Really rotten afternoon

[Camino LS6]

So, I pull into the driveway and stop to collect the trash cans. I use the dash switch to open the rear hatch in my new Tahoe and load in the cans. Truck is running while I do this. I close up the back and go to the driver's door.

The Tahoe has locked itself with my only key in the ignition.

I try multiple "tools" to get at the lock switch on the door while I try to balance on the running board.

I slip.

I smack the side-view mirror with my hand, breaking it.

After about an hour and a half of trying, I manage to operate the lock switch.

One direction - no result

The other direction - no result

So I go for the window switch and finally get into the truck.

I have scraped the paint on the inside of the door with the improvised "tools".

I try the lock switch.

It does nothing but click.

I have to unlock the doors manually.

I decide to open the rear again in case that's where the issue is.

I open the hatch and lower the gate.

Guess what?

Remember that odd hinge rust that detached the gate on my '92 Blazer?

Yep, I hear a "crunching" sound as I lower the gate.

The right hand hinge has pulled loose from the body and exposed its invisible rust problem.

And those locks?

Suddenly they work again.

NOT

HAPPY

AT

ALL!

[Robert Hall]

Such is life w/ old cars...always something to fail. My Jeep's driver's door power door lock switch quit working the other day, and the A/C and headlight controls in my sister's DTS are behaving very strangely lately...

Edited November 2, 2012 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[G. David Felt]

OUCH, sorry to hear about it, sucks but at least it is a friday.

Hope your hand heals fast, really sucks to have a broken hand.

[Camino LS6]

To clarify: I broke the mirror, not my hand.

This just sucks,sucks,sucks.

[A Horse With No Name]

I've had a couple of weeks like that....

And down to one key with three of my 5 vehicles....uigh....and they are the kind with the chip nin them that cost bucks to duplicate.

Not fun!

Hope the rest of the weekend is better for you.

[Camino LS6]

Thanks Horse, but the tailgate hinge problem is a major downer and a major repair.

Very unhappy, should have held out for barn doors again.

[ocnblu]

That was the part that made me cringe the most. That is a heavy tailgate, so the aperture/sill panel has to be thick and solid for it to hinge on. If it is rusted away that badly, that is bad news. Horrible.

Is the green Tahoe gone already? If not, what is the possibility of keeping it, patching the red one, then flipping red?

Edited November 2, 2012 by ocnblu

[Robert Hall]

I didn't realize the non-barn door Tahoes (and Suburbans?) of that era had a tailgate..some reason I thought they had a hatch...was that the next generation?

Edited November 2, 2012 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Camino LS6]

That was the part that made me cringe the most. That is a heavy tailgate, so the aperture/sill panel has to be thick and solid for it to hinge on. If it is rusted away that badly, that is bad news. Horrible.

Is the green Tahoe gone already? If not, what is the possibility of keeping it, patching the red one, then flipping red?

Just like the Blazer before it, the only rust on that panel is the rectangle of the hinge itself - the rest of the panel is pristine. It is as if the hinge itself (or its welds) are corrosive - obviously a design flaw.

Green is still here, and yes, the thought of flipping Red has crossed my mind.

That would be another delay in things that I can ill afford.

I'll have to think this over.

I didn't realize the non-barn door Tahoes (and Suburbans?) of that era had a tailgate..some reason I thought they had a hatch...was that the next generation?

All of the 400s had barn doors, or a tailgate, no hatches.

[Camino LS6]

Why the hell these gates aren't hinged like the pickups I'll never understand.

[ocnblu]

The barn door Tahoes and Subs had an issue with metal-to-metal freeze-up in the hinges, too. They became almost impossible to hinge, they'd freeze together. We used to fix them under warranty, had to cut the pins, drive 'em out, take the doors off, cut off the weld-on hinges and replace the hinges. Pain in the butt.

Edited November 2, 2012 by ocnblu

[Camino LS6]

The barn door Tahoes and Subs had an issue with metal-to-metal freeze-up in the hinges, too. They became almost impossible to hinge, they'd freeze together. We used to fix them under warranty, had to cut the pins, drive 'em out, take the doors off, cut off the weld-on hinges and replace the hinges. Pain the the butt.

Weld-on hinges just suck all around.

But this problem has nothing to do with the hinges themselves, I'll take some pics once I have the heart to look at it again.

[A Horse With No Name]

GM does not hinge things well on many of their trucks. Chevy/GMC work vans have suck-ish hinges compared to the Fords.

If it comes down to it, let me know...I have a couple of good body guys who owe me faovrs....

[Robert Hall]

The barn door Tahoes and Subs had an issue with metal-to-metal freeze-up in the hinges, too. They became almost impossible to hinge, they'd freeze together. We used to fix them under warranty, had to cut the pins, drive 'em out, take the doors off, cut off the weld-on hinges and replace the hinges. Pain in the butt.

Saw a BD Tahoe in a parking lot tonight...I had forgotten, those had exposed hinges. Glad they went to hatches w/ the later models, I'd rather have a hatch on a SUV and leave tailgates to trucks.

[Camino LS6]

Well, I'm sticking with Red - no time for other options.

[balthazar]

Any pics on this, Camino?

[Blake Noble]

Call me crazy, but I think the locks are supposed to do that, Camino. I know the power door lock and window switches in both my old Firebird and Camaro didn't work if you applied a certain amount of direct pressure to them, if that makes sense. I know I managed to get locked out of the Firebird multiple times and using a slim jim shimmied through the top of the window wouldn't phase the door lock switch when you pushed it. However, if you were sitting down in the car and you pushed the door and window switches, they would work all the time, everytime.

[Camino LS6]

Balthy: No pics yet (haven't wanted to look at it), but I may take some today.

BK: Could well be, but they shouldn't have locked in the first place. I almost never lock my doors, so defaults like that are annoying.

[ocnblu]

Prime reason why we should always roll down the driver's window if we have to leave a vehicle with the engine running. I learned the hard way many moons ago. It is such a helpless feeling, ugh.

[Camino LS6]

Prime reason why we should always roll down the driver's window if we have to leave a vehicle with the engine running. I learned the hard way many moons ago. It is such a helpless feeling, ugh.

I suppose.

But then, none of my other vehicles have ever done this to me.

I'll get copies of the key and new remote(s) soon.

[Camino LS6]

Pics:

[Intrepidation]

Time for some JB Weld.

That sucks though.

I have the factory spare for the Prizm, I keep it in my wallet. It's a nifty spare key that slides in a credit card shaped holder.

I didn't have a spare in for my car in my wallet because I had never locked myself out of it. I have a routine where I get out and lock it with the remote. If I forget the keys I can't press the remote button to lock it. Problem is that I was picking up tires one day at a shop, unlocked he trunk but not the car, placed the paperwork and keys in the trunk, placed the tires in, then realized as I had just let the trunk close that I left the keys in it. Very annoying. Luckily they shop had a nifty unlock kit that uses an airbag to pry open the top of the door without scratching it, and then used a tool to unlock it. Had to bend my door frame back into place though, because the force from the airbag prying it opened left a 1/2 gap that bugged the crap out of me.

So right after I left the shop I went to teh hardware store and had a spare made for my wallet.

[ocnblu]

Makes me wonder how long it was parked before you bought it, or at least how long it's been since the tailgate was opened. And I'm also guessing the hinge was a bit bound up to leverage the aperture like that. I'm so sorry this happened.

[Camino LS6]

Makes me wonder how long it was parked before you bought it, or at least how long it's been since the tailgate was opened. And I'm also guessing the hinge was a bit bound up to leverage the aperture like that. I'm so sorry this happened.

Thanks, I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and have it fixed properly at a body shop. Not going to be cheap, but it has to happen. I will have to wait a while before it is in the budget, since the plow is more important. But no, the gate was not bound at all, it worked quite easily and smoothly right up until this happened. It seems to be a design and/or manufacturing flaw.

DF: spare key and remotes are a priority.

[Intrepidation]

Does it only have 2 hinges to support the entire gate? If so that seems like a flimsy design.

[Camino LS6]

Does it only have 2 hinges to support the entire gate? If so that seems like a flimsy design.

It also has two cables.

Minus the weird rust, it is pretty sturdy.

[Robert Hall]

So the hinge was welded to the body, not bolted? Strange..

[balthazar]

Seen this type of construction before, where there's no visible weld; never got a reassuring feeling from it.

I assume it was spot welded from the backside- can you confirm, Camino?

Tho not as likely to see the same degree of use that a pickup does, dropping the tailgate/ setting heavy weight here obviously puts the stress right on that hinge bracket.

Pickups, with their 'rotating socket joints' don't do that. Inferior engineering (apples to apples).

[Justin Bimmer]

The 1998 tucks I think we're te fist year where the odors locked on their own for safety purposes. Check the owners manual to see how to change or turn the feature off.

[Camino LS6]

Seen this type of construction before, where there's no visible weld; never got a reassuring feeling from it.

I assume it was spot welded from the backside- can you confirm, Camino?

Tho not as likely to see the same degree of use that a pickup does, dropping the tailgate/ setting heavy weight here obviously puts the stress right on that hinge bracket.

Pickups, with their 'rotating socket joints' don't do that. Inferior engineering (apples to apples).

I believe you are correct about the spot weld from the back, but it can't be seen as the "panel" is really a square structural tube with no access to the back. Obviously, water/debris must collect in there.

The 1998 tucks I think we're te fist year where the odors locked on their own for safety purposes. Check the owners manual to see how to change or turn the feature off.

The 4-doors had child locks, but the locks don't lock automatically (except this one time).

I'll investigate.

[G. David Felt]

Does it only have 2 hinges to support the entire gate? If so that seems like a flimsy design.

It also has two cables.

Minus the weird rust, it is pretty sturdy.

In review of this online, while it is very sturdy, it is a common issue in areas of high use of Salt on the roads.

Bummer, sorry to hear this happened. Hang in there as the auto will treat you well.

[Turbojett]

Time for some JB Weld.

That sucks though.

I have the factory spare for the Prizm, I keep it in my wallet. It's a nifty spare key that slides in a credit card shaped holder.

I didn't have a spare in for my car in my wallet because I had never locked myself out of it. I have a routine where I get out and lock it with the remote. If I forget the keys I can't press the remote button to lock it. Problem is that I was picking up tires one day at a shop, unlocked he trunk but not the car, placed the paperwork and keys in the trunk, placed the tires in, then realized as I had just let the trunk close that I left the keys in it. Very annoying. Luckily they shop had a nifty unlock kit that uses an airbag to pry open the top of the door without scratching it, and then used a tool to unlock it. Had to bend my door frame back into place though, because the force from the airbag prying it opened left a 1/2 gap that bugged the crap out of me.

So right after I left the shop I went to teh hardware store and had a spare made for my wallet.

I was taught by my dad to always keep a spare key to your car in your wallet. he was notorious apparently, for absent-mindedly locking his keys in the car.

of course there was this one time I locked my keys in the car and discovered my wallet had fallen out of my pocket...

[Robert Hall]

Time for some JB Weld.

That sucks though.

I have the factory spare for the Prizm, I keep it in my wallet. It's a nifty spare key that slides in a credit card shaped holder.

I didn't have a spare in for my car in my wallet because I had never locked myself out of it. I have a routine where I get out and lock it with the remote. If I forget the keys I can't press the remote button to lock it. Problem is that I was picking up tires one day at a shop, unlocked he trunk but not the car, placed the paperwork and keys in the trunk, placed the tires in, then realized as I had just let the trunk close that I left the keys in it. Very annoying. Luckily they shop had a nifty unlock kit that uses an airbag to pry open the top of the door without scratching it, and then used a tool to unlock it. Had to bend my door frame back into place though, because the force from the airbag prying it opened left a 1/2 gap that bugged the crap out of me.

So right after I left the shop I went to teh hardware store and had a spare made for my wallet.

I was taught by my dad to always keep a spare key to your car in your wallet. he was notorious apparently, for absent-mindedly locking his keys in the car.

of course there was this one time I locked my keys in the car and discovered my wallet had fallen out of my pocket...

Somehow, I've managed to avoid locking the keys in a car in over 25 years except for one time...the first day I drove a car to school in high school. Locked the keys in the diesel Escort. That was back when cars didn't have remotes and you had to use to key to unlock doors (and there were two keys--one for the ignition, and one for the doors--that's how Fords used to be).

If I had a car w/ keyless ignition and a hefty fob (like current Cadillacs), I could see leaving it in the car by accident.

Edited November 8, 2012 by Cubical-aka-Moltar