3 way tailgate repair - not swinging down

I am in need of details of the workings of a 1989 Ford LTD Crown Victoria wagon tailgate. Mine will not swing down as a tailgate, it only swings out like a door. It is not disengaging the top two hinges as it should. Anyone have a diagram or tech help on what the fix is? I have lubed everything, watched the linkage movements, just seems as though the top two latches are not disengaging properly to allow the bottom two to bear the swing. Pull up on the inside handle and the two latches on the right keep disengaging to only open like a door. Thanks

 

Already posted a solution elsewhere for you. Try Autozone's manuals:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/

 

Link won't connect, Norm.

 

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/index.php?

 

Just tried it. and it works from here. You got storms out your way?

 

LOL....well....no storms but it now is working.

 

By the way, dud.....I had that problem one time on my 88 Electra wagon and could NOT figure it out. Come to find out....the rear window wasn't ALL the way down. Seems it had to be ALL the way down before it would allow the latches to swing the gate down. Sometimes when your rear window motor gets weak the window stops going down all the way.

 

It's all in how you bite your lip.

 

silerfox : I just put a new motor assembly in the tailgate, and I also pulled the latch control rod all the way down by hand and it still would not pull down as a tailgate. So I already tried your suggestion the other day without success. thanks.

 

Dudley do you think its an electrical issue or something binding in the hinge/latch system?

Changing the motor might have left you with a misplaced ground contact. This might help with that. I did this to my car after restoring the entire paint job, inside and out, and my Halogens, AC blower etc. run like new. I have a stock sound system, not an earwax melter system.
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~73496~PN~1

 

stormin : theonly electrically lines I touched were the two leads to the motor, the window operates fine and the window moves as it should. I believe the latches are all mechanical. i made adjustments to the various connecting rods without any change. I am thinking the problem lies somewhere within the linkages that the latches aren't disengaging in the correct requence to switch from door swing mode to tailgate mode.

 

I realize I'm stating the obvious, but are you sure the door is securely closed because it will not operate as a tailgate even if it's just a bit loose, or unshut, as a door. I'd try closing it as hard as I could; perhaps that's all it would take.

 

I can't help you much with that. My 1979 Ford Shop manual only describes that 2-way tailgate. But when you do get it right, maybe look at replacing the weatherstrip (beltline?) to keep the dust out of there. Ford recommends a polystyrene grease for the latches and hinges. It doesn't collect road dust as much as the other greases.

 

well, I have closed the tailgate a number of times, though I did not use all of my might to really slam it, but maybe a much harder slam might knock some sence into it !!

 

I have been looking over the AutoZone diagrams and have some ideas along with your gracious suggestions, I am off work the next couple days so I will start slamming, re-greasing ( I already doused all the linkages with WD40 or Crysler MP-50 ) , and play with the linkages and hinge assemblies. Maybe something will do the trick. Last resort I'll take it to my auto body shop and have them take a look at it.