The rear tailgate on my 97 TJ is getting harder and harder to open and close, with the hinges making a creaking noise. I've tried grease and wd40. Regular size spare. Any ideas?
Tailgate hard to open and close
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14,653 Posts
They are seizing up on you for one reason or another... you have a regular size spare. Is that regular size spare tight against the rubber bumpstops?
New hinges may be your only option, just have them painted at any local paint shop and bolt them on.
New hinges may be your only option, just have them painted at any local paint shop and bolt them on.
Mine got increasingly tighter way back when my TJ was in it's stock form .
My solution ............
I opened the tailgate all the way so i could get to the very backside of the hinges
and drilled a very small hole ( 1/16" ) through the hinge body to the pin to allow a light lubricant to be applied to the needed area .
It made a big difference and is still working well today .
Prior to attempting a fix i purchased some new black powdercoated stainless steel hinges as replacements ( Kentrol from QTec ) , i still have those "replacements" setting around since i no longer needed them
My solution ............
I opened the tailgate all the way so i could get to the very backside of the hinges
and drilled a very small hole ( 1/16" ) through the hinge body to the pin to allow a light lubricant to be applied to the needed area .
It made a big difference and is still working well today .
Prior to attempting a fix i purchased some new black powdercoated stainless steel hinges as replacements ( Kentrol from QTec ) , i still have those "replacements" setting around since i no longer needed them
WD-40 is technically a solvent and water displacer, not a long-lasting lube. It usually just flushes out any remaining grease or lube making things worse than they were in a day or two once the WD-40 finishes evaporating as it does. I'd leave the WD-40 in the garage and start using a good lubricant instead, like a spray lithium grease that you can spray into and work down into the hinge mechanism.
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I had the same problem on our '98 and tried the lube method with no luck. I ended up replacing them with some black stainless hinges from Kentrol. When I took the original ones off I put one in a vise and tried to open it by hand. I was pulling the bench across the floor. SIezed solid.
If you end up replacing the hinges, I posted a bunch of info about how to do that on this board somewhere.
Good Luck.
If you end up replacing the hinges, I posted a bunch of info about how to do that on this board somewhere.
Good Luck.
My tailgate did the same thing.
To fix it, I spent about 45 minutes working the tailgate back and forth while spraying white lithium grease on the hinges.
To fix it, I spent about 45 minutes working the tailgate back and forth while spraying white lithium grease on the hinges.
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3,766 Posts
My latch was sticking a bit from the load on the tail gate. . . . I backed into a log on the trail and dented in the rear passenger corner a bit. It must have monkeyed with the hinge alignment because now it's EASIER to open my tailgate.
So, based on this experience, go find a log and back into it. :thumbsup:
So, based on this experience, go find a log and back into it. :thumbsup:
.
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1,285 Posts
Same problem on my '98. Even started making that creaking sound.
Finally tried a few things:
1. PB Blaster while working the door back and forth for a long time - no affect
2. Same method using transmission fluid a few weeks later the door just loosened up and now opens and closes like new. (Applied TF with finger)
Finally tried a few things:
1. PB Blaster while working the door back and forth for a long time - no affect
2. Same method using transmission fluid a few weeks later the door just loosened up and now opens and closes like new. (Applied TF with finger)
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