Forum;

With temps a balmy 40 degrees in central CT today, I finally got around to investigating a nonfunctioning (from outside only!) tailgate lock...I had removed the inside panel (the rest of the way) a while ago, and lubed the bejesus out of everything in sight, and even those thing you couldn't see, and it actually worked a few times after that...but no more...and I was getting tired of climbing in the back like a 6 year-old and opening it by way of the inside lever...

The linkages all seemed free and clear to move, but latching the mechanism with tailgate open to allow inspection and operating of linkages was STILL unsuccessful...a helper operating the opening outside opening lever while I observed and played with the linkages inside and tried various combinations of central locking and linkages didn't reveal or help much...and I REALLY thought I had done a bad (stupid) thing when in a moment without forethought, I enabled the kiddie safetylatch, AND closed the tailgate...OH NO! NOW IT"S CLOSED FOREVER!!! ...fortunately, I remembered exactly where the kiddielatch was, and was able to UNDO its function with a stick from inside the tailgate, then use the inside lever to once again open...phew!!

I finally removed the entire latch assembly...just figuring out how the linkages are attached and in what direction to remove them was an excercise and lesson in patience itself...eventually I was able to extract it and have it in my hand...wow, what a marvelous mechanical assembly!...I don't think a Swiss watch has all that much more going on inside...with central locking, mechanical opening from outside, mechanical opening from inside (but only if kiddie safety latch is disabled), and an over-center-latch to prevent tailgate popping open on impact, it's an impressive assembly which undoubtably kept some senior mechanical engineer busy for a while getting it just right! ...and I don't mean to badmouth the mechanism for its complexity here...it has to do a number of things, and reliably (and before this, it has!), and well....and while I'm sure there's nothing in there which doesn't absolutely need to be there...I was impressed with the overall quality of the (made in Germany) thing...

While it was in my hands, I further lubed it with Tri-Flow teflon oil, and syringe applied some graphite bearing anti-seize into strategic places, because I found several pivot and slide bearing points which were STILL dry...all the while working the various functions...nothing looked out of place or brocken, but the mechanical one actuated by the linkage coming from the outside actuator handle STILL wouldn't release the latch...WTF? I guess I'll try some more lube...

All of a sudden, a piece of glass fell out of the mechanism...you know...one of those millions of 1/4" cubes the tempered glass panes break into...I'll be dipped!...and guess what started working perfectly after that? Yup! I guess when a side window was imploded by a shifting load a while back, one of those little B****** found its way past the panel, hand-lever, into the latch mechanism and settled right there where it could do the whackyest and most unpredictable thing...WOW...after that, the rest was straighforward and almost easy...I'm quite sure that tach mech is the best lubed equipment on the vehicle at this point...and it gose to show...that by adding that little something which didn't need to be in there, it jumbled up the works and had me baffled pretty good...but just temporarily!

...now I can think about permanent reinstallation of the inside panel...but I know that will take some "special" work, so I'll leave that for another day.

I'm pretty happy about not having lost my temper and hurt something at this point...although I was getting close...but patience paid off.

I love my Volvo(s)!