Hatch misaligned?

[chaseincats]

Hey gang,

So there has been this squeak towards the back recently and it's been driving me nuts.  I found out its the rubber alignment bumper on the side rubbing on the side of the hatch meaning the hatch is misaligned left to right.  Is there any way to fix this?  Pictures so the left and right - you'll notice the gap between the hatch and body is different on each side with the third picture being the paint rubbed off by the side bumper.

[dutchzcarguy]

5 hours ago, chaseincats said:

I found out its the rubber alignment bumper on the side rubbing on the side of the hatch

Take it off (Big JIS screwdriver needed)  and listen during a drive if it's gone. wouldn't surprise me if it's still there!  My 240z squeeks and rattles all the time..  These car body's do a LOT of warping during driving in the length of the body.. it's normal.  I found that the Inner lining around the roof (Those plastic covers) are a "nice source" of rattles and squeeks..  You can get rid of them by using a little grease or WD grease product. Maybe some polishing of the plastic parts will also do the trick. Let us know what you found.

[jfa.series1]

The factory had shims that installed at the hinge mount points to correct the alignment when needed, sounds like it is time for one on your ride. I'll look to see if I have one in my collection of bits and pieces.

[grannyknot]

Although the gaps are different, they are parallel which is good. You'll need to open the hatch, loosen off but don't remove the 4 bolts holding the hinges to the roof, then from the P/S up near the hinge you want to give the hatch a shove or sharp rap with a rubber mallet.

If the hatch hasn't been removed before you may have to work hard to get any sideways movement, most of them are painted in place, keep lowering the hatch to see if you have shifted it enough, when you get it to where you want tighten each bolt a little bit at a time until all 4 are snug.

Don't be surprised if the hatch has tightened down into the same spot it was before, repeat the process a use a wooden lever to hold the hatch in place as you tighten.

If all of that seems like too much, you can rub down the side bumper with the end of a paraffin wax candle.

 

Edited November 5, 2023 by grannyknot

[chaseincats]

Thanks for the information all, I'll check these out!

[chaseincats]

Great news, I fiddled with the adjustable latch under the license plate panel and was able to get it to line up way better by pulling the latch down and to the left.  Thanks all