tailgate stuck?
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 178
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From: Denver
tailgate stuck?
hey all-ever heard of this?: my tailgate lock seems to not work. i put the key in it, but it does nothing. it turns, but nothing frees up. i pulled on the handle and hit the 'gate, and the side opposite the lock mechanism freed up, but the other side didn't. the reason i ask is, i've got to load a motor in her this weekend, and....well you can see the issue. anybody ever fixed this?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 3
From: Bismarck, ND
tailgate stuck?
Uhhhh. Kind of confused by your question. Are you putting the key into the cylinder on the tailgate, located on the outside on the driver's side? This is just a switch for the rear window..... turning the key clockwise is supposed to lower the window; turning it counterclockwise is supposed to raise it. If this isn't working, and the dash switch is the only way you're getting the window up and down, it could be a small number of things, but check the fuse box first - the outside key switch uses a separate fuse from that located on the dash (I believe you indicated in another post that you had an '85, correct?).
The key cylinder doesn't control any sort of lock mechanism, just a switch. The inside latch is the only assembly used to secure the tailgate.
The key cylinder doesn't control any sort of lock mechanism, just a switch. The inside latch is the only assembly used to secure the tailgate.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 3
From: Bismarck, ND
tailgate stuck?
Gotcha..... and, maybe it's literally frozen. Have you had freezing temps, taken it through a car wash, etc., lately? Maybe some water has made it's way into the latch mechanism and frozen? Let us know....
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 178
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From: Denver
tailgate stuck?
thanks for your replies! i didn't know that was only a switch....interesting. the unopening part is on the driver's side. we have had cold conditions, but it's been warm enough lately i don't think it'd be frozen. i do have an 85, that's right.
so you think i should take the panel off and look at it from the inside?
so you think i should take the panel off and look at it from the inside?
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 2,306
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tailgate stuck?
77,
You can remove the interior access panel on the t'gate and see if the latch is rusty (frozen by rust or grime, not by weather "frozen").
Look here for a description and some pics:
http://users.superford.org/ylobronc/tailgate/tailgate.html
You can remove the interior access panel on the t'gate and see if the latch is rusty (frozen by rust or grime, not by weather "frozen").
Look here for a description and some pics:
http://users.superford.org/ylobronc/tailgate/tailgate.html
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