| Help, hatch latching issue - Click HERE for Original Thread |
| SliderJeff |
Hey guys,
So over the last day or so, it appears that the bolts that hold the U-bolt into the rear deck that the rear hatch latches itself to has somehow completely come undone. I've attached some pics of the bolts that are no longer keeping the bolt firmly attached to the frame. I own the service manual for my 2006, but unfortunately it is on my currently dead PC and not my laptop, otherwise I'd just look up how these damn things are supposed to be attached. The holes themselves didn't appear to be threaded, of if they are, they must be stripped. I peered down into the spare tire area and shined a flashlight around through the bolt holes, but couldn't see any nuts just laying there, so I am at a loss as to how this thing is supposed to be firmly fixed to the rear deck. Can anyone clue me in on how to remove the black plastic so I can figure out what the hell to do? I can't take the damn thing in for service in the next few days due to work issues, so I have to drive it around where it seems like it could come open at any point if I can't fix it tonight. I'm sure this is something simple, I'm just hoping that I didn't somehow lose the bolts that affix this sucker.
Thanks and regards,
Jeff |
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| gnotti211 |
Sliderjeff --
I'm confused as to what your asking in particular so i'll try to my best to help. About a month ago, there was an extremely annoying rattle in the trunk area, and when i looked in my rear-view mirror, i noticed that my trunk was rattling around, so i had to just tighten the two screws that you posted in pictures.
Did you try just pushing the U clip back (toward the front of the vehicle) and then tightening the screws? That's what worked for me.
I'm sorry if i didn't understand your problem...hope i helped |
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| SliderJeff |
OK, let me try to explain. You know the bolts that you tightened? Well, how do you tighten something if there is no threaded hole or not nut on the underside to tighten it with/to? The holes that those two bolts slide into are no threaded. Nor are there any nuts on the backside of them that I could hold with a wrench and then screw the bolts further into. Does that make sense? I'm thinking the bolts worked themselves completely away from the nuts... which somehow fell into the plastic housing that the U-bolt sticks up from, i.e. the rear "deck" if you will. Though I can't find them. If I can figure out how to get the black plastic assembly that goes across the whole rear deck of the car off, then I can hopefully find the missing nuts, and tighten everything back done... at least in theory. Maybe I just take a chance and see if the service guys can do it while I wait in the morning. Frick.
Regs,
Jeff |
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| Gonzo |
Intereseting, I might not be remembering correctly but I thought the nuts that the bolts would thread into were welding to the metal. Therefore they shouldn't disappear on ya.
I suspect you may have to go to the dealer or remove the other bolt that is OK and confirm. I suppose if I am right and you have time on your hands you could obtain the bolt and possible the nut from the dealer and have it welded.... forget it to much trouble. Go to the stealer. |
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| SliderJeff |
Sounds like I have no choice but to do the dealer thing. Both bolts are completely unattached to anything... it's not just the one on the left. I can pull both directly out of the holes. Thanks for the info.
Regs,
Jeff |
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| SliderJeff |
I just wish someone could look it up in the manual as to how the darn things really attach to the deck with those two bolts. Are they really screwed into the metal frame underneath the plastic... which means mine must have stripped holes in the metal because they just flop around in those holes, they don't bite at all. Of all days for this to happen, I have a big presentation at work followed by a doc appt. So I need for the repairs to be done in about 2.5 hours after I drop it off... and I am deeply concerned that they wouldn't even SEE the car in 2.5 hours, let alone fix the issue. :(
Regs,
Jeff |
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| SliderJeff |
Good news... I was able to drop off the MO at the dealer and now have a paid for rental Xterra.
Bad news, the service center can't fix this, only the body shop can. Evidently there is a plate that is welded to the underside metal frame that the rear door striker is screwed into. Even though I asked the tech 3 times what the bolts were actually screwed into, he just kept repeating that there was a metal plate that needs to be welded and "we can't do that since they need to 'break the weld' of this big piece of metal and then weld a new plate onto the underside". Um ok... but these things are bolts. Is the new plate threaded? That's when he repeated the "it's welded" comment. I then dumbed it down as much as I could and asked, "Are there nuts that fit on the backside of these bolts?" To which he responded, "it's welded". Ugh. Why do I even try?
Anyway, I'll be without the MO at least for one day... but I think closer to 2 or 3 given this shop's track record. I'm having the 15k service done too while it's there. What a nice $219 bill that will be. At least the trunk is covered under warranty, as is the rental.
Needless to say, I will be inspecting the hell out of the work that they do when I go to pick it up.
Thanks again to everyone who tried to help. Despite consulting the service manual page related to the rear hatch door, I STILL can't tell what's wrong with mine as they just talk about screwing the bolts into the striker plate... not what's beneath the plate or how it's put together. Nice. :(
Regs,
Jeff |
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| mgthe3 |
| I guess I would have secured new hardware and used nylock nuts for the bolts and done it myself. |
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| SliderJeff |
quote:
Originally posted by mgthe3
I guess I would have secured new hardware and used nylock nuts for the bolts and done it myself.
The problem is that it sounds like they have to disassmble the entire back end to get at where the nuts and the plate go... hence the reason the service dudes couldn't even get to where nuts might attach to the bolts. I was hoping it would be a simple "pop out these three plastic fasteners, remove plastic cover, attach nuts to bolts, replace cover, re-insert fasteners, drive home in safety" type thing. Unfortunately, as with most things in my life, it's a complicated process involving multiple people and organizations who all have less idea about what's going on than I do. Yay! :)
Regs,
Jeff |
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| Corin |
At least they didn't give their standard "can't reproduce" report! :p
Let us know what the result is when you get it back. Any pictures that you could take could be really helpful if other people have the same problem. |
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| SliderJeff |
Will do. I have MUCH larger versions of my original pics I posted at the top of the thread. I was just concerned about the forums size limit so I reduced them to 8% of their original size. :)
I'll try to do some marked up ones later, if needed.
Regs,
Jeff |
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| gnotti211 |
Sliderjeff --
If you were not aware, you can view the owner's manual directly through this forum. Go to 'knowledge base' and the top and it will bring you to a new page that has owner manual's for every model year. |
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| SliderJeff |
Are you talking about the owner's manual or the service manual? i.e. the thing that comes in the glove compartment or the thing you need to purchase separately from Nissan? I was referring to the latter. The former tells you where to put the gas and that's about it. :)
Regs,
Jeff |
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| gnotti211 |
quote:
Originally posted by SliderJeff
Are you talking about the owner's manual or the service manual? i.e. the thing that comes in the glove compartment or the thing you need to purchase separately from Nissan? I was referring to the latter. The former tells you where to put the gas and that's about it. :)
Regs,
Jeff
I see..my bad, I misunderstood you. |
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| SliderJeff |
No worries. I appreciate the response.
On an unrelated note... MAN the Xterra I have has INCREDIBLY more pickup than my MO. I didn't realize how much HP the CVT on the MO was robbing me of. Makes me pretty sad, actually. :(
Regards,
Jeff |
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| Eclipse1825 |
quote:
Originally posted by SliderJeff
No worries. I appreciate the response.
On an unrelated note... MAN the Xterra I have has INCREDIBLY more pickup than my MO. I didn't realize how much HP the CVT on the MO was robbing me of. Makes me pretty sad, actually. :(
Regards,
Jeff
Yea I know what you are feeling The MO feels like a slug compared to when I drive my Armada. But you are getting better gas mileage though. :D |
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| SliderJeff |
I guess I was fooled by the pickup I THOUGHT the Mo had compared to the Ford F-150 4x4 with the massively undersized 4.6L V8 it had. Stepping on the gas, I almost felt like I would have to do a "Fred Flintstone" to get up enough low end torque to pull out in traffic. When I first drove the MO I was like "WOW... I won't die just trying to merge from the on-ramp anymore". Oh well.
Regs,
Jeff
PS - Shop called. MO is all fixed. We'll see what I think of it when I pick it up later today. |
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| Gonzo |
Funny I feel the MO's accel is pretty darn good. Also if even more bost is needed then try Ds (does the 09 have that?).
I think with the CVT there is a perception that the car is slower than actual. |
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| SliderJeff |
So what exactly IS the Ds gear on the shifter? I had used it alot as a downshift from plain old D when I needed to stop in a hurry. The user manual wasn't real clear on it. I was concerned that using Ds might be harder on the CVT, so I have avoided using it like the plague.
Hatch is all fixed now, but they put two 1/2 inch gouges into my front passenger door. So now I have to schedule time with the body shop to get it fixed and painted. Yay! :(
They still hadn't received the work order from the body shop over at the service center, so I need to have them send that to me today so I can comment on exactly what was done to my vehicle to fix the latch.
Regs
Jeff |
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| Corin |
quote:
Originally posted by SliderJeff
So what exactly IS the Ds gear on the shifter? I had used it alot as a downshift from plain old D when I needed to stop in a hurry. The user manual wasn't real clear on it. I was concerned that using Ds might be harder on the CVT, so I have avoided using it like the plague.
It's basically a "downshift" to put the CVT in a more powerful ratio. Also seems to increase responsiveness (meaning when you hit the throttle it jumps to life quicker). I use it periodically when I need the extra boost, but it will destroy your gas mileage if you use it frequently.
It wouldn't put any extra strain on the CVT than having a lead foot in D.
quote:
Hatch is all fixed now, but they put two 1/2 inch gouges into my front passenger door. So now I have to schedule time with the body shop to get it fixed and painted. Yay! :(
<sigh> I see Nissan is at their best again... How many times has something like this been reported on this forum? At least a half-dozen. Take your car into the shop to have them fix something, and then major body damage is the result. Particularly nice when they do this AND don't fix the original problem (which is usually the case). |
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