Rear Trunk help

[C3517C]

My left rear side trunk will not stay shut. It seems like the latches are possibly stuck in the open position ? I noticed the last time I opened it I had to pull the latch a lot harder than usual. I sprayed WD40 on the latches to no avail. Before I start pulling panels, is anyone familiar with the problem or have other fixes I might want to try ? Thanks. 2011 RT-S.

[tip]

Hi,
I am sure someone will know much more but I will get you started.
First I would make sure the latches will latch by closing them with your finger or a screwdriver tip. If they do - unlatch them with the release. If that works it is time to look for adjustments.
Good luck,
Tip

[finless]

FYI up near the latch handles (behind the cover) on the rear the cables are adjustable. Kind of like how bicycle cables are adjusted.

Bob

[Spyder12]

FYI up near the latch handles (behind the cover) on the rear the cables are adjustable. Kind of like how bicycle cables are adjusted.

Bob

check your lid if one of the pins is missing then you have to replace the inner lid. the lid needs both pins to close.

[syclemom]

My wifes trunk has been doing this for a while I just fixed it. The springs that hold the latches closed {one on each latch} are very weak if you remove the rear cover they are easy to acess and replace I bought a spring kit{many dif. springs} at harbor freight and found two stronger springs to replace and even added a spring to linkage , was easy common sense when you see it , about $6 and 30min.

[MarkLawson]

I always give my saddlebag doors a sharp rap with the heel of the fist at each latch location when closing them to make sure they are properly latched. This was something I learned with my '89 Goldwing back in 1990. Have done it ever since. You might find this technique to be useful.

[Dragonrider]

The above sussestions are all good - just PLEASE don't use WD-40 on the latches again. Any good light spray grease is OK, but WD-40 is hydrophilic, and attracts dust too.

[MisterP]

The above sussestions are all good - just PLEASE don't use WD-40 on the latches again. Any good light spray grease is OK, but WD-40 is hydrophilic, and attracts dust too.

I agree; despite their claims, WD-40 is more of a solvent than a lubricant. A dry lube is best, or a silicone spray.

[C3517C]

I removed the latch mechanism and looked it over but it seemed to be working fine. After replacing it I found my trunk still would not stay shut. I went through all the related parts and found the problem was not the latch, but rather the latch cable. The cable had frayed just a bit, which caused it to stick, and hold the latch in the open position.
The bad news is that the cable and latch are only sold together as one piece. So my new cable and latch cost $130. (See Pic) I have installed it and it is working perfectly. Not the hardest fix in the world but there are a lot of panels and pieces to R&R.

[MarkLawson]

Thanks for the update. It isn't as common as I would like to have someone with an issue come back and let us know what they did to fix it.