Trunk release problem.
08-01-2016, 05:44 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Trunk release problem.
Ok so I used the word trunk in the title...but that's it. Elephants have trunks not cars so will be calling it the boot from now on ...lol!
Anyway...I noticed today that although I can open the boot with the remote it no longer opens with the release catch on the boot lid itself. Whilst this is not a major problem I would like to sort it. I also noticed a light rattle inside the boot lid if a shake it...So my guess is something had broken and the offending item is causing the rattle. Before I take it apart has anyone had the same issue and what can I expect to find when I remove the inner liner?
Anyway...I noticed today that although I can open the boot with the remote it no longer opens with the release catch on the boot lid itself. Whilst this is not a major problem I would like to sort it. I also noticed a light rattle inside the boot lid if a shake it...So my guess is something had broken and the offending item is causing the rattle. Before I take it apart has anyone had the same issue and what can I expect to find when I remove the inner liner?
08-01-2016, 07:53 PM
#2
Senior Member
Is it the registration plate surround that is rattling? (The plastic insert that would be changed if it were to have a square plate.)
When I shut the boot I get a rattle, and that is partly the cause. The major contributor to the problem however, was how the number plate affixed to the bootlid. I went to Merc and bought the ones they sell with their own cars, just a very nice solid plastic holder, requiring no screws. -That removed most of the rattle when I used it. Only cost a few £ too.
When I shut the boot I get a rattle, and that is partly the cause. The major contributor to the problem however, was how the number plate affixed to the bootlid. I went to Merc and bought the ones they sell with their own cars, just a very nice solid plastic holder, requiring no screws. -That removed most of the rattle when I used it. Only cost a few £ too.
08-01-2016, 07:55 PM
#3
Senior Member
No idea about the trunk release though. The lever on the CLKs, are electronic switches I believe, and not a direct mechanical link to the latch. Does the lever on the boot move or is it seized?
08-02-2016, 06:41 AM
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Lever moves fine....must be the contacts in the switch or the wiring. The rattle is a very light sound and you can here it moving about if you slowly open and close the lid. Seems too much of a coincidence that the rattle starts as the catch fails. I'm all good as long as the remote release works.....will be stuffed if that stops working too!
08-03-2016, 03:46 PM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Ok. So I took the boot lid liner out and found this. The two (blurred!) wires in the foreground should be in the socket in the background. I guess 14 years of opening and slamming it shut had finally killed them....funny how they both broke at the same time though
. The metal bits on the end of the wire are the ends of the pins snapped clean off are after years of slight flexing I guess. The wires also took quite a sharp route which cant have helped. these wire connect to a micro switch which is pushed when you pull the catch on the lid and thus releases the boot lid.
So I extracted the broken pins from the plug (not that easy as the plug is no more than quarter of an inch in size) that I had in turn extracted from the socket in the first pic and removed the pin remains from the wires. Next I soldered the wires to the pins...again not easy due to their size... which left me with this.
After I took this photo I coated where the wires entre the plug with high modulus black silicone. This is partly because the wires were partially exposed and partly to give it a bit of extra strength to stop it happening again. I also rerouted the wires to take some of the tension of them. All good....I like the simple and free repairs!!
EDIT. The slight rattle I mentioned in the opening post was just a piece of broken trim clip snapped off one of the centre pin expanding retainers that hold the liner in. I had a spare so sorted that too!
. The metal bits on the end of the wire are the ends of the pins snapped clean off are after years of slight flexing I guess. The wires also took quite a sharp route which cant have helped. these wire connect to a micro switch which is pushed when you pull the catch on the lid and thus releases the boot lid.
So I extracted the broken pins from the plug (not that easy as the plug is no more than quarter of an inch in size) that I had in turn extracted from the socket in the first pic and removed the pin remains from the wires. Next I soldered the wires to the pins...again not easy due to their size... which left me with this.
After I took this photo I coated where the wires entre the plug with high modulus black silicone. This is partly because the wires were partially exposed and partly to give it a bit of extra strength to stop it happening again. I also rerouted the wires to take some of the tension of them. All good....I like the simple and free repairs!!
EDIT. The slight rattle I mentioned in the opening post was just a piece of broken trim clip snapped off one of the centre pin expanding retainers that hold the liner in. I had a spare so sorted that too!
Last edited by ALFAitalia; 08-03-2016 at 03:49 PM.
