This really shouldn't be that hard, but it's not working out for me. The problem is, when I shut my tailgate (which doesn't take very much force at all), the force of it slamming somehow jiggles the piece that holds the two rod clips, and it moves past the cam on the handle. So the handle "pops" free and won't open the gate anymore. I can remove the handle, re-align it, and it works good for 3 or 4 times, then I shut the gate again, the handle gets misaligned, and I have to start over. I have the rods properly installed to the latch with locking rod clips. I tried this with two different handles - my original one, and a brand new one. Same results. I took the spring-loaded latches off the sides of the tailgate to inspect them, they seem fine. I look up inside the latch as I pull the handle open and closed, and the mechanism moves fine. It's just when I shut the gate, it shakes it free. I'm at my wits end! I almost want to say that it's a bad design, but I don't know of anyone else on here mentioning this sort of problem. Here is what this looks like in pictures:

1. Latch in its "closed" position; cam in the upper left hand corner pressed tight against the rod lever. Everything is fine and dandy.



2. Latch in its "open" position, as if you pull the handle to pull the rods. The cam in the upper left hand corner pushes down on the rod lever. Again, everything is fine and dandy.



3. And here's the killer. You close the tailgate, and the rod lever wiggles its way around the cam. You can see the cam is now able to move past the rod lever. Next time you pull on the handle, "pop" and it's swung all the way past.



4. A final shot of the end result. This is with a different latch with the same problem. You can see the cam is past the rod lever. The rod lever has sprung back into the close position like it should, but you can see the handle is stuck in the open position and rendered useless.



What gives? Nothing seems to be broken and everything is installed correctly! Anyone with similar problems? I have never had a truck with a functioning tailgate. They've either been stuck shut, missing the handle altogether, or messed up like this and I am determined to find a solution. Let me know if you have any ideas because I sure don't. Sorry for the long post and thanks for your help!!

 

To me it looks like the rods are in the wrong holes.

should be
Right side to bottom

left side to top

There is a fulrum at the other end to actuate the latches

 

Now that's interesting, on my 77 F150 the bottom is for the left side and is always coming undone and I've never had a problem with the right side.
What gives with that? I know these tail gates have problems and I have concidered removing the latches and putting in sliding bolt locks.

 

Hi Mil1ion, thanks for the input; I took a look at it but I think I have it right still. I hope you don't mind; I am borrowing this from your gallery:



Mine is set up like the picture - bottom rod going to the left and top rod going to the right. That way when you pull the handle, the latch pulls the rods inwards. What is the fulcrum you mention? Maybe I am missing it?

 

FMC from what I understand this is a common problem with Ford tail gates but your fix should last longer than a few times, not sure what to tell you but I have lots of problems with mine as well. As soon as I figure out how to remove the spring loaded latches I'm setting up something else!
Does anybody know how to do that?

 

Can you bend the rod lever in, so it does not slip past the cam? Or extend the cam to achieve the same result. If you drill out the cam and then tap the hole you could then thread in a bolt with a larger head on it, so it won't jump past the rod lever.

 

Okay, To me it looked like the illustration was reversed to how it was mounted in the tailgate.

 

I would try bending the cam part in like cujo suggested so it won't go past it.

 

Thanks guys, I will try that.