libremente
New member
I (think) I just fixed my stuck frunk on a new but used 2017 Spyder RT-L. New to me.
Symptom: key difficult to turn left, felt like too much force was required and frunk did not open. Holding the key in open position and pressing, rattling, pushing sideways eventually would open it.
Checked frunk liner and gasket fit to ensure both were in position and seated well. Not a solution.
So I followed my usual diagnostic procedures honed to perfection over 79+ years:
Got out my metric tools and removed the Eberhard latch from it's mount to understand in detail how the *%!@^? thing worked. Very interesting, as it always is. I love taking stuff apart.
The latch is a trigger latch and not a linear latch. That is, upon frunk closer, the latch moves into the lock position and spring loads its opening force at the same time.
This means the cable from the ignition switch does not have to pull the releasing lock part all the way to open.
All the cable has to do is trigger the latch to release itself. This requires a fairly short motion of the cable and not a lot of force.
When operating properly, the click that is heard is the loaded release spring triggering the lock open. Then the frunk lid can simply be lifted open since the lock parts are disengaged.
On my lock, when removed, but with the cable attached, I could see this action and operate it by pressing the jaw into the lock position, then actuating the lever which the cable should move.
The lock snapped open very easily. But when I tried to use the key to open the lock after manual locking, I felt the earlier resistance and could not trigger the release mechanism.
Hmmm.....WTF. It was pretty easy to fairly quickly see the interference was due to a slight bend in one of the latch brackets positioning the cable release.
I used an adjustable wrench to hold the latch body and a pair of needle nosed pliers to realign and voila, the key snapped the lock open easily.
I also noticed lots of scratch marks on the larger lever arm of the latch indicating this used Spyder had been subjected to a number of frunk emergency openings.
Then I proceeded to reassemble the parts in a braneless manner and wasted 2 hours figuring out why my fix didn't work. This also always happens
as I snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Correcting my reinstallation error and using white lithium grease on the lock parts produced success.
Conclusions: Many of the prior posts seem spot on regarding overloading the frunk and overstressing the lock. Also, regarding maintaining proper positioning of the frunk seal.
My best theory for my machine at this point is an overloaded frunk may have resulted in excessive pressure on the key release which in turn caused slight bending of the latch mechanism.
My correction of the misalignment was quite minimal to return the latch to proper function.
And when trying to fix any problem, it's usually best, tho not always, to spend some time making sure you really understand how the parts should function. Lots of AHAs and minimal frustration.
Hope this is helpful to anyone dealing with this frustrating problem.
Let's ride safely, eh?
Richard
Symptom: key difficult to turn left, felt like too much force was required and frunk did not open. Holding the key in open position and pressing, rattling, pushing sideways eventually would open it.
Checked frunk liner and gasket fit to ensure both were in position and seated well. Not a solution.
So I followed my usual diagnostic procedures honed to perfection over 79+ years:
Got out my metric tools and removed the Eberhard latch from it's mount to understand in detail how the *%!@^? thing worked. Very interesting, as it always is. I love taking stuff apart.
The latch is a trigger latch and not a linear latch. That is, upon frunk closer, the latch moves into the lock position and spring loads its opening force at the same time.
This means the cable from the ignition switch does not have to pull the releasing lock part all the way to open.
All the cable has to do is trigger the latch to release itself. This requires a fairly short motion of the cable and not a lot of force.
When operating properly, the click that is heard is the loaded release spring triggering the lock open. Then the frunk lid can simply be lifted open since the lock parts are disengaged.
On my lock, when removed, but with the cable attached, I could see this action and operate it by pressing the jaw into the lock position, then actuating the lever which the cable should move.
The lock snapped open very easily. But when I tried to use the key to open the lock after manual locking, I felt the earlier resistance and could not trigger the release mechanism.
Hmmm.....WTF. It was pretty easy to fairly quickly see the interference was due to a slight bend in one of the latch brackets positioning the cable release.
I used an adjustable wrench to hold the latch body and a pair of needle nosed pliers to realign and voila, the key snapped the lock open easily.
I also noticed lots of scratch marks on the larger lever arm of the latch indicating this used Spyder had been subjected to a number of frunk emergency openings.
Then I proceeded to reassemble the parts in a braneless manner and wasted 2 hours figuring out why my fix didn't work. This also always happens
as I snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Correcting my reinstallation error and using white lithium grease on the lock parts produced success.
Conclusions: Many of the prior posts seem spot on regarding overloading the frunk and overstressing the lock. Also, regarding maintaining proper positioning of the frunk seal.
My best theory for my machine at this point is an overloaded frunk may have resulted in excessive pressure on the key release which in turn caused slight bending of the latch mechanism.
My correction of the misalignment was quite minimal to return the latch to proper function.
And when trying to fix any problem, it's usually best, tho not always, to spend some time making sure you really understand how the parts should function. Lots of AHAs and minimal frustration.
Hope this is helpful to anyone dealing with this frustrating problem.
Let's ride safely, eh?
Richard
