Here is what is happening.

I press the button on the remote to release the hatch. The hatch pops up, but not quite all the way. After playing around with it a little, this is what I have found.

1. Upon pressing the button again, I hear a "unlatching" sound.
2. If I IMMEDIATELY pull up on the hatch, it will open.
3. If I wait for more than a few seconds, the hatch will go back down into the "open, but locked" position.

I did a search on the forums and found others having the same problems, but did not find a definite answer as how to fix the problem. Should I buy a new set of the springs that push it open? Or is it something as simple as an adjustment on the latch? Note: I have already tried adjusting the latch. After the adjustment, it worked to perfection for one day. My car has the OEM spoiler.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

here is a link to the famous penny trick...

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ht=penny+trick

 

sounds like the same probs most 03 Z's had. I think there was a TSB on that issue.

 

this is not just an 03 issue or limited to Z's w/ aftermarket spoilers. however not everyone experiences it w/o an aftermarket spoiler. from what I've heard the TSB is worthless and the penny trick works the best, unless you buy heavy duty hatch struts.

 

if you are under 36k on your odo than your dealer will fix it under warranty. i just got mine fixed this past weekend, i had 35,500 on mine; just made it.

 

Do you know what they did to fix it?

 

I also had this same problem and got it fixed under my warranty just before it ran out as well. That was probably 8 months ago and I haven't had any problems with the hatch since then. To fix it they replaced the rear hatch lifting springs.

 

I just tried the two penny trick. Seems to push the hatch much higher up after unlatching it. So far so good. I guess this will work until I get some new springs ordered.

 

The TSB replaces the hatch springs with stiffer (or slightly longer, I can't remember which) springs. The two penny trick will save you a bunch of time and letting the dealer touch your car. It's the way to go.

 

here is a link with my penny trick I posted try it and see however when it's cold it still gets stuck
https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance-and-repair/78922-rear-hatch-opening-fix.html

 

Need some hatch advice.

I have a Daytona spoiler on my hatch (slightly bigger than OEM spoiler). The latch springs are not strong enough to make a clean release.

As I understand the fixes, I can:

1. Take the weighs out of the hatch (how do I get the black plastic off the inner side of the hatch to get at the weights??)

and/or

2. Buy the new stiffer springs from Nissan since my warrenty will not cover new springs if I have an after market spoiler.


Will the new springs be enough lift for the spoiler?

Will I also have to take the weights out of the inside of the hatch?

How do I get the black plastic off to get at the weights?

Would appreciate some advice.

TomZZ

 

See the penny trick posted above as an alternative to buying the new springs. And yeah, if you're using a heavier spoiler, it doesn't hurt to remove the weight in the deck lid. As for how to get to it....the cover is attached with snaps if I recall correctly, they're just really (really really) strong clips. You just pry that sucker off.

 

I have an 03 and experienced the unlatch problem 2 years ago. The dealer did the spring replacement per the TSB and worked well for quite some time- until this past summer.
The Nissan fix will prove to be only temporary. I guess it's time to try the penney fix.

 

So true. When you attempt to take virtually any panel off of the 350z, you are going to be putting a little force into it. But remember this one thing. The more you take a panel off & put it back on, the more prone you will be to panels making noise when you are driving. So if you are going to be removing a panel for any reason, take your time with it. Look around and see if anything needs tightening. Check lamps where applicable. Do a through examination of the entire area to ensure you will not have to remove the panel again any time soon.