helper to push down on the hatch itself and will try this later today to see if it helps.

Key does not turn at all in the lock! I'm about ready to drill the lock! Stop me!

Landseer

Don't drill it.
Be patient, you are pressing too low and on the wrong piece.
You need to have a very thin narrow tool and press straight back or a little levering down and back, at/near the joint between hatch and body.

Depending on fit, relative to the flat mounting surface of subassembly 11, access might be from above flat mount surface or from below.

See my yellow line?. What you are trying to do is pivot/rotate that piece down just a little so it releases from hooking your subassembly 11 (which essentially has a stationery place inside it for the upper hatch assembly (yellow line) to hook).


The hatch release motor is an add-on after 83. On 5 cars I have one that sometimes works. Least of my worries. And, I've not been succesful trying to open the hatch by manually manipulating that mechanism. Ignore that for now. Go for the latch itself on the top section. Some folks have drilled access holes for a push pin / I tried but found a very thin screwdriver could be forced in there just as well.

For lock repair, after you get it open, you will find a great thread by Bill Ball that will help.

SeanR

Don't drill.

I've had two that the only way to get it open was to take a nice, long pry bar and pry from the inside. Putting the pry point on the upper hatch receiver bolt. Once it pops up, replace all the stuff that is worn.

WallyP

Helper first.

drwhosc

Basically got to get the white lever on the upper piece to depress. I assume that you disconnected he lever (right by 11) from the motor and pushed it all the way up. That is what the motor does o release. If that doesn't work, see if you can get a 90 degree flathead screw drive and place t right under the bottom plate and push toward the back of the car. You might not be able to get enough leverage, but there is a space in there, and getting enough force to push that white tab back will ultimately open the hatch.

Unfortunately the center support is right in your way, so remove the hatch release motor and its mounting plate, just two screws, and get to this anyway you can except drilling. Hopefuly just pushing up on the lever that attached to the motor will do it.....

Randy V

I'll be following this thread.

I had bought a replacement hatch lock liner from Nicole and asked her to include replacement instructions with the order.

Nothing.

Jchiodi

I will get back in there and try. Just kidding about the drill, for now, thanks,
jc

DR

Randy,

Shoot me or Jeannie an email or call us and we will step you thru it, will take some pics for you if needed. You know I will always do anything I can to help my bud, can't thank you enough for your support and friendship over the many years.

BTW, I saw a picture of an albino Black Widow spider the other day, reminded me of one of the pics you had sent me taken out in your area. That pic was certainly the best of all of them, they were all great (you certainly have talent) but that one made me smile more than the others!

Thanks again!

Randy V

No problemo, old pal - that's what friends are for! Yeah, those white widows can be scary.

If you could post some pics that describe the process that would be great for me and the archives.

My issue is that my hatch does not close tightly and the remote release doesn't...release. It used to after I added the standard shim under the top hatch lock piece but it has stopped releasing again.

When I close the hatch to the closed and locked position, I can push down on the hatch with my hand and it depresses further.

As it sits now the hatch does not sit flush with the body - it is higher by about 1/8 inch. When I press down on it it does line up flush so I think it is not the rubber alignment wedges causing the problem.


Any assistance appreciated!

TYP928S

May I suggest the one in PCAR928Fan's avatar???

jon '84 us auto

cpayne

"Never Retreat!" Never Surrender!"

Jerry Feather

Randy, May I suggest that you remove the "shim" that it sounds like you installed under (above) the latch component on the hatch. All I think that did was just what you are experiencing and that is to hold the hatch farther above the latch when fully engage. You may even have a spacer or shim under the female latch component (receiver) on the hatch sill and if so you may also want to remove it.

About the hatch latch receiver liner, what you need to do is clean out of the latch receiver any remanents of the original liner. There may be nothing left of it however. If so, or when it is cleaned out simply place the new plastic liner you got from nicole or wherever and push it into the receiver with your thumbs until the locking tabs on the bottom of it engage in their slots in the receiver. To make it go in better you may want to have a helper push the plastic pusher in the receiver down further into the receiver with a stick or rod of some kind, but that is small enough that the new liner can be pushed downward around it.

I hope that helps.

Jerry Feather

NC928S4

Part number 11 needs to be pushed down. This causes a cam in the assembly to push in the hatch "male" mechanism on the hatch back in to release the door. The annotation you show that you "have pushed all the way down" needs to be "unpushed down" aka released because it is the device that pops the hatch when the "male" mechanism gets pushed in by the cam.

Oh I give up! This mechanism is effed.

Landseer

Just trying to help him.

I've had a few of these to deal with and just haven't personally been successful with manipulating the lower structure.

If I was there, it would be open faster than removing a beer bottle cap.;

Jchiodi

Finally got it thanks to all. I've posted couple of pics on how and where. Harbor Freight had a set of auto panel tools, only 6.99 that I had purchased a while back.

Used these instead of small metal wonder bar that I had, so I wouldn't break/scratch anything. Popped open easily, now to figure what the *%(% is wrong with the darn thing.