How to remove the Engine hatch release

Hey guys, I'm trying to remove my fire wall trim but I can't seem to get the hatch release off. Does anyone know the trick of gettng it off ?

the cable is locked in there with a little white round tab.

you need to pop that out first then you can give the cable slack.

take a mirror and look behind the trim.

smarter, not harder

This is the absolute easiest way:

drew said:

use a light rag, fit rag behind the hatch window release handle....pull back and forth...like you're trying to clean behind the handle....at some point you will catch the metal clip and the handle will come off.

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no mirror, no looking, no skill required.

i like using skills :tongue:

learn something new everyday, definitly try that next time. :wink:

couldn't agree more:smile:
if you guys notice, there are two pins that are inserted into the circumference of the main black knob. if you simply yank on the knob, it will come off but at the same time it will strip the holes drilled into the main white shaft, preventing a tight fit in the future (like the previous owner of my car did ). anyway, find those 2 pins and pull them out about 1/8 of an inch- i used hemostats which can probably be substituted by a high-quality pair of small needle-nose pliers. you will need a quality set to ensure a good grip as you don't have much space there.
good luck!

The attached picture may help visualize what that the retainer clip looks like that prevents the hatch release handle from sliding off.

Well it was in a tight spot but I got it. Thanks for everyones Help.

How hard was it to get it back on?

Real easy to put it back. Reinstall the retaining clip first, push it back on

HTH,
LarryB

Yeah it was pretty easy...well the 2nd time. The first time it flew half way across the garage.

nukem said:

how hard was it to get it back on?

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I did it once and when tried to put it back... It is pain in the rear. As I recalled. The spring tension has to be a certain rotation.

I found I couldn't put the lever back on the post with the retainer completely installed into the groove on the shaft of lever. So I put the retainer into the lever shaft groove about halfway (it will want to slide all the way on because of the spring tension). Then when you put the lever back on, the retainer snaps completely back into the locked position. Voila!

I tried the techniques listed in the thread but was unsuccessful. Anyone have pictures?

Thanks

Old thread but thought I'd add some info that might help folks trying to remove the knob.

All the illustrations show the wire clip sliding in from the side of the knob, but after trying that for an hour on my 2005, I realized the clip on it goes in from the bottom, so you have to pull it down to release the knob.

I used a little hook tool to pull it off and release the knob.
https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-6943-Precision-Pick-4-Piece/dp/B000NPPBQK
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centerpunch said:

Old thread but thought I'd add some info that might help folks trying to remove the knob.

All the illustrations show the wire clip sliding in from the side of the knob, but after trying that for an hour on my 2005, I realized the clip on it goes in from the bottom, so you have to pull it down to release the knob.

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[MENTION=37085]centerpunch[/MENTION] - thanks for posting this. Saved me a lot of time and frustration. If you pull the release lever up into the release position you can see under the lever and sure enough the clip is just like you note - slides in from the bottom. With the lever in the release position its easy to slip a small flat blade screwdriver in the clips loop and rotate the blade a bit to move the clip out of position. I was able to move the clip just enough to get the lever off of the post; but, still have it hold everything together so that parts did not go flying all over the place.

Once you know, its easy!

Bumping for the next 91 owner who needs to do this. The lever looks a little different on my 91. I was trying to pull down, but my clip was 90deg off. It pulls into the car. You can see all the scrapes from me trying to pull down

bogle said:

Bumping for the next 91 owner who needs to do this. The lever looks a little different on my 91. I was trying to pull down, but my clip was 90deg off. It pulls into the car. You can see all the scrapes from me trying to pull down

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Yes, post 6 shows that version, must be used for early cars. I suspect someone had yours off before and put the clip on backward. It works either way, but normally you pull to the outside of the car to release it.