Boot won't close...
#1
Boot won't close...
Hi everyone,
Tried today to replace the "open boot switch" which i did okay, until... i tried to close the boot. I don't know whats wrong but it won't lock in the closed position, whether i slam it (i know i shouldn't but hey it's making my brain hurt) or i close it gently or even heavily push on it.
I thought there was something wrong with the latch so i unbolted it and indeed, a spring got out from the hole in a white plastic bit. After i put it back, confident that i solved the issue, i tried again with exactly the same result. My electric operated buttons seems to be working fine when i unplug the boot open detection switch (which also lighten up my trunk, that was why i got into this in the first place) both from the dashboard and the remote.
Do i need to change the latch? On my 99 XKR it's a ford part (c7G0A used in the f****** ford KA!) or is the problem somewhere else? The issue seems to be mechanical : the boot lid "hook" wont get locked in the latch where it should.
The problem is that i absolutely see nothing wrong with the latch itself : when i push it with a finger instead of the boot lid hood it moves correctly. What am i doing wrong?
Video of latch https://redirect.viglink.com/?format...qSM55YrNwMCpi7
Thanks a lot for the help.
Tried today to replace the "open boot switch" which i did okay, until... i tried to close the boot. I don't know whats wrong but it won't lock in the closed position, whether i slam it (i know i shouldn't but hey it's making my brain hurt) or i close it gently or even heavily push on it.
I thought there was something wrong with the latch so i unbolted it and indeed, a spring got out from the hole in a white plastic bit. After i put it back, confident that i solved the issue, i tried again with exactly the same result. My electric operated buttons seems to be working fine when i unplug the boot open detection switch (which also lighten up my trunk, that was why i got into this in the first place) both from the dashboard and the remote.
Do i need to change the latch? On my 99 XKR it's a ford part (c7G0A used in the f****** ford KA!) or is the problem somewhere else? The issue seems to be mechanical : the boot lid "hook" wont get locked in the latch where it should.
The problem is that i absolutely see nothing wrong with the latch itself : when i push it with a finger instead of the boot lid hood it moves correctly. What am i doing wrong?
Video of latch https://redirect.viglink.com/?format...qSM55YrNwMCpi7
Thanks a lot for the help.
Last edited by Norri; 03-15-2019 at 11:06 PM.
#2
#3
A while ago, I had a similar problem. Turns out the emergency release (the glow-in-the-dark plastic handle) was pulled and prevented the lock from latching. I guessed one of the boxes I was moving around in the trunk must have somehow caught the handle and pulled it. Hope this is as simple a fix for you as it was for me.
Best of luck, keep us posted.
Bonne chance, a plus tard.
Best of luck, keep us posted.
Bonne chance, a plus tard.
#4
@fmertz Should it be in the high or low position in default mode? I tried with both positions with no success but it would be nice if i can narrow it down to the right position, nearly all my tests were made with it in the high position, i hope it's the wrong one !
@RJ237 Yes i can lock it manually with a screwdriver and a finger, and then if i press the boot open button on the key fob or use the key in the XKR badge it unlocks correctly. To me it's working okay, i just can seem to get it, it's a simple mechanism but it's simply not working.
I also tried moving the latch a little to the left / right / up down since the bolts are thinner than the holes and the latch can move quite a bit with no success. Again this is with the emergency "orange" knob in the high position, if the normal position is down i should fiddle with it again.
Of course the latch was working fine since i bought the car, even this morning i used it and it was allright.
@RJ237 Yes i can lock it manually with a screwdriver and a finger, and then if i press the boot open button on the key fob or use the key in the XKR badge it unlocks correctly. To me it's working okay, i just can seem to get it, it's a simple mechanism but it's simply not working.
I also tried moving the latch a little to the left / right / up down since the bolts are thinner than the holes and the latch can move quite a bit with no success. Again this is with the emergency "orange" knob in the high position, if the normal position is down i should fiddle with it again.
Of course the latch was working fine since i bought the car, even this morning i used it and it was allright.
#5
#6
You fix one thing,and something else breaks
Ryan,
well at least replacing the micro switch worked but, as usual, something else breaks. My bet is the little coloured emergency release switch. But it could also be be key release stuck open which pulls on a cable connected to the bottom of the latch. The key mechanism turns a round plastic pulley which is known to seize. A squirt of WD40 eases it.
well at least replacing the micro switch worked but, as usual, something else breaks. My bet is the little coloured emergency release switch. But it could also be be key release stuck open which pulls on a cable connected to the bottom of the latch. The key mechanism turns a round plastic pulley which is known to seize. A squirt of WD40 eases it.
#7
It's simply driving me crazy... I dont get it why it doesnt work, the latch itself works when operate it with a screwdriver or when i remove it and place it manually on the boot lid, it clicks very easily (soaked it with wd40) but as soon as it is in place...
The little plastic thing turns but not enough as shown in this video :
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cbwtAV155fxsqn518
Also i find the 'engieneering' of this latch very poor : you can place it in many different positions so it's a real nightmare to put it exactly the good way because well, you're never sure if it shouldnt be a bit higher / lower or at an angle. Or i don't have the right part and it adapts poorly...
The little plastic thing turns but not enough as shown in this video :
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cbwtAV155fxsqn518
Also i find the 'engieneering' of this latch very poor : you can place it in many different positions so it's a real nightmare to put it exactly the good way because well, you're never sure if it shouldnt be a bit higher / lower or at an angle. Or i don't have the right part and it adapts poorly...
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#8
Ryan,
well at least replacing the micro switch worked but, as usual, something else breaks. My bet is the little coloured emergency release switch. But it could also be be key release stuck open which pulls on a cable connected to the bottom of the latch. The key mechanism turns a round plastic pulley which is known to seize. A squirt of WD40 eases it.
well at least replacing the micro switch worked but, as usual, something else breaks. My bet is the little coloured emergency release switch. But it could also be be key release stuck open which pulls on a cable connected to the bottom of the latch. The key mechanism turns a round plastic pulley which is known to seize. A squirt of WD40 eases it.
I just realized that on my latch, i dont have an emergency switch. I have a little red lever but all it does is disconnect the cable that leads to the key hole in the xkr logo. And anyway it's on the latch which is covered by a big plastic trim so i don't see anybody using that in case of emergency to open the boot from inside, you would have to remove the trim first!
#9
Ryan,
I feel bad for you as I sent you the switch and diode. The boot closed fine before but you just wanted to sort out the trunk lights and warning messages. Now you can't drive the car.
Still your latch seems to be working, as you've tested it out of the car, so now it's a question of alignment.
From your video, it seems the top lid hook isn't reaching low enough to fully engage the latch. To check, try taking off the bump stop which limits the trunk lid's downward motion. It's a little plastic tube with a rubber end bung just to the right of the hook. If the latch then engages then you just need to adjust something.
In my previous 1970s Triumph GT, I used washers/spacers with the screw fittings to get my trunk latch aligned right.
I feel bad for you as I sent you the switch and diode. The boot closed fine before but you just wanted to sort out the trunk lights and warning messages. Now you can't drive the car.
Still your latch seems to be working, as you've tested it out of the car, so now it's a question of alignment.
From your video, it seems the top lid hook isn't reaching low enough to fully engage the latch. To check, try taking off the bump stop which limits the trunk lid's downward motion. It's a little plastic tube with a rubber end bung just to the right of the hook. If the latch then engages then you just need to adjust something.
In my previous 1970s Triumph GT, I used washers/spacers with the screw fittings to get my trunk latch aligned right.
#10
Thanks david. I tried unscrewing the plastic thing on the right so it doesn't stop the boot lid but no effect at all. Regarding the alignment i tried like 10 different positions with no success, i'm sure it's where lies the problem because again, my latch was working okay before the intervention without any washers / nuts so there is a position where it should fit. I just can't seem to find it!
If anyone reading this can take a close up picture of his latch it would be useful to me so i can try to replicate (kind of annoying i know cause you'd have to remove the plastic trim)
If anyone reading this can take a close up picture of his latch it would be useful to me so i can try to replicate (kind of annoying i know cause you'd have to remove the plastic trim)
#12
I will try to replicate with your photo, let's hope i can do it but i think i have to order a new one because as is, theres simply too much room for error, i dont know what the previous owner did...
#13
Don’t recommend this solo but desperate people need to do desperate things.
Crazy idea..... not recommended solo.... try locking youself in boot with a work light....
Get in boot, get someone to put hood down repeatly with latch loosely in position. Wiggle it at each attempt and try to find what position latch needs to catch the hook then screw latch down.
Before you try this, make sure the key works... and you trust the other person to get you out!
Get in boot, get someone to put hood down repeatly with latch loosely in position. Wiggle it at each attempt and try to find what position latch needs to catch the hook then screw latch down.
Before you try this, make sure the key works... and you trust the other person to get you out!
#14
Crazy idea..... not recommended solo.... try locking youself in boot with a work light....
Get in boot, get someone to put hood down repeatly with latch loosely in position. Wiggle it at each attempt and try to find what position latch needs to catch the hook then screw latch down.
Before you try this, make sure the key works... and you trust the other person to get you out!
Get in boot, get someone to put hood down repeatly with latch loosely in position. Wiggle it at each attempt and try to find what position latch needs to catch the hook then screw latch down.
Before you try this, make sure the key works... and you trust the other person to get you out!
#15
#16
Other possibility is that torquing the latch in place bends it and makes the mechanism bind somehow. Is there any indication the car was ever in a rear-end accident? You might have to somehow reshape the metal surround so that the latch fits "true" and more flush. Just a thought.
Best of luck, keep us posted.
Best of luck, keep us posted.
#17
Are you desperate enough for my crazy idea?
Crazy idea..... not recommended solo.... try locking youself in boot with a work light....
Get in boot, get someone to put hood down repeatly with latch loosely in position. Wiggle it at each attempt and try to find what position latch needs to catch the hook then screw latch down.
Before you try this, make sure the key works... and you trust the other person to get you out!
Get in boot, get someone to put hood down repeatly with latch loosely in position. Wiggle it at each attempt and try to find what position latch needs to catch the hook then screw latch down.
Before you try this, make sure the key works... and you trust the other person to get you out!
#18
It's litterally the last thing to try, the problem is i have bolted / unbolted so much that the threads are worn and i can't bolt the latch anymore. It's like a nightmare, simple fix, turns into a hard one, and then it's like there is no issue out of it !
I guess i have to call a garage now, it seems i'm unable to fix this alone.
I guess i have to call a garage now, it seems i'm unable to fix this alone.
#19
#20