[breemijoe]

1984 Country Squire wagon's tailgate lock won't lock. Power and manual operate the lock fine just will not lock. I'm stumped, help.

[35terraplane]

Originally Posted by breemijoe

1984 Country Squire wagon's tailgate lock won't lock. Power and manual operate the lock fine just will not lock. I'm stumped, help.

Do you mean lock so you can't get it opened, or latched so it will stay closed when you shut it?

35terraplane Bob

[breemijoe]

Latch and opening and closing work fine. Glass goes up and down also. It just won't lock manualy or by key

[35terraplane]

Originally Posted by breemijoe

Latch and opening and closing work fine. Glass goes up and down also. It just won't lock manualy or by key

If the key won't lock it, and if the key turns I would say the lock has twisted and not in the right place, the lock has to be in the right spot to work, or lock. if that isn't it IMO the lock is shot. You might be better off taking it to a lock smith if the car drives, or having one come out. I think there is a set screw that holds that lock in place.

Bob

[Irelands child]

Not an uncommon problem with Fords - including their p/u trucks with a locking tailgate - even my '06 F350 needed some TLC as early as a year or so old. (and so did my '79 wagon, my '97 and '01 trucks)

You have to take the inner panel off, clean up any corrosion, grease it up (I like silicone grease) then reassemble. Sometimes you will have to change out the lock mechanism if the pot metal is crusty and dissolving, but that is also easy. The major problem being another key just for that lock

[breemijoe]

Thanks for the info

[35terraplane]

Originally Posted by Irelands child

Not an uncommon problem with Fords - including their p/u trucks with a locking tailgate - even my '06 F350 needed some TLC as early as a year or so old. (and so did my '79 wagon, my '97 and '01 trucks)

You have to take the inner panel off, clean up any corrosion, grease it up (I like silicone grease) then reassemble. Sometimes you will have to change out the lock mechanism if the pot metal is crusty and dissolving, but that is also easy. The major problem being another key just for that lock

You can also take a new lock to a lock smith and have it keyed alike, on my 46 I didn't have keys I had them made for the doors, and the trunk lock was shot, got a new one and the locksmith keyed it the same, I think the whole works cost me $60,00, only because I didn't have any keys at all.

Bob

[MARTINSR]

Any latch of this vintage works on a pretty simple principle. There is one (#1) piece in the latch that moves up and down or side to side and this one piece simply stops the movement of another piece (#2) which locks the latch.

I know this sound obvious but that if you remove that latch you will see what I am talking about. When something like this happens #1 is usually not moving as it should. Be it an actuator rod from the lock cylinder has fallen off or #1 is not moving freely because of 52 year old grease has turned to a hard wax like state or there is wear on that piece so it isn't moving something as far as it could.

Take the inner panel off and see what you find.

Brian