Dodge engineering/ assembly
November 22nd, 2014, 05:03 PM
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Dodge engineering/ assembly
Dodge Caravan
Liftgate latch finally quit latching. Been driving with a loose liftgate for a while now, annoying alert bonger noise.
It has been failing to UNlock for a while now, which is in the handle part of the latch. Lock cylinder would not work with the key, and I tried to remove it, but removing all the screws in the area did not allow the handle asm to come out. One long plastic thing looks right but will not come out, wants to break off. Had to give up. The service manual is fairly useless- the text mentions items not cited in the illustration.
Went to boneyard today to get the latch part.
Oh, here is the handle part already out. It rusted out around it. Well, maybe it will help me figure out how to remove my car's handle.
grab latch, handle asm., and locker motor. Head home. Nice and warm and not too rainy today. Latch, not a problem, two bolts after removing the inner panel. Tests OK, but the lock part is still iffy.
Take a look at the boneyard handle asm. It appears the long plasticy thing IS the retaining nut. Attack it. Nope. Socket rounds it. Vice Grips? Mangles the plastic. Grip harder, on the bid part. Twists 1/4 turn then nothing. Not looser. It has spun the carriage head type bolt in the handle body. WTH?
Attack it with head. Melts the plastic a little, no benefit. Attack with 4" cutoff wheel- cuts into the plastic and melts it, still no joy, it will turn and spin the carriage bolt but not get looser.
*sigh* sacrifice the entire handle asm by cutting right thru the handle body and white slim thing. Yank it apart. Geeeeez.
It's a brass threaded insert in the long white plastic nut thing. Stuck tight. Never did come apart. Applying vice grips to the one in the car leads only to a half broken white slim nut. Will NEVER come apart.
To save 0.01 cents at the factory they opted not to apply any lube of any type to a part that CANNOT be removed by any normal means once rusted in place.
So, no way am I getting mine out either.... maybe I can spray lube up in there. Nope. No access hole.
Hmmm.... hold up boneyard part to guage where an access hole would help... 4" cutoff tool... voila', one access hole. Lube the handle asm., and install the other un/locking motor, and we have success.
Liftgate latch finally quit latching. Been driving with a loose liftgate for a while now, annoying alert bonger noise.
It has been failing to UNlock for a while now, which is in the handle part of the latch. Lock cylinder would not work with the key, and I tried to remove it, but removing all the screws in the area did not allow the handle asm to come out. One long plastic thing looks right but will not come out, wants to break off. Had to give up. The service manual is fairly useless- the text mentions items not cited in the illustration.
Went to boneyard today to get the latch part.
Oh, here is the handle part already out. It rusted out around it. Well, maybe it will help me figure out how to remove my car's handle.
grab latch, handle asm., and locker motor. Head home. Nice and warm and not too rainy today. Latch, not a problem, two bolts after removing the inner panel. Tests OK, but the lock part is still iffy.
Take a look at the boneyard handle asm. It appears the long plasticy thing IS the retaining nut. Attack it. Nope. Socket rounds it. Vice Grips? Mangles the plastic. Grip harder, on the bid part. Twists 1/4 turn then nothing. Not looser. It has spun the carriage head type bolt in the handle body. WTH?
Attack it with head. Melts the plastic a little, no benefit. Attack with 4" cutoff wheel- cuts into the plastic and melts it, still no joy, it will turn and spin the carriage bolt but not get looser.
*sigh* sacrifice the entire handle asm by cutting right thru the handle body and white slim thing. Yank it apart. Geeeeez.
It's a brass threaded insert in the long white plastic nut thing. Stuck tight. Never did come apart. Applying vice grips to the one in the car leads only to a half broken white slim nut. Will NEVER come apart.
To save 0.01 cents at the factory they opted not to apply any lube of any type to a part that CANNOT be removed by any normal means once rusted in place.
So, no way am I getting mine out either.... maybe I can spray lube up in there. Nope. No access hole.
Hmmm.... hold up boneyard part to guage where an access hole would help... 4" cutoff tool... voila', one access hole. Lube the handle asm., and install the other un/locking motor, and we have success.
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