so the other day i cleaned out my garage and my little dog sashi ran out and away. Havent been able to find her since last sunday when she escaped Anyway, after cleaning out the garage i had alot of garbage bags to get rid of so i loaded the trunk with them. The trunk lid was an inch or so away from closing so i did what anyone would do, i put pressure on the lid to force it closed. Ever since then, the trunk button, the button to open it in the interior and the button on the remote doesnt work. The only way i can get the trunk open is manaully with the key. Any ideas?

 

It sounds like you've already opened it and cleaned everything out of it with the key and now you're dealing with an empty trunk that the remote operation will not function. Is that correct? If so, my guess is that the latch itself was cold forged when mashed down to the point that the actuator isn't powerful enough to unlatch it. Or, the actuator itself is kaput (sp?) I will see what I can find in the manuals when I have a few mins, but I'm guessing there are others here that will reply with the correct info by the time I finish. (hopefully for you that is).

 

Does the actuator in the trunk lid make any sound at all when you use the plipper or the button ? If there is a noise but no action it suggests damage in the actuator assembly, possibly caused by you forcing down the lid.

If there is total silence, it is not uncommon for one of the wires to break in the wiring within the visible corrugated trunking at top right of the trunk aperture. However, I doubt if this is caused by your loading up the trunk.

 

I did the exact same thing... Haven't found anything yet, I'm removing my actuator this weekend, I'll let you know what I find

 

Thanks for the info guys! And in answer to the questions, i dont hear a peep from the actuator when i hit the trunk release button inside the car, the button outside of the trunk, or the button on the Key FOB.

 

Sounds like it's time for a strip down and investigation !! Best of luck that it's a minor fault.

 

Ok guys so i took a leap of faith and just ordered a used trunk actuator, after replacing the actuator the buttons and trunk began to work again! Success! But now, with one problem resolved, i have another problem. The trunk does not open enough to open without using the key now. The actuator pushes the lid open a small bit but not enough. What could it be? It was working with the original actuator that was in the car, so i am assuming i will need a new actuator. Thoughts?

 

here are some pics of the install, pretty straight forward job once you remove the plastic cover and the trunk liner. Its only two torque screws to remove
[IMG]photo 2 (20) by edavidadorno, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]photo 3 (10) by edavidadorno, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

I had a similar issue on my previous XJ and was told that the gas struts had gone bad and was not lifting the lid properly. On my current XJ, the actuator motor failed, and when I replaced it, everything was good again.

 

yes i heard about that issue xj8jr, however my trunks shocks worked just fine with the last actuator that was in the trunk so it cant be that.

 

Probably then the used actuator isn't strong enough itself to fully disengage the lock.

 

Gas struts that have lost gas are not powerful enough to push up the trunk lid. They may appear OK when you lift the lid but usually need replacing. I had to replace mine 3 years ago and all has been OK since. I bought some aftermarket struts from a UK manufacturer for little money.

 

Thanks for your input fraser but i know it isnt the shocks because the trunk lid worked just fine with the original actuator. I am going to return the actuator i have to the second hand parts dealer, but now i need help in sourcing another place to buy one as the place i bought it from doesnt have another one.

 

I have the exact same problem on my 2005 XJ8. The actuator releases the trunk but not enough to make it fully open. It would seem to me that if it is the gas lifts, you could pull up on the trunk at the same time you press the button and it would release. When I do that, I get the same results. That is the trunk is partially released but I still must use the key to fully open. My jag is perfect with everything else working with this one exception and it is driving me crazy to get this one problem fixed.

Any further suggestions would be appreciated.

 

I should remove trunk lining and remove black plastic cover covering the bottom part of the lock.

Work out how the lock should work and then work out why it is not working properly.

It may be that the lock and the lower part of the lock has moved in relation to each other.

If you can't work it out and fix it leave the covers off so that you can go back to it another day or for someone else to have a look at it.

In my experience it's less frustrating if you have had a go at it!

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I plan to really dig into it soon and will let you know what I find. You can hear the release working but it seems their might be some slack or something.

 

I had a similar problem with my X-Type and fixed it by adjusting the two plastic 'springs' mounted on the underside of the boot/trunk lid. Have just had a look and it's the same on my XJR (see pic).

If you unscrew them slightly (i.e. make them 'longer' in terms of how much they extend out from the panel) they help to pop the boot/trunk open when it's unlocked by the actuator.

It's a 30 second fix so worth a try!

 

After reading your post, I rushed outside to extend those rubber things. I just knew that was the problem. However, it did not make a difference. At one point I moved them out so far that it would not close back up.

The problem is strange. That actuator sounds strong and the trunk pops up about 1/2 inch but does not completely release until I use the key. It is as if the actuator is releasing the trunk but not opening the latch.

I have not had time to take apart and see if there is an adjustment that can be made but plan to dig into it next week.

Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

 

After reading through all this again I am still thinking that it could be that something was cold forged when you mashed the lid down. Either the hook or the loop. I think this as, from your description, it will not unlatch completely until you manually unlatch it which is further than the automatic system will unlatch it. I had a similar issue with my Durango a couple years ago and learned that the loop was bent to the side slightly. Just a thought.

 

Thanks for all of your suggestions guys! I returned the used actuator and bought a brand new one on ebay for an amazing $183! The repair worked and now the trunk is working perfectly!