Engine cover latch problem

I have just noticed that one of the two latches on my rear deck lid doesn't seem to be latching properly. ('77 308) If I drop the lid from about 6" up I see a little bounce on one side and I can lift it a little which shows me it's not latched. The other side is latched fine. In the past, the six inch drop latched everything just fine. If I drop it from a higher level it sort of latches, but it doesn't seem complete and when I open the latch, it sort of catches as if something is out of whack.

I just had some work done on the car and the cover was probably taken off to do the work. It seems like the latch is ever so slightly out of adjustment. A long time ago I remember having a similar issue and I slightly moved the hook on the lid and that solved the issue. This time it seems like the hook isn't causing the latch to snap shut, so I'm not quite sure what's going on. I'm out in my garage scratching my head and looking for ideas.

Any thoughts on this one? Thanks

david

 

Yes, that cover sure seems to stay down just by its weight alone. However, I do want to get it latched securely. I tried all the checking on the latches and even took the time to clean and re-grease just to make sure all that was working correctly.

I then went about measuring everything to see what was going on. I think I finally figured it out. The deck lid had been removed and replaced for service and it is slightly out of line. The drivers side front is a little low and as a result I think it is making the passenger side hook just a little too high. I haven't readjusted it yet, but I think this is the problem. I will need an extra pair of hands to do it because that lid is heavy as heck. So my theory will have to be tested later.

 

I haven't had time to deal with this yet but I'm thinking that I should be able to use the two locater holes on the hinges to position the deck correctly. As I look at the drivers side hinge, I can put a tight fitting drill bit through one set of holes but not the other set. Visually I can see that they are slightly misaligned. The passenger side holes are lined up correctly.

(The locater holes are the separate holes drilled in the hinges that are about 1/8" diameter. I'm assuming that the deck lid was bolted on and aligned perfectly, then they drilled the locator holes.) So all I should have to do is align the locater holes and then tighten the bolts that hold the hinges to the deck lid.

BTW, I don't know if locator holes is the correct term, but that's what I'm going with.

 

Well now this is starting to bug me. What seems like an easy little tweak is turning into a bit of a mystery. I readjusted the deck lid and got it perfect. Seams are exactly lined up and even on both sides. It's just like Enzo intended I checked the rubber gasket to make sure it was fully in place and not lifting the lid anywhere. I measured the positions of the hooks, latches and just about anything else I could think of. Everything lines up and in theory the hooks reach down correctly into the latches.

I checked, re-greased and re-tested the latches to make sure they operate correctly. They do. When I lower the lid, the hooks contact the latches at exactly the same time. If I gently lower the lid, I can hear the latches drop to contact the little piece that springs and locks the latches in place. That sound also happens simultaneously.

But when I drop the lid to close it, the drivers side latches, the passenger side doesn't. When I drop the lid, I can see the passenger side do a little bounce. If I try to close the lid by not letting that side bounce, it still won't latch. I have now run out of ideas of what else to do. One would think this should be easy as heck, but I'm a bit flummoxed at the moment.

 

After scratching my head and considering options I finally got this solved. Considering the deck lid was set perfectly as were the latches, I only had one adjustment left. So I gave the offending hook one turn out to lower it just a bit. And that's what did the trick. It must have been off by just the slightest amount, but that was all it took to screw things up.

Thanks for any and all tips on this. (Both on and offline...)