Hi guys, I know there’s been threads on this before which I actually used to try to investigate my huge hatch gap problem. It’s just unsightly, when I pressure wash the water gets inside and the road noise is stupid.
I took it to a body shop and they worked on it for a while, adjusted the lower latch, etc but told me they’d have to remove the hatch and modify the hinges in order for it to fit properly! I then went and ordered the Z1 struts which did nothing as I suspected. The originals are super strong anyhow.
So in the end after fiddling with it for days/hours I tried removing the struts completely and now it fits perfectly. I’m not back there very often so I might just leave it. Any other ideas or someone that has solved this problem? Yes I’ve checked the strut mounts 10x, they’re on correctly. I can install/take off blind folded now.
Or I could eat the cost and have the shop modify the hinge$.

 

When did it become like this? After an accident? I have never seen this before.

 

You know that is a good question, and statement. That makes me think the previous owner didn’t disclose a possible accident. And to further back that up he installed a reverse camera and some unsightly reverse sensors (that I just had painted to match) making me think he must have hit something 🤔

Apart from that it was pretty impeccable, 2004 with only 20,000 documented miles, so I bought it anyway. I think I might just eat the $ sometime soon and have the shop drill out the hinges or whatever they’ll do to make it sit flat. The gap is definitely annoying.

 

This is a first I've seen here too. Truly beeeezar.

But I'd concentrate on the hydraulics. Since that one change (removal) seems to have had an effect on it. Look carefully at the mounting points, any evidence they've been moved? Changing the mounting points could certainly affect the lid position.

Modifying the hinges seems counter intuitive if they've never been removed. If they have then just like a hood, it's probably easy enough to loosen and adjust them up or down. Or so conventional thinking would suggest....

 

 

When mine did this, it was the mounts were upside down. *shrugs*

 

 

I think you just might need new hinges, or at least closely examine them for 'fixable' abnormalities.. And the struts could've been acting as a fulcrum pushing up on the weakest end, and in this case the hinges as opposed to the locking mechanism(which once locked, has no give). That's why your hatch laid flat like it's supposed to once you took them out.. Which makes me think that it wasn't in an accident and that it's your hinges... just my thought.

 

It's the mount that are attached to the car......your's are upside down. I know they look like they are mounted correctly now but trust me flip the mount over and it will close perfectly.

 

You know, I’m going to look at those upper hinges more closely, maybe there is some play in there somehow allowing the struts to push the top of the hatch up. Those struts are darn strong! I’m surprised how heavy that rear hatch is too. I changed the struts in my Xterra hatch the same day and my wife could hold that up with one finger.

 

I’ve done it just like the tutorial/photo here, probably the first thing we looked at

 

If you're cool with using a prop to keep your hatch open when working back there I'd say just leave them off.

Messing around, trying to make that work would drive me nuts.

 

Late to the partay...
Failing struts is pretty common, so is replacement . Any chance you simply have the wrong struts? That's the simplest explanation.
.02

 

Oh trust me, it’s driven me nuts. An extremely well kept car (previous owner, and I’m a detailer), and it doesn’t have a proper working hatch, just crazy! And I’m a bit type A too, so that doesn’t help.

It’s a classic battle of form vs function. Do I want a working hatch, or one that doesn’t stick out, let wind/rain in and look like poop? Well, I never use the hatch so I ripped the struts off, until I get a spare couple hours, patience and an idea.

 

Well, they’re somehow pushing the top of the lid up, and I assume the first set were originals (still very strong), and I ordered yet another set thinking they would solve the issue. But you know, probably wouldn’t hurt to try a bit of a shorter set. I really don’t even see where there’s "give" for it to pop up. Eliminating them does get rid of the issue, but that doesn’t mean they’re at fault. Thinking something might be up with the door somehow.

 

"So in the end after fiddling with it for days/hours I tried removing the struts completely and now it fits perfectly."

you still got the original struts laying around that you can lay out next to the Z1 ones to compare the various parts (gas tube/piston/mounts)

the fact that with struts-you get fail... struts removed- you get pass indicates strongly to the struts.
stranger things have happened - such as original owner replaced factory struts for some strange reason- then- by bad luck-you got the wrong set of Z1 struts...


the theory of the original owner repeatedly backing into things enough to decide to go with all of that back up stuff- shaky to me.
look at the PDFs and tear down videos of what is back there before you even get to sheet metal... but shrug? what do i know?

( other than perhaps shop around for another body shop to have them look at the body)

 

As was mentioned above, this is EXACTLY what happens when you mount the struts upside down. I get the feeling that the OP didn't actually TRY to mount the struts the proper way, just thinking it all "looks okay" so it must "be okay." It's not. They're upside down.

 

Well I didn’t just look at the photo. As I said previously, I used the tutorial (and some videos) to inspect the problem...struts installed, removed, old ones, new ones, etc., did it so many times and ways I can do it blind. As well as the body shop. I do a lot of work on my cars/cycles, it’s not difficult to try the strut braces in both positions. But thanks

Given the small town I live in you'd think I have the only Z, but I did meet another Z owner right by my job. Going to compare his struts and see if something is obvious. If not, I’ll just accept it or tell the body shop to make it work.