Rear hatch rattle!!!

[cstiller]

99 4Runner...135Kmiles
The rear hatch developed a nasty rattle going over bumps.
I have already replace the lift struts with aftermarket, but the bushings are worn out on the top mount position.

Does anybody know if these can be purchased?
I called the dealership and they said they come with the lift struts they sell (allegedly you get the strut, nut plate at top and the bushings).

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Rbv714]

Are you sure that the rattle has to do with the lift struts? My back hatch just recently stopped opening, so I took the inside panelling off and opened it up to fix it, and I found some stuff like broken pieces of plastic just resting around in the bottom of the door panel. These were rattling around a good bit, so i got them out.

 

[beallen21]

i have a rattle but I just took for granted it was stuff in my storage compartment

 

[jminz]

Are you sure that the rattle has to do with the lift struts? My back hatch just recently stopped opening, so I took the inside panelling off and opened it up to fix it, and I found some stuff like broken pieces of plastic just resting around in the bottom of the door panel. These were rattling around a good bit, so i got them out.

How exactly did you fix it? My hatch stopped opening the other day and im not sure of how to open it by taking off the paneling like you mentioned.
Thanks

 

[Rbv714]

It's a royal pain in the a. You have to roll the back window down almost all the way so you can reach in there. Then you pry at the edges of the INSIDE rubber grommet/strip that is up against the back window. This is a sort of rubber strip that is fastened in the frame by little metal slits, but once you get the edge up, you can pretty much pull the rest of it out carefully. This lets the back window swing and rest against the inner plastic moulding. Now you are able to see down into all the crap in the door frame, and you can see the door latch and components. You also may need a flashlight and may have to turn your head sideways and close one eye to see down in there.

The problem I had was that somehow the handle latch was missing the actual unlatching mechanism inside the frame. So i used a wooden dowel to just get the door open.(You can slide it down there and manually press the door latch without the actual handle)-- It is hard to fix the problem of the missing latch this way....this is simply getting the damn door open so we can get the inside shell off the door.

Once you finally open the hatch, it is possible to take the inner plastic shell off of the door. Just stick a screwdriver under the plastic edge and pry up. It is attached with little clips and comes out when pulled. At the the top, up by the back window, there is a lip on the plastic over the metal door casing.

BEFORE YOU MOVE ON, ROLL UP THE BACK WINDOW AND GUIDE IT WHILE DOING SO... BECAUSE REMEMBER IT IS NOT ON MUCH OF A TRACK!

Once you get the plastic off, you can see two different metal panels that can be removed with a wrench. The BIGGER compartment will let you get to the door lock and latch.

Now once you get the big panel off, all the guts are visible, and you can do what you need to fix the problem. Mine got fixed when i simply put the latch back onto its proper track.

Hope this helps...I actually damaged the outside moulding on mine because I had no idea how to get into the door to fix the problem. Once I realized that I could do this, it became much easier.

But it cant be that hard, considering I dont know that much about 4runners yet

 

[jminz]

Great, thanks for the help man.

 

[Rbv714]

no problem, the only hard part is getting the rubber moulding/grommet thingy back on, but the trick is to fasten it to the plastic shell of the hatch before you put the shell back over the metal casing.

 

[thejipster]

Help

no problem, the only hard part is getting the rubber moulding/grommet thingy back on, but the trick is to fasten it to the plastic shell of the hatch before you put the shell back over the metal casing.

How long should I allocate for this?
I assuming when you open the hatch, you are working against gravity. Would the glass window have the ability to fall on your head when you pop the panel open?

 

[thejipster]

Latch broke

Are you just trying to pull the interior plastic panel off and maybe the two metal panels behind that? What is the problem you are working on?
With the hatch open and interior panel off, no the glass won't fall on your head. You can operate the window normally. I would leave the window rolled all the way up the whole time anyways.

The door is closed and the latch handle feels loose indicating that something broke inside. My first problem is that I no longer can open the back hatch door. Then after i get I open I can try to pop the panels to see what is going on. I have fixed the driver side door that had a similar symptom before.

---- problem FIXED -----
1997 Toyota 4 Runner

1. Lower the hatch window all the way down
2. Pop the interior trim off
3. Raise the window 3-4 inches. Because the interior trim is off, the glass will lean towards inside the car and will give you access to view the unlock mechanism inside the door.
4. Use a rod or a long screw driver and access the mechanism to pop the hatch door.
5. Raise the glass all the way, then open the door.
6. After the hatch is open, the panels can be popped off easily.
7. Remove the metal access panel and you will see the unlock mechanism.
8. Fix whatever is broken.

Took about 1 hour, but if I had to do it again, it would probably only take 15 minutes.

Good luck