Engine Trunk Latch
 

Hey everybody

im having a small annoying problem... the engine trunk latch pops up durring drives. when you shut it latches well and you can pull up and nothing happens

do you think it is the latch top or bottom or mabye the rubber stops need ajusting or is the whole trunk out of wack?

thanks for the help!!

What happens is the car flexes as you drive allowing the plunger to "pop" up. Thank goodness for the safety latch, eh?

Well, I had this problem and yours is probably one of two things. The cable is not adjusted properly or the little shoulder on the pot metal part of the plunger is rounded from old age and lots of use. I don't think your problem has anything to do with the plunger location adjustment, but if you can sort of anticipate the flex in the body (one trick to getting a stuck latch to pop is to drive up a ramp at an angle to purposely flex the body), then maybe you can adjust the plunger location..

The latch only has one position to grab the spindle from the hood with the most bite. Look down into the latch opening, then work the cable lever back and forth. You'll observe the the latch in the max. lock position (smallest opening), the opening grows larger on either side of this optimum adjustment. Adjust the cable length so the latch is in the max. lock, default position.

Hope this helps,
Sherwood

however !!!

Go slowly and adjust a "smidge" at a time...in the right direction..

Going hog wild all at once in the right direction will make it "catch" allright...and then you can't get it open...

Better to attack this a small amount of change at a time !!

- Wil

Before adjusting, pull out the d.s. turn signal and put an extra backup pull cable directly from the trunk latch mechanism through the side of the body so you can pull it from the outside. There may be a space already there or drill one/rust protect/and install a sleeve guide.

If the factory cable doesn't work because it's too set too far either way, this one will serve as backup. If it gets stuck shut, the only way to open the trunk is to drill an access hole in the wheelwell and fish in the dark with a coat hanger, or try and pop it open on a curb as milt suggested.

A strut tower brace will help front chassis flex and driving fun, the triangulated ones are better. Start getting to that rust now where you can find it.

Well, I am in the same boat now. I had my mechanic adjust the latch and now I can't open it at all. The car is on level ground now, I am going to move on to hill to see if I can get it to open.

Chris, you need two people in an ideal situation, but you alone can start part way up a drive on the bias and set the hand brake. Get out and try each corner, pushing and pulling. If no release, tweak the car more. When you get it open, make sure the cable is holding the catch at max closure. One way is release and the other way (too long) is release.

Then watch carefully from the side as you close the lid. You will notice that the arc of the lid, hence the entry of the plunger into the catch mechanism, is not a true arc. The plunger comes closer to the front (front of car) of the opening as it goes in. To compenate, adjust the pluger slightly towards the rear of center on the fore and aft axis, dead center on the side axis with the car on level ground and no loads from lifting.

Then, go teach your mechanic how this is done. :D

Let's call it Engine Compartment, not Trunk, so new people don't get confused...

Milt, you are a genius. I got it open. I pulled the car out on to the driveway and drove the front half up at an angle and it just popped open right away. The adjustment side of things I am going to have to play with a little more. Before it was too loose and now it is too tight. I believe he had moved the whole engine compartment latch mechanism over toward the driver side a little too much.

Thanks.

Outstanding! Don't forget your rubber bumpers. They need to be leveled with the body (fenders) first (screw in, screw out). It doesn't need to be that tight. Just nice and snug.

You can prop up the hood and remove the pin assembly, and use it to adjust the cable.

A trick to putting the hood pin in the right spot is to tighten the bolts, but leave them just loose enough so it can move around.
Don't close the hood(!), but bounce it on the latch. The pin should self-center itself. Make sure it's curved inwards.