Hatch Latch - Broken Sheet Metal

[CirrusSR22]

I just took the interior hatch trim out to do a project and I noticed something bad. frown

The sheet metal where the hatch-latch bolts to the hatch itself is cracking. There are two bolts that hold the latch in place and one bolt hole is completely cracked and detached from the hatch. The other is badly cracked. As you can see from the video below, this allows the latch to move freely.

I took the bolt out already in this picture, it was not missing.


The fully cracked hole.


The sheet metal piece that fully broke.


The other one nearly broken.


Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCssrVihT-I

The solution (for the long-term, I hope) was to replace the the exisiting bolts with standard bolts and washers. I used stainless hardware and two washers on each bolt. You need M6 bolts in about 20mm length. 20mm is a bit long though so I trimmed them down a tad. M6x16mm would probably be ideal - the hardware store was out of 16mm for me. I also used some Ultra Grey silicone to keep the washer and bolt assembly from sliding. This is necessary because the original bolt type is self-centering (see the "bowl" design), a plain bolt will allow slightly movement in the latch. Hard to explain, but you'd get the idea once you took it apart.

All together.


I also drilled two holes in the rear trim piece because the original bolts sit almost flush with the sheet metal. The new bolts will casue the rear trim to bulge since they sit higher off the hatch surface.

Not the most accurate drilling on my part.

[dguzzardo22]

mine have the hairline cracks also

[hotmilk400]

yeah, i certain models must have had problems. i am glad to see that someone actually fixed it. if you have cracks or something, you need to patch them up and paint them. i saw worse ones that the whole area rust out. there must be water getting in there. rusting the bolts and the metal. i hope that is not the case.

[budget76]

I had the same problem. I re-used my stock bolts, and just threw some washers between. Worked perfectly for the year+ since

[tiFreak]

I'll have to check my latches, seems like an easy enough fix at least

[zoner]

I'll bet you could find some black plastic plugs for those cutouts- for the custom finish.

[3.2TI]

I hate SPAMMERS....

[roadrash]

Originally Posted by 3.2TI

I hate SPAMMERS....

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[austinindian]

I removed my latch mechanism (with three torx bolts) yesterday. Noticed two hairline cracks from the hole to the edge of the metal similar to the first picture that user CirrusSR22 posted. It's a jigsaw puzzle for me right now, so I need to put the piece back together. Couple of questions for you guys.

1) Is there a diagram of the entire latch mechanism in Bentley or Haynes? When I started to remove the latch I found some other pieces rattling in the truck lid. Need to figure out how that all fits back together.

2) Someone on this list mentioned patching those hairline cracks. What do you recommend for patching that? Was also thinking of tack welding the hairline screws, but need to consult with a welder first.

I'm planning to use the washers with new bolts. Looks like a good upgrade for that.