I cant keep my liftgate latched

[snappydon]

So the 75 Ive been bringing back to life is fully operational and performs great.

The only real annoyance I have is that the liftgate will not stay latched.

It's fine for highway use but as soon as it sees a gravel road it releases and then it rattles terrible.

I've adjusted, tinkered and tweaked all I can think of...It latches beautifully if you let it drop from about 4" up and opens with just an easy twist up of the handle. All the latch parts seem to be in great condition and it is pretty well adjusted in the top.

If I rock the body by pushing and releasing the rain gutter it will pop open...damnit

 

[bronconut73]

Me too but mine is because I just put a new seal on. It is fat still.
To help hold it down I put a fat 90° spark plug boot on the stubby little rod bolted to the tailgate. It makes the lift gate fit real tight around it. Stays closed and no rattles.

 

[BluebroncoNC]

Make sure your handle is all the way engaged. All the way up, not 1/2 way up which will "lock" it but then cause it to pop open and rattle, like the angle in the picture through the glass.

 

[snappydon]

Got it figured out....the PO had been into it before as there are 2 different types of connectors for the rods to attach with. After looking at the pic and the factory diagram I realized what the "lock" position was, that it extended the bolts waaay out. I reversed the rods and installed a different rod connector and now when I turn the handle CW to the 3 o'clock position the bolts stick out almost an inch. Ain't no way it's gonna pop open now!

Thanks fellas! So much great information and knowledge pooled here!

 

[Unknown]

Snappy work there Don, glad you got it fixed. I'm constantly chasing rattles around the tailgate and the hatch. Your issue had me wondering.