Tailgate will not close (freelander td4 year 2005)

Hello my 2005 no one freelander five doors tailgate is tied shut as it will not latch , now first off I am no mechanic but I have lubed the lock , tried changing the latch positions and loosened and tightened the guide , the springs return the handle quickly and the window goes up and down as it should including the small auto drop on closing , it just doesn't hold on the latch , even if I turn round the lack with say a pencil so the claw is open it doesn't catch on , it's driving me crazy , can someone help it just bounces back, I as I said am no mechanic , its got black smoke which I have almost remedied and now i have this this ,,,,,eeek Help ,,

I've never had the rear door/latch apart, so don't know how it works.

If you don't get a response, you could have a read in the LR Rave workshop manual, I'm sure that will tell you how it works and from that what has failed. Info on downloading it here...

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/rave-disk-maintenance-manual.260227/

I know the latch is opened on a solenoid controlled by the CCU, but not sure if it is closed by the solenoid or a spring.

If you can't latch it by manually turn the fork, then either the lock assembly needs replacing, or the door actuator is stuck in the open position.

Nodge68 said:

If you can't latch it by manually turn the fork, then either the lock assembly needs replacing, or the door actuator is stuck in the open position.

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Hi , thanks , i have tried everything so how do i get to the door actuator . ? Thanks in advance

muirtons said:

Hi , thanks , i have tried everything so how do i get to the door actuator . ? Thanks in advance

Click to expand...

Whatever you do will require the door trim to be removed.
I'd look at the latch assembly before condemning the actuator though. Once you get the door trim off, you can check the actuator rod is free to move in and out. If it sticks in, then it's faulty. If it's free to move, then the problem is with the latch assembly.

Do you mean the latch is in the closed position and when you close the door it wont shut. Have you tried opening it with a scew driver . Have a look at this and have a play but I would remove the door card before doing anything.

does anything happen or sound when you press the boot unlock button?

I had a similar issue and fixed it by replacing the latch mechanism. The latch worked ok when pushed in with a screwdriver but for some reason it didn't want to latch when I closed the door. I tried adjusting the keeper but still no joy so even though I couldn't see any issue I replaced it and had no trouble since. It's not a difficult job but you will need to remove the door trim.
If the window is dropping correctly when you lift the handle and the springs are stopping it from flapping about then you can pretty much rule that part of the system out.
To get the door trim off unscrew the 4 large phillips screws at the bottom and pull off from the bottom.