Tailgate Clunk Fix - Tailgate Adjustment
10-16-2012, 03:20 PM
#1
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: -
Posts: 437
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tailgate Clunk Fix / Adjustment
It's kind of funny, but around this time of year you hear about quite a few people experiencing "tailgate clunk". Last year (around this time) mine started making it as well, about the same time my TPMS went off. It probably has a lot to do with declining temperatures. In any event, after being thoroughly annoyed for a couple of weeks, I decided to fix it.
So long as you haven't placed excessive weight on the tailgate (i.e. oversized tires, jerry cans, ect.), the majority of these issues can be addressed by making minute adjustments to the latching assembly. The parts in particular to adjust will be the striker, stabilizer, and stabilizer cup.
Basically the way it works is, the striker is what the tailgate latches on to when it is closed. For the most part, you probably won’t need to adjust this one. Then there’s the stabilizer. This is actually what will support the majority of the tailgate on the driver’s side. This in turn goes into and mates with the stabilizer cup.
The way I adjusted mine over a year ago, and is still clunk free to this day, was to loosen and move the stabilizer up and towards the rear approximately 1-2 millimeters, just a tiny bit. This should take care of it but obviously yours may require more tweaking. The important thing here is to have your tailgate lined up perfectly with the body of the Jeep when you are done, and to not have to slam the door excessively hard afterwards. By making very small adjustments to these three components, this can be achieved. I'd suggest starting by simply adjusting the stabilizer and see if that works first before messing with the other two.
Torque values:
Striker Bolts- 28 N·m (21 ft. lbs.)
Stabilizer & Stabilizer Cup Bolts- 10 N·m (90 in. lbs.)
Below is the section straight out of the service manual:
Striker
NOTE: Stabilizer insert must be off when adjusting the striker.
1. Remove the stabilizer insert
2. Loosen the striker bolts.
3. Adjust the striker up/down so that it is centered within the latch opening.
4. Adjust the striker fore/aft so the swing gate is under flush to the body -0.5 mm (+/- 1.0 mm).
5. Adjust the striker cross-car engagement to the latch by adding 2.0 mm shims as necessary.
NOTE: Make sure the striker is not twisted within the latch opening. Striker should be parallel to the opening.
6. Tighten the striker bolts to 28 N•m (21 ft. lbs.).
7. Install the stabilizer insert.
Stabilizer
1. Adjust the insert up/down so that it is centered within the stabilizer cup.
2. Adjust the insert for/aft so the swing gate is 1.0 mm over flush to the D-pillar when the insert contacts the rubber bumper in the stabilizer cup.
3. Open the tail gate and tighten the bolts to 10 N•m (90 in. lbs.).
NOTE: Make sure the stabilizer cup and insert are parallel to each other and not twisted.
4. Close the tail gate and grab the beltline. Confirm minimal for/aft movement and that closing effort is not excessive. Readjust as required.
So long as you haven't placed excessive weight on the tailgate (i.e. oversized tires, jerry cans, ect.), the majority of these issues can be addressed by making minute adjustments to the latching assembly. The parts in particular to adjust will be the striker, stabilizer, and stabilizer cup.
Basically the way it works is, the striker is what the tailgate latches on to when it is closed. For the most part, you probably won’t need to adjust this one. Then there’s the stabilizer. This is actually what will support the majority of the tailgate on the driver’s side. This in turn goes into and mates with the stabilizer cup.
The way I adjusted mine over a year ago, and is still clunk free to this day, was to loosen and move the stabilizer up and towards the rear approximately 1-2 millimeters, just a tiny bit. This should take care of it but obviously yours may require more tweaking. The important thing here is to have your tailgate lined up perfectly with the body of the Jeep when you are done, and to not have to slam the door excessively hard afterwards. By making very small adjustments to these three components, this can be achieved. I'd suggest starting by simply adjusting the stabilizer and see if that works first before messing with the other two.
Torque values:
Striker Bolts- 28 N·m (21 ft. lbs.)
Stabilizer & Stabilizer Cup Bolts- 10 N·m (90 in. lbs.)
Below is the section straight out of the service manual:
Striker
NOTE: Stabilizer insert must be off when adjusting the striker.
1. Remove the stabilizer insert
2. Loosen the striker bolts.
3. Adjust the striker up/down so that it is centered within the latch opening.
4. Adjust the striker fore/aft so the swing gate is under flush to the body -0.5 mm (+/- 1.0 mm).
5. Adjust the striker cross-car engagement to the latch by adding 2.0 mm shims as necessary.
NOTE: Make sure the striker is not twisted within the latch opening. Striker should be parallel to the opening.
6. Tighten the striker bolts to 28 N•m (21 ft. lbs.).
7. Install the stabilizer insert.
Stabilizer
1. Adjust the insert up/down so that it is centered within the stabilizer cup.
2. Adjust the insert for/aft so the swing gate is 1.0 mm over flush to the D-pillar when the insert contacts the rubber bumper in the stabilizer cup.
3. Open the tail gate and tighten the bolts to 10 N•m (90 in. lbs.).
NOTE: Make sure the stabilizer cup and insert are parallel to each other and not twisted.
4. Close the tail gate and grab the beltline. Confirm minimal for/aft movement and that closing effort is not excessive. Readjust as required.
Last edited by Incognito; 10-16-2012 at 11:55 PM.
10-17-2012, 06:30 AM
#3
JK Enthusiast
Giving this a shot this afternoon. I'm worried my clunk seems to come more from the hinge pins, even though I don't run a spare on my gate.
Sent from my iPad 5 using Tapatalk HD
Sent from my iPad 5 using Tapatalk HD
