*grumble* stupid three-way tailgates *grumble*

[1987cp]

Does anyone else ever have stupid troubles with their station wagon tailgates? One of mine (on the '79, go figure) has a history of not staying shut very well (lock almost never works, and I can't count the number of times it's flown open at bad times), and just yesterday decided it doesn't want to open. It appears to be the hinge/latch at the lower right that won't come open, and it doesn't matter whether the door is locked or not. The fun part is that I have a mattress set in the back of the car right now, and can't exactly get it out through the side doors. I'm figuring right now on climbing back there with some wires and rolling down the rear window (wiring doesn't work right from the dash switch, also a "go figure") so I can at least get my cargo out, but I was wondering whether anyone else has had this experience and if so, what you did about it.

[FatNasty]

i'm not sure about the hinge, havent had that problem before, spring in the latch broken or anything?. Does your back window just have wiring problems to the switch up front, or problems getting power period? Can you roll it down by turning the key in the tailgate lock all the way to the left?

[1987cp]

Seems to be no power connection between the tailgate and the front; I've known about it since I got the car but haven't bothered to fix it. It's been easy enough to roll the window down with a spare battery the couple of times I had to do it. :p

Spring, huh? I'll have to check for that. I was kind of assuming maybe the bit of linkage that goes down there is maladjusted or something .... guess I'll find out for sure when I get the thing open! With any luck I'll remember to take pictures.

[FatNasty]

not completely sure if there is a spring or not, I'll take a look at mine to see what should be there.

[FatNasty]

I looked at mine and there are just two pieces of metal that close around the pin. Mine was all rusty and full of dirt I'm amazed it even worked. Maybe it just needs cleaned out and have some wd-40 sprayed in there. I cant see any springs or linkage from the outside without taking the door panel off, but i bet there is something that could be disconnected in there.

[zwack88]

That sucks. Mine seems to work great. When I first got the brick the window switch was a crap shoot weather or not it would work. Then I started redueing it and it works everytime now, never touched the thing. Go figure.lol

[1987cp]

Well, turns out the upper right latch wasn't quite latched, so I was able to swing it down by crawling in and pulling the inside handle without having to lower the window. Now that I've got the mattresses out of there, it'll be interesting to find out what's wrong!

[88Vic]

Duck tape it shut. Works well, and looks real classy too.



































































Seriously, i'm so lazy and cheap, i'd probably do that for real if it were me. or maybe

[yucatec]

Dear Panthers,
Just got the Boulevard Cruiser back from the body shop. Tailgate opened some of the time which ain't good when you've got four sheepdogs in the wayback. Oddly, I could make the tailgate work by rolling down the window and jiggling the latch. Body Shop guy - who is good but makes his living with new car insurance - claims said the tailgate hinge I got from Pete was the wrong hinge and that the problem was that my tailgate tongue didn't hit the groove. He swears he's fixed it although he's also made sure my tailgate window doesn't go up. Ugh.

I do think a complex hinge on such a heavy door was a design fault.

Next week I'm off to Glochester and Ontario with four dogs and two teenagers. I'm hoping the tailgate works - so far so good - but I wish the window would roll down (air for the dogs at the trials) and I don't like the bodyman's dismissal of Pete's hinge. Pete knows his shit.

As my wagon gets older I need more expertise. Any dealer can fix a 2007 Honda.

Donald McCaig

[1987cp]

I do think a complex hinge on such a heavy door was a design fault.

I've thought the same thing at times, and even pondered how to convert it to a regular liftgate like the Fox-body and Escort wagons. Or even a clamshell arrangement - window lift up, gate fold down, like a pickup with a camper shell. Maybe we should just be happy we don't have that old motorized clamshell design like on the old Kingswoods and Safaris - can you imagine trying to fix that??

Meanwhile, good luck with your trip!

[Nathan in MI]

Get a Tommy Gate instead!

[1987cp]

A Tommy Gate? What's that?

[Nathan in MI]

It's these really neato tailgates they put on pickup trucks (aftermarket deal) where the tailgate swings down like a normal tailgate, but then there's a hydraulic system that raises and lowers it, so you can lower the thing all the way to the floor, put something heavy on it that you'd rather not lift, raise it back up, put the aforementioned heavy item into the bed of the truck, and then swing the tailgate back up. They're pretty friggin' sweet.

[1987cp]

That'd be pretty nifty for loading heavy items. Why don't you buy a wagon and do a pilot install?

[Nathan in MI]

Of course not--I was just trying to pass off my hair brained ideas on innocent wagon owners. :p