[V6-12v] Boot(Trunk) Lid Stuck Shut -- Help!

[Dr. Gary E. RAFE]

Following a successful repair of our "stuck" boot lid
this afternoon, I thought I'd share my observations with
the list.

With access to the boot interior via the folded rear seats,
removing the boot lid liner was relatively easy,
which let me release the boot lid latch directly.

The linkage between the lock "button" assembly
and the lid latch was still in place.
Actuating the button itself, however, wasn't releasing
the latch as it should.

I did find quite a bit of moisture inside the boot lid,
which suggests to me a frozen latch (release) was
the cause in the first place:

When the lock button is pressed from the outside,
the latch release linkage is pulled away from the latch.
If the latch release is frozen in position,
the threaded adjustment in the latch release linkage can
lengthen if the locking piece on the threaded section has
moved toward the latch (and away from the lock button),
and enough force is applied to the lock button.

After adjusting the linkage to its proper length
and lubricating the latch release mechanism so that
it moved (more) freely,
the boot lid latch release worked properly again.

Now to determine how that much moisture got into the boot lid...
--
Dr Gary E RAFE: drgerlists at gmail dot com