P38A Tailgate wouldnt open.

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Flossie

Flossie

Well-Known Member
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Shropshire
Couldn't get me shopping out, frozen stuff in there too! All doors opened fine then I remembered 'something' about slapping the lower tailgate around the numberplate area and it worked yay! Dinner was saved!
What needs looking at before it potentially fails big time? Never done it before.
 
Flossie said:
Couldn't get me shopping out, frozen stuff in there too! All doors opened fine then I remembered 'something' about slapping the lower tailgate around the numberplate area and it worked yay! Dinner was saved!
What needs looking at before it potentially fails big time? Never done it before.
Click to expand...
Sound like the release button is on the way out, or a bad earth.
 
Flossie said:
Couldn't get me shopping out, frozen stuff in there too! All doors opened fine then I remembered 'something' about slapping the lower tailgate around the numberplate area and it worked yay! Dinner was saved!
What needs looking at before it potentially fails big time? Never done it before.
Click to expand...
One of min would stick like that, all it needed was the door card off and some lubrication of all the moving parts/
 
Sometimes dodgy drivers door lock actuator. One of the micro switches provides the earth for tailgate and can cause problems. Had this on mine several years ago. Also as said spring in tailgate switch rusts away and stops contacts working inside button
 
Mine has been doing this a bit lately. I've had it all apart, replaced the spring with a lovely stainless one from an aircraft parts supplier, new O ring and rubber seal. It's better, but still stays shut once in a while so it's not 100%

I think the problem lies in the internal switch that the push button acts on to make contact and fire the lock actuator.... I'm pretty sure this comes apart, but it needs prising with a screwdriver or something and I was afraid I'd either break it, or springs loaded parts would fly accross my desk. It feels like a quality part with a defined click, and rubber seals keeping the weather out etc.
They're also getting more expensive on the 'bay to replace if you break them.

Anyway, spraying some contact cleaner in there seems to have helped a bit.

I'll be watching this thread with insterest....
 
I adjusted the hasps on the body inwards a touch, it helps the lower lid to spring outwards and push itself open when the button is pressed.
Not a big adjustment otherwise you'll be slamming to the crap out of it to shut 😵
 
Thinking back to yesterday I suspect its electrical as there was no noise at all when the button was pressed, complete silence. The top tailgate has never failed to open (until yesterday) the lower has stuck a few times but that usually gets sorted by a clean of the ns latch and I've now got a hole in the lower tailgate card so I can work that open with my finger, it's not stuck since I made that hole though.
 
Mark Piercy said:
I adjusted the hasps on the body inwards a touch, it helps the lower lid to spring outwards and push itself open when the button is pressed.
Not a big adjustment otherwise you'll be slamming to the crap out of it to shut 😵
Click to expand...
you could just employ someone to sit in the boot and press the tailgate outwards when the button is pressed? you might need to wire up a handshake buzzer in case said person falls asleep
 
Flossie said:
Thinking back to yesterday I suspect its electrical as there was no noise at all when the button was pressed, complete silence. The top tailgate has never failed to open (until yesterday) the lower has stuck a few times but that usually gets sorted by a clean of the ns latch and I've now got a hole in the lower tailgate card so I can work that open with my finger, it's not stuck since I made that hole though.
Click to expand...
When it sticks, mine is always stuck with the lower tailgate only. The top bit always opens.... and then sometimes the bottom doesn't. I get no noise (either mechanical or electrical) when it's stuck. I supppose that sounds like an electrical problem rather than a mechanical one doesn't it?
 
MrGorsky said:
When it sticks, mine is always stuck with the lower tailgate only. The top bit always opens.... and then sometimes the bottom doesn't. I get no noise (either mechanical or electrical) when it's stuck. I supppose that sounds like an electrical problem rather than a mechanical one doesn't it?
Click to expand...
Sounds like it thinks the upper tailgate is still closed
 
MrGorsky said:
Good shout. What tells it that? Is there a sensor I should lubricate or something? If I whack it near the NS lamp cluster, that usually fixes it. Just like the Millenium Falcon hyper drive.
Click to expand...

kermit_rr said:
is there a microswitch in the upper tail gate latch? i dont know
Click to expand...

I have always thought the top tailgate only has a "buckle" (like the pillars for the doors) and the sensor/switch was in the lower tailgate mechenisam like the doors (door ajar switch).
But have never dug in deep.

J
 
marjon said:
I have always thought the top tailgate only has a "buckle" (like the pillars for the doors) and the sensor/switch was in the lower tailgate mechenisam like the doors (door ajar switch).
But have never dug in deep.

J
Click to expand...
I think it's just a hasp on the upper tailgate, all the electrikery stuff is in the lower? Anywhoo, repeated open/closing of the tailgate has failed to replicate the fault. I did spray a lot of wax oil in both gates last year so maybe that bunged something up.
 
Rubberknees said:
Sometimes dodgy drivers door lock actuator. One of the micro switches provides the earth for tailgate and can cause problems. Had this on mine several years ago. Also as said spring in tailgate switch rusts away and stops contacts working inside button
Click to expand...
I have got a lazy microswitch for the interior lamp drivers side, takes ages for the lamp to come on when it's cold outside, quicker or instant when it's warm. Does that particular micro switch just provide the earth for the tailgate latch and it doesn't trigger anything else?
 
Flossie said:
I think it's just a hasp on the upper tailgate, all the electrikery stuff is in the lower? Anywhoo, repeated open/closing of the tailgate has failed to replicate the fault. I did spray a lot of wax oil in both gates last year so maybe that bunged something up.
Click to expand...
Maybe take the cover off the inner lower tailgate incase 🤔 And take a big cuppa for a good looking at;).

J
 
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