mabyra
Junior Member
First, thanks for letting me join and search for a tail gate solution. I, like many others, shut the tail gate on my 24 tradesman without reconnecting the wires and only then found out I couldn't open the dang thing. After a couple days of intense 4 letter words and almost firing up my torch, I came to a solution. this is what worked for me:
1. I removed the panel off the tail gate and looked where the problem was. (you almost have to lay on your back in the bed). From my vantage point and with a bright flashlight you could just see the head of the striker bolt.
2. After guessing it was a Torx 40, I got a long extension and my small impact drill and was able to sorta get the Torx bit into the head of the striker bolt. Slowly I was able to reverse the bolt from the bed. One side came out easy and there was enough space between the actuator assembly and the head of the bolt to back it out all the way.
3. The other side, not so easy. I backed out the bolt but it didn't have enough space between the bolt head and the actuator so would let me take it out all the way.
4. Luckily I had space between the tail gate and the bed to get a hacksaw blade in there w/o scratching up the paint. It took a fair amount of time to cut the striker bolt, but it finally separated.
5. after that the tailgate opened easy peasy. A trip to Oriellys and $14 later I got a new bolt and screwed it in. AFTER reconnecting all the wires!
6. this time I was able to see the bolt thru one of the square hole in the bed. I marked the part of the bolt that extended past the nut and cut off the excess in case I ever had to do this again .
7. Hopefully this works for others...good luck. BTW the tequila never tasted sweeter last night!
1. I removed the panel off the tail gate and looked where the problem was. (you almost have to lay on your back in the bed). From my vantage point and with a bright flashlight you could just see the head of the striker bolt.
2. After guessing it was a Torx 40, I got a long extension and my small impact drill and was able to sorta get the Torx bit into the head of the striker bolt. Slowly I was able to reverse the bolt from the bed. One side came out easy and there was enough space between the actuator assembly and the head of the bolt to back it out all the way.
3. The other side, not so easy. I backed out the bolt but it didn't have enough space between the bolt head and the actuator so would let me take it out all the way.
4. Luckily I had space between the tail gate and the bed to get a hacksaw blade in there w/o scratching up the paint. It took a fair amount of time to cut the striker bolt, but it finally separated.
5. after that the tailgate opened easy peasy. A trip to Oriellys and $14 later I got a new bolt and screwed it in. AFTER reconnecting all the wires!
6. this time I was able to see the bolt thru one of the square hole in the bed. I marked the part of the bolt that extended past the nut and cut off the excess in case I ever had to do this again .
7. Hopefully this works for others...good luck. BTW the tequila never tasted sweeter last night!
