Hi,
The tailgate on my 1988 F250 will not open. I have sprayed the catches with wd-40 but it will not move. Any ideas on this before i remove the bed liner from the tailgate.
Many thanks for any suggestions.

 

I have had a similar problem with my tailgate. Only one of the latches was releasing. With the stuck catch I used a screwdriver from the bed side between the tailgate and the body and pushed the latch back from the strike plate. The latch is beveled on the this side and you should be able to move the latch free. Hope this helps.

 

with mine, the handel broke on the inside, you might want to look at that when you take it off, its a cheap easy fix, but sort of a weak part... i think its die cast.

 

Handle problems are common on the 87 and later gates. You can look up fro underneath and watch to see if it is moving or not, or if the linkage clip popped and the rod fell out.