broken XJ hatch release

shawn

shawn

running dog lackey of the oppressor class
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Mar 13, 2005
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Raleigh, NC
Got a friend with a 99 XJ. Neither the key nor the lock button will release the back hatch.

Can you get the interior trim off with the door shut? Any idea what I'm up against here?
 
saf-t scissors said:
Got a friend with a 99 XJ. Neither the key nor the lock button will release the back hatch.
Can you get the interior trim off with the door shut? Any idea what I'm up against here?
Click to expand...


Yeah...that's going to be loads of fun.

I filled mine full of so much crap way back when I had to kick it hard to get it to latch...Same situation, key nor handle would release it, even with all the gear out and the tension off of the door.

I think I ended up going in from underneath and cutting the bolts that hold the strike plate to the cab. Been 3 or 4 years now so I can't recall exactly.

What I do know is that the trim comes off with 6 or so screws into the body and there is no way to get to the heads with the door closed. I use a ratchet strap to hold mine closed now but that's because its not a DD and I'm sure I'm going to cut the hatch apart soon anyhoo.

Before I suggest destructive methods, if its power locks are you absolutely certain its not a fuse or switch issue?
 
I haven't looked at it yet. He says you can hear it working if you turn the key or hit the button, but nothing happens when you pull the latch. It's like it's still locked.
 
more than likely the cable that moves the latch has come loose, or needs to be adjusted... I did one one time, by taking the interior panels loose while the hatch was closed... I ended up destroying the upper parts of it, so now the rear panel is 2 pieces... It was still difficult to get under there to pop the latch loose...
 
x2 on the bolts from underneath. Can probably get them loose without having to cut. The you can at least get at the guts of the hatch to find out whats going on.
 
First off, fuck Jeep.

Secondly, fuck them long and fuck them hard.

You can't get the hatch open by removing the nuts from underneath. I guess you could cut the bolts if you had a spare latch, but we had to remove the entire damn hatch from the vehicle by unbolting the hinges.

Once we got it all ripped apart, there was nothing apparently wrong with the latch, the release rod that runs from the handle was just out of adjustment. Tightened that up and it's good as new. If Jeep had the damned sense to provide a small access panel in the door trim, this would have been a 5min job. We did them one better and left the trim off for now. We'll button it back up when we know it's working flawlessly.

We also took the time to repair the driver's seat frame. It had been poorly welded at the factory. Two beads near the seat back hinge didn't include metal on both sides of the weld. That caused most every other joint to fatigue to failure in the intervening 10 yrs. I suppose they should get a cookie because it lasted as long as it did.
 
Did you try kicking it first? I've had this same thing happen in two different xj's and kicking it worked. Still a pita to work on the hatch even when it's open.
 
No, I forgot what you said until we had the entire damn thing apart and realized there wasn't anything broken... just maybe out of adjustment. At this point, I'd rather not think about whether or not it might have opened if we'd kicked it. ;)
 
braxton357 said:
Did you try kicking it first? I've had this same thing happen in two different xj's and kicking it worked. Still a pita to work on the hatch even when it's open.
Click to expand...

X2. I've had two of them and I had to kick both of them to get them to work.....often times had to puch in on them while I pushed the button
 
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