PorscheG96

My 968 interior is quiet and serene for the most part except for some annoying squeaks and rattles that I traced to the sunroof and rear hatch. I'm still working to fix the sunroof rattle but the squeaky rear hatch now seems to be fixed after adjusting both of the pins so I wanted to describe this procedure so that other folks can resolve SHS [squeaky hatch syndrome].

The process seems very straight-forward so there might be some people wondering why this topic exists but I've found that many 944 and 968 hatch pins are corroded to the point where it's possible to snap them off while trying to adjust. This walkthrough has a couple of little tricks that helped me make the adjustments to my hatch pins without breaking them and now everything is working great!

The first step is to determine why your hatch may be squeaking. With the rear hatch fully closed [do not press the button to open the hatchback at this point or open the hatchback yet with your key], walk around to the back of your 968 [or late 944] and grab the hatch trim on each side of the 3rd brake light, then lift with moderate effort to see if the hatch lifts up due to not fully closing. If you can feel either side lift up then try to fully close the hatch again and retry. If either side still lifts up then one of your hatch pins is too short and needs adjustment, however if neither side lifts up then your hatch pins may be too long and require the opposite adjustment.

All you'll really need for this task is a 13mm wrench, measuring tape, perhaps another small wrench like 8mm, some WD40 for lubricant, brake cleaner and a rag. Now refer to this picture of my driver's side hatch pin where I've labeled the 13mm nut as part A and the lower, threaded part of the pin as part B which I'll explain later. The first thing you may notice when trying to loosen the nut [part A in the picture] is that it's corroded. If this is the case then spray some brake cleaner around the area and wipe the worst gunk off with a rag. Then spray the area with WD40 and let it soak for half an hour or so before proceeding.

<--click to enlarge

While you're waiting it's a good time to take initial measurements of each hatch pin. It doesn't matter what you use as a reference, just jot down the original length so you can tell how much you're lengthening or shortening each pin later on. The next step obviously is to loosen the 13mm nut using your wrench. This should be relatively easy but don't use too much force or the pin could snap off completely. If it's still difficult to loosen the nut then repeat the steps above, allowing the WD40 to soak even longer. At this point the nut should loosen and the next step will be adjusting the pin itself. As you can see the pin is threaded, so turning it clockwise will reduce its height while turning counter-clockwise increases its height, so this is the goal depending on what your findings were earlier.

Now here's the trickiest part of the whole job where many hatch pins have been broken...we need to find a way to turn the hatch pin. Intuitively this can be a challenge but I found a way to turn the pin without pliers or channel locks, lol

Loosen the 13mm [part A] all the way until you can't loosen it anymore which should be all the way at the bottom of the pin where I've labeled part B on the graphic. An even better trick is to put some kind of spacer between the bottom of the pin and the 13mm nut to reinforce it because, depending on how corroded the threads of your hatch pins are, continuing to turn the nut CCW may completely strip the threads of your pin and/or fastening nut. I used a smaller wrench [the 8mm cited above] as the spacer but you might have something even better.

Take this opportunity to really clean and lubricate the top of the threaded hatch pin [above part A from the graphic] because this is where all of the corrosion occurs and seizes the hatch pin. Again, let it soak for about 30 minutes before applying some torque to the 13mm nut in the counter-clockwise/loosening direction. If you're lucky then the pin will loosen and begin turning without too much effort. If you're a bit unlucky like I was then you'll have to lubricate the top of your hatch pin even more and let it soak longer [I left my passenger hatch pin soaking for a week before it broke loose]. Take care not to torque too much...if you see some flex in the pin to either side then be careful, you might be close to breaking it!

If anyone is actually still reading this procedure then it's time to fully remove each hatch pin and cleane/wipe the threads, then lubricate the threaded holes in the hatch to delay corrosive onset in the future. When the parts are sufficiently clean then you can screw the pins back into your hatch and refer to your previous measurements. I found that shortening both hatch pins by 1/16" solved my problem but it's a bit of trial and error process. Fully reinstall both pins and either shorten or lengthen by 1/16" at a time depending on your own requirements. Close the hatch a couple of times and give a moderate hoist until you think that everything is snug. If you adjust the pins too short then your hatch can open without pressing the cabin button or using the key hole - of course this is bad and requires another adjustment! Finally, double check that everything is reinstalled and tightened correctly and enjoy the enhanced quiet of your 968 interior.

JDS968

Excellent DIY!

One suggestion I would make...with parts that are stuck together, especially metal corroded together, I find that PB Blaster is faster and better than WD-40, by a huge margin, whereas I mostly use WD-40 for keeping moisture off of parts.

H2

Thanks. Good write up. Now I know to fix that squeek!

h2

Mark Fletcher

My rear hatch was removed as part of the repairs after being rear-ended. Later a squeak developed, I assumed it was from the back of the hatch but when the body mechanic walked around the hatch and pushed on it here and there it turned out the squeak was from the right-side hinge area at the front of the hatch. The fix was a new pair of hinge gaskets, now no squeaks at all.

Check all four corners of the hatch to see where the noise is coming from.

PorscheG96

Good rec on the PB Blaser, I'll have to try some.

URG8RB8

Thanks for the write up, I tried both PB Blaster and the new Freeze stuff, but unfortunately for me, I could only get one side loose. I will keep applying for the rest of the week as you said you did. Hopefully, it will break free. Has anyone tried to remove the to internally splined bolts on both sides of the hatch pin? Does this remove the assembly so that you could get penetrating fluid on both sides of the bolt? I don't have a cheesehead this small, but would buy one if that is the case. The squeaking is driving me crazy. The funny part is this has always been a CA car in Los Gatos and the threads were perfectly clean on both sides. The nut came loose very easily and the PS pin came out with my fingers, but the DS is seized. I am not sure if it is going to break loose even after a week. I saw some nice stainless steel pins from the guy in Gainesville. Might have to order a set of those.

User 41221

Get yourself a can of Kroil or mix up some power steering fluid/acetone, both are better than PB Blaster. A KCWS member (Dave) posted the following not long ago:

"The April/May 2007 edition of Machinist's Workshop did a test of penetrating oils where they measured the force required to loosen rusty test devices. Buy the issue if you want to see how they did the test. The results reported were interesting. The lower the number of pounds the better.

Penetrating oil . Average load .. Price per fluid ounce
None ................. 516 pounds .
WD-40 .............. 238 pounds .. $0.25
PB Blaster ......... 214 pounds .. $0.35
Liquid Wrench ... 127 pounds .. $0.21
Kano Kroil ........ 106 pounds .. $0.75
power steering fluid-Acetone mix.. 53 pounds .. $0.10 (* see note)

The power steering fluid-Acetone mix was a 50/50 mix (1 to 1 ratio)."

SDC Forum...

(Note - This formulation was originally listed as ATF but later corrected to be Power Steering Fluid with Acetone). As far as I know or have seen, PSteer fluid is almost the same as ATF, but the author of the bit acknowledged that Psteer fluid does not separate from Acetone, like ATF does)"

I am just reporting info, can't really say anything about how accurate it is, nor have I tried the power steering fluid/acetone mix yet so can't say how well that works, but I am a regular user of Kroil and that stuff definitely works better than PB.

URG8RB8

Since I have both items in the garage I will definitely try that this evening. Thanks for the information! I will let you know if it works.

FRporscheman

I've gone through a lot of 944/68s, and I always have a hard time with those damn hatch pins. They're usually rusted and stuck on the older 944s, and usually OK on 968s, but I still get stuck ones sometimes. It's a PITA.

Yes, you can remove the bolts and squirt some penetrating oil on the back side. I've had them so stuck that I had to let them soak in pb blaster for a few days before they'd finally give. But now that I've read that post by Scott (thanks Scott) I will go find some liquid wrench and mix up a batch of PS/acetone.

Note, you will want the hatch pin assembly tightly mounted to the car when attempting to turn a seized hatch pin. If you're holding it in your hand or in a vice or something, the square nut that the pin threads into will just turn in place. If you need new pins, they are available from rennbay and probably paragon too. The only place online I've seen that sells the square nuts is 944online. I'm sure the dealer has everything too.

URG8RB8

Thanks for all of the advice. I will try to locate the proper tool to remove the square block the pin threads into tonight. Unfortunately for me, the acetone/PS Fluid mixture did not work. I am sure I can get the pin out, if I remove the block. Who would have thought something so easy would be so hard...

Now I have to hope that after all of this trouble, the squeak goes away. I tried adjusting just the PS pin, and that made the squeaking much worse, so I am pretty sure this is the problem. This car pretty much shows as new and this is my first problem with it. The PO kept it in a air conditioned garage for 20 years. I am shocked that the pin is seized. He told me the cars was never driven in the rain and it looks like it.

URG8RB8

I still have been unable to remove the DS latch pin. I finally got a set of triple square metric bits to removed the entire assembly. I have let it soak in everything and it is still frozen solid. Does anybody sell the pair? Bot the pin and the "nut" Is the rubberized nut still available from the factory? I am going to post a couple pics just in case somebody has not seen the other side yet.