98 Expedition - liftgate handle hard to turn

[akajackson]

Greetings,

My liftgate handle has gotten harder & harder to tun over the last year, especially when the handle is just about to open either the door or the glass. To get either open now, the handle will get stuck in the open position & has to be manually rotated back to its neutral location where the 2 parts will actually latch when closed.

I removed the trim panels & took a look at the parts inside the liftgate. All the metal parts just inside of the exterior handle is very rusted up. I've sprayed the area a few times with PB Blaster & used to a small wire brush to knock off some of the loose rust. It has helped a tiny bit.

Question - how do i figure out which part needs to be repaired or replaced? It looks like it could be the handle, the part that the handle & cables connect to, the cables themselves, or the release mechanisms on the far ends of the cables.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Also can anybody tell me what the part is called that the handle connects to, the part that has connections for both cables?

Thank you!

 

[Billme]

I would also spray on the outside handle at the pivot seam, to hopefully creep on the bushing more. If that doesn’t help, you need to take each separate connection apart, and test move each part..
I’ll have to look at the manual to see how it works..Never worked on that rear door..

 

[jr1under]

My first suspect would be the end pieces on the cables, the part that snaps into the handle and latch mechanisms. The original plastic type decays over time and can cause the symptoms you're describing. The good news is that there's a cheap and easy fix.
https://www.amazon.com/NTNEV-Compat...cphy=1025496&hvtargid=pla-2281435178098&psc=1

 

[JerryT]

Greetings,

My liftgate handle has gotten harder & harder to tun over the last year, especially when the handle is just about to open either the door or the glass. To get either open now, the handle will get stuck in the open position & has to be manually rotated back to its neutral location where the 2 parts will actually latch when closed.

I removed the trim panels & took a look at the parts inside the liftgate. All the metal parts just inside of the exterior handle is very rusted up. I've sprayed the area a few times with PB Blaster & used to a small wire brush to knock off some of the loose rust. It has helped a tiny bit.

Question - how do i figure out which part needs to be repaired or replaced? It looks like it could be the handle, the part that the handle & cables connect to, the cables themselves, or the release mechanisms on the far ends of the cables.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Also can anybody tell me what the part is called that the handle connects to, the part that has connections for both cables?

Thank you!

Same thing happened with my 98 Expy. I replaced the cables (purchased from Amazon) and the latch lift now opens like it’s brand new. The plastic stoppers on the old cables cracked over time. It took alittle bit of fiddling to remove and reinstall the new cables but you’ll figure it out. Good luck.