1996 tracker tailgate wont open

[fred317]

Hi, I just bought a 1996 GEO tracker 2 door soft top 4X4 5 spd.I can not get the back tailgate to open I removed the inner door panel and sprayed wd 40 anywhere I could get it all rods seem to be connected lock works everything was stiff before lube now everything seems free including door handle I can feel the latching mechanism and I can pull it back/up but door still wont open any Ideas?Thanks

[jtgh]

YOU DAWG.

your forgot, you locked your Mother In Law in there.

but...
if you pull the rod from the lock cylinder (detached from lock) and it still dont open
then the latch is busted.
not sure from there......

[Shconer]

I had this problem on mine I had to manualy unlock from the inside and lube the shit out of it. I can't remember exactly but I think theres a push rod that was bent because is was so seized. It's really tight and tricky getting access to that area, esspecially when the door is closed.

[Hargis]

Just take it to a body shop if you can't figure it out. It might cost you $15 in labor to get it open.

[shortbeagles]

I had the same problem with my '96 when I bougt it. I took the inner panel off and lubed and worked all the components but it still would n't open.....until I unlocked it. There's just not much to it so keep lubing the mechanism and working it....and try locking and unlocking it.

[Tracker Tommy]

Originally Posted by shortbeagles

I had the same problem with my '96 when I bougt it. I took the inner panel off and lubed and worked all the components but it still would n't open.....until I unlocked it. There's just not much to it so keep lubing the mechanism and working it....and try locking and unlocking it.

What did you use, WD40 or lithium grease?

[shortbeagles]

i used a ton of arosol pentatrating oil. Though just because I had it handy. I'm thinking that WD40 would be just as fine. I think the problem wasn't that the mechanism wasn't frozen but rather that lack of lubrication and accumulation of years of road dust and dirt.