Hey Guest!
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
mrv8q
Luke Skywalker
Offline
I've been doing all sorts of small jobs on my "1.5 year old" TR6. At the back end of the car, I've had the fuel tank cleaned out, run new fuel lines, pulled the ugly black dagmars, and disassembled and cleaned the driver's side tail lights... it's amazing what a little 0000 steel wool will do!
The trunk lock assembly was looking especially grungy, so I started to take it out, too, to clean. Of the 4 screws holding it in, the 2 horizontal ones were rusted in, the only rust I've found so far on the car. I backed them out as far as I could, then Dremeled off the heads, leaving a shaft I could use w/ some new nuts. Since the shafts were a touch long, I had to lever out the lock assembly with a screw driver. I soaked the lock assembly for a couple days, then checked and lubed all the moving parts.
While all this is going on, I thought about hooking up the driver's side tail light with it's new gaskets, but got distracted, and didn't put it in. Reinstalling the lock assembly was a bit tough, as I had to force it straight back in along the horizontal studs, and then force it back down so the rear lip would clear. To do that, I gave it a couple sharp raps w/ a rubber mallet, and in she goes. Just as I shut the trunk lid, I had a fleeting thought, "I <span style="font-style: italic">really</span> should have manually checked the operation of this lock before shutting the trunk", THUNK!
Of course, the lock now won't turn to open the trunk, *&@!#$!!. All kinds of horrible thoughts are racing around in my head. Thankfully, I'm not completely stuck, I still have my tail light hole open, and fishing my arm inside, I can feel 2 little bolts where I imagine the trunk-locking hinge mounts to the trunk lid. What are the odds <span style="font-style: italic">those</span> aren't rusted tight? I'm able to stick a 5/16 gear wrench around the bolts, and miraculously, they turn! 2 minutes later, I have the trunk lid open. My diagnosis is the rubber mallet compressed the back wall of the lock assembly just enough that the hinge mechanism inside was jammed; a slight pry back, and all was right again.
What's the moral of the story? Think even the simple things through; don't completely freak out, or at least try and leave yourself an out!
The trunk lock assembly was looking especially grungy, so I started to take it out, too, to clean. Of the 4 screws holding it in, the 2 horizontal ones were rusted in, the only rust I've found so far on the car. I backed them out as far as I could, then Dremeled off the heads, leaving a shaft I could use w/ some new nuts. Since the shafts were a touch long, I had to lever out the lock assembly with a screw driver. I soaked the lock assembly for a couple days, then checked and lubed all the moving parts.
While all this is going on, I thought about hooking up the driver's side tail light with it's new gaskets, but got distracted, and didn't put it in. Reinstalling the lock assembly was a bit tough, as I had to force it straight back in along the horizontal studs, and then force it back down so the rear lip would clear. To do that, I gave it a couple sharp raps w/ a rubber mallet, and in she goes. Just as I shut the trunk lid, I had a fleeting thought, "I <span style="font-style: italic">really</span> should have manually checked the operation of this lock before shutting the trunk", THUNK!
Of course, the lock now won't turn to open the trunk, *&@!#$!!. All kinds of horrible thoughts are racing around in my head. Thankfully, I'm not completely stuck, I still have my tail light hole open, and fishing my arm inside, I can feel 2 little bolts where I imagine the trunk-locking hinge mounts to the trunk lid. What are the odds <span style="font-style: italic">those</span> aren't rusted tight? I'm able to stick a 5/16 gear wrench around the bolts, and miraculously, they turn! 2 minutes later, I have the trunk lid open. My diagnosis is the rubber mallet compressed the back wall of the lock assembly just enough that the hinge mechanism inside was jammed; a slight pry back, and all was right again.
What's the moral of the story? Think even the simple things through; don't completely freak out, or at least try and leave yourself an out!
