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.

Can you get the latch to lock manually? I have to use a flat screwdriver to push it all the way to the lock position, fingers don't fit.

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.

@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.

Unless the hoop in the boot lid is bent out of position or the latch is at the wrong height it should catch. It doesn't seem possible to have a problem.

You fix one thing,and something else breaks
 

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...

Yes, sometimes you try to solve a little problem and you end up with a much bigger one, i can't use my car anymore :(

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!

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.

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)

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Hope this might be of use, though it is from a 2005 MY and may be a bit different.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...6aa93f4e18.jpg

Thanks a lot @astromorg , we have the same ford part but the the holes in my latch are much larger, i dont know why. When the washer and the bolt are on, you can still see the hole, that's why i'm having trouble putting it back.

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...

Don’t recommend this solo but desperate people need to do desperate things.
 

I ordered a used latch from ebay, i saw pictures online where xk8/xkr latches had slightly different ones (squared smaller holes) so i guess mine isn't neither original or has been modified to some extent that i just can't make it work again. I'll keep you updated !

Hi,

I recieved my new latch but the symptoms are exactly the same though the the latch itself is a little different (square holes)

I'm officially going crazy.

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.

Are you desperate enough for my crazy idea?
 

Back to my previous crazy idea.........

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.

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I can hear the complaints .....
 

Rather than climb into the boot, set up your mobile phone to video the latch from the inside as you are trying to close the lid - at least you should then be able to see what the alignment issue actually is.