Trunk will not latch even with grease, new lock, and alignment

whoopnip

Some Delicious Guy
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So my trunk won't latch shut. A while ago it started to fail to latch occasionally. It happened more and more frequently to 'til the point that I couldn't latch it anymore. I tried greasing the lock with white lithium grease; no effect. I tried adjusting the striker; no effect. I purchased a new lock, greased it up, adjusted the striker more (fiddled with the thing for about two hours), and the most I could get was a partial latch where it sticks but doesn't register as closed by the sensor, and will come apart if pulled on. And this only happens if it's closed softly.

I have been able to close the trunk by unbolting the lock, closing it, then rebolting the lock. This is how I've been riding around (it's my DD).

The Civic has never been in an accident. The trunk also looks as if it fits correctly, but I suppose alignment of the trunk is the only option left?

I've been considering taking it to Honda, but I hate paying people to fix something that I know I should be able to do.

Any suggestions?

The Civic is a 1997 USDM EX Coupe.
 

spoon egg

Teeth Doctor
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for some reason i've only had this same problem with the 6th gen civics. What i did to solve this problem was to not open it with the lever inside the car. I used the key to open it and it opened up just fine, but if i used the inside lever, i would keep slamming it, but it still wouldn't close. Hope this helps
 


RonJ

Banned
Check whether the trunk lever cable or the lock cylinder rod is stuck in the open latch position.
 

whoopnip

Some Delicious Guy
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for some reason i've only had this same problem with the 6th gen civics. What i did to solve this problem was to not open it with the lever inside the car. I used the key to open it and it opened up just fine, but if i used the inside lever, i would keep slamming it, but it still wouldn't close. Hope this helps
Doesn't work using either method of opening it. :???:

Check whether the trunk lever cable or the lock cylinder rod is stuck in the open latch position.
I have disconnected and reconnected both the cable and the rod and inspected the full range of motion. They both seem to be working properly. It also won't close when both of them are disconnected.
 


whoopnip

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Bump, any suggestions? This'll probably end up at Honda at this rate.
 

Billy.

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adjust the catch bracket that the trunk latches onto. it's like 2 10mm bolts. solved my trunk latching issues
 

whoopnip

Some Delicious Guy
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5+ Year Member
adjust the catch bracket that the trunk latches onto. it's like 2 10mm bolts. solved my trunk latching issues
I tried adjusting the striker; no effect. I purchased a new lock, greased it up, adjusted the striker more (fiddled with the thing for about two hours), and the most I could get was a partial latch where it sticks but doesn't register as closed by the sensor, and will come apart if pulled on. And this only happens if it's closed softly.
:(
 

RonJ

Banned
Seems like the striker just needs to be adjusted to the highest vertical position. Drop the rear seats down and crawl into the trunk with a flashlight to see where the problem is. Has the striker ever been removed? Is it possible to install it upside down? Is it the correct striker for your car?


 

whoopnip

Some Delicious Guy
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5+ Year Member
Actually, I don't think it's the striker alone. With adjustment of the striker, I found today, I can get the trunk to latch perfectly when the connecting rod from the keyhole is not connected to the trunk lock. When the rod is connected, I can't get it to latch at all within the full range of adjustment. The cylinder still seems to travel the full motion it should. Perhaps the connecting rod needs replacing? Someday soon I should be able to compare it to a different Civic, to see if the cylinder acts any differently.

For now, at least, it works, just without use of the keyhole.
 

Billy.

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didnt realize it had a fancy name - striker ooOOoo :lol:
 

Billy.

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^^ yeah the dude with the guns :rolf:
 


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