Rear upper hatch loose (1 Viewer)

[Krondor]

Hey guys,

I am having trouble with my 91 FJ80. All of the sudden this past week, My rear hatch will close and latch but the top is very loose, I can jiggle the rear top hatch while it stays latched. The bottom half of the hatch closes and locks as it should.

Trying to figure out what happened is hard since it was perfectly fine before. I just took a run to home depot to pick up some plants and bam, the damn hatch doesn't work right.

Any ideas? Do I need a new lock mechanism? What could cause this?

Thanks.

 

[BILT4ME]

Look at the upper hinges to see if a hinge broke or the sheet metal around the hinge broke.

Not common, but worth a look if what you are describing is the top of the top hatch is loose.

Otherwise, if what you're experiencing is the top hatch not latching tightly to the lower gate, then it could be one or both of your lower gate latches has loosened and when you slam the top, the bottom moves and doesn't allow it to latch tightly.

Both the gate latch and the upper hatch latch have two-stage latches.

 

[Krondor]

The top of the top hatch isn't loose, its the bottom of the top hatch, where it latches.

I will check the lower gate to see if it has loosened as well.

When you say that the gates have two stage latches, what do you mean by that? Could it latch and still be loose? Would this mean that the latch may be faulty and only one stage is latching but not securing it tightly?

Thanks.

 

[BILT4ME]

The top of the top hatch isn't loose, its the bottom of the top hatch, where it latches.

I will check the lower gate to see if it has loosened as well.

When you say that the gates have two stage latches, what do you mean by that? Could it latch and still be loose? Would this mean that the latch may be faulty and only one stage is latching but not securing it tightly?

Thanks.

I understand what your problem is now.

The latches are two-stage. That means that there is an initial "click" and the gate won't open if you push on it without releasing the handle again, but it will be loose and will rattle. Kind of like your driver's door not latching all the way and it rattles unless you open it and slam it again.

So, you close the lower gate. It grabs the first latch easily, but it's loose. Usually, you should have to "slam" it, so it gets BOTH latches quickly and it compresses the seals and remains tight and rattle-free. If the lower gate is only grabbing the first latch, then the upper gate will not latch completely because the energy used to close it gets absorbed by the looseness in the lower gate when you slam the upper gate, so, even though it is all latched, it's loose.

The rubber seals also create back-pressure against the latch to keep everything from rattling. If your rubber seals are deteriorated, ripped, or missing, this could cause similar issues.

Start by checking adjustment on the lower gate. There are U-shaped latch arms (one on each side) that you can move forward and back to tighten or loosen the fit of the lower gate. The lower gate should fit tight and compress the seals well.

The adjustment of the lower gate totally affects the adjustment and fit of the upper gate. The upper gate is not as adjustable, as it is dependent on the fit of the lower gate.

The lower gate on mine has been cracked by the PO because it was not adjusted properly and was always loose. It made it so he had to slam the upper gate HARD to get it to latch. This, in turn, flexed the center of the lower gate and caused a huge fatigue crack right next to the latch handle on the lower gate.

Make sure all your hinges are well oiled. My PO never lubricated the hinges and rarely used the rear hatch/gate so when I got it, the rear lower gate could stay in about a 45° position when I let go of it. Lots of PB Blaster and movement. Now I use it regularly for top and bottom and have no issues. Wouldn't hurt to lube the latching mechanism as well. Again, I use PB Blaster. Many say don't use an oil-based lubricant, but I've tried silicone sprays, oil based, etc. and I keep coming back to the same stuff because it works.

 

[Krondor]

Awesome information, I will check the lower gate adjustment and oil the hinges when I get back after work. That sounds like it should fix the issue. I really appreciate your help!