Porsche 944 - Rear Hatch Release Repair Tutorial 

Clark Fletcher paved the way for a lot of us. I’ve created content here while referencing his garage shop manual and other technical sources with any new information I’ve found along the way.

Thanks! This is actually one of my favorite videos because it set the tone for the approach used in most of my videos thereafter.

Wait!? So I shouldn’t add in some inaccurate information, shaky camerawork, bad jokes, unrelated ramblings, and annoying music? 🤣 Jokes aside, thanks for the feedback. End-to-end, this one took about 8 times longer than the actual work itself would have. They generally all have the same issues eventually, so hopefully it helps some folks. 👍🏼

@@NC944er I believe you, James! I’ve shot some footage as I’ve worked on mine, since S2 tutorials are few & far between, but haven’t had the time to edit a mile of footage down to a compact 5 minutes. Thanks for putting in that much effort for the rest of us. I’ll look forward to your next video!

HA! I guess I do have a decent spectrum of repairs covered at this point. I like the idea of a “one stop shop” for all things 944, but I don’t think I’ll fully get there, at least the common things are presented well enough. I’m also less inclined to take the time to repeat repairs that are extensively covered in other people’s videos unless I can add new insight to the topic. Thanks for the feedback! 👍🏼

Seems our cars have lived similar lives...

Excellent, glad to hear it! 👍🏼

Thank you! 👍🏼

@@eliseoalvarez7371 Hey, are you saying that the rear glass is pulling away from the metal frame on one side, but the frame is well spaced across the adjoining roofline? If so, that is a common issue where the glass is delaminating from the frame. You’d be looking at a rebuild of the hatch glass with new adhesive or an entire hatch replacement to correct it.

@@NC944er Thanks for responding, the glass frame is pressing on the roofline on the right side but its also suffering from delamination.

Oh man! I see power tools in your future. 🤣

Thanks! I actually consider this my best video. 😂 I’ve tried to model subsequent content off the same format as people seem to like it - simple, informative, and to the point.

Gracias Juan, espero haberte ayudado!

Yeah, so there’s a known issue with the 944 decklid design where the hatch struts apply constant rearward pressure on the glass. Over time, the adhesive the secures the glass to the metal frame along the top edge gives way and the glass begins to separate from the frame, often referred to as delamination. This can cause water leaks and alignment problems with the assembly. Some 944 owners opt not to replace the hatch struts with new units for this reason, and simply continue to use old struts or none at all so that they don’t end up having to replace the entire hatch. There’s also a DIY repair option to reseal the glass to the frame with new adhesive. I’d take a closer look at the top of the frame and see if this is the cause of your problem.

Yeah, it’s a pretty funky design with too many parts involved. 😂 That left side may very well have been shortened by someone previously attempting to resolve the rattle, which really should have been addressed another way. After you’ve properly adjusted the pin heights and hatch closure gaps, there are two things to check - 1. The hatch pin “seats” and 2. The main hatch seal itself. There should be a small rubber seat grommet inside each pin receiver that applies a little upward pressure on each pin to hold it steady. These tend to break down and need to be replaced, sometimes they crumble and wash out the drain tubes. If those are still in place and intact, check the main hatch seal for wear. If it is very dry/cracking or significantly compressed around that lower hatch lip (as in the rubber doesn’t bounce back into a round shape when the hatch is opened), it may be time to replace the hatch seal as well. A nice/new seal will also apply some upward pressure on the hatch to reduce rattling. Here are a couple links to check out… 944online.com/rear-hatch-receiver-lock-repair-kit.html 944online.com/rear-hatch-seal.html

If both pins release fine with the key, but the right one sticks when operating the electronic release, it’s like the cable that needs tightening as shown in the video. Otherwise, ensure the pin release is fully opening on the right side. If not, you may need to adjust the plastic ball joint on the end of the connecting rod for that side.

@@NC944er, right pin sticks with the key. I'll try what you suggested. Thanks!

@@commonsense311 Interesting! Yeah, try to actuate the release using the key with the hatch open and inspect the movement and positioning of the latches on both sides. See if the left is opening wider than the right.

No doubt, I’m glad it was helpful! I’m seeing that there are two different versions of the hatch pin receivers, one with the single locking arm and one with the double arms. Not sure if that’s and early versus late thing, but they appear to be interchangeable, as Ian of 944Online has all the part numbers listed under one product. They are about $150 apiece for the left and right latches individually. Check out part numbers 944-538-955-01 and 944-538-956-01.

@@NC944er amazing, thank you again! I may see if I can adjust the pins, or the single locking arms tighter within the existing units, and if not, it’ll be time for an upgrade. Appreciate it.

Nice! My hatch struts are stock, but perhaps not as gassed out as yours. The struts actually cause a known issue where they apply backward pressure on the glass, which creates delamination along the upper seal and the hatch will eventually develop leaks. Some people opt to keep a set of older struts installed on the glass as they apply less pressure than a new set of struts.

@@NC944er and that makes total sense as I have heard issues on that and will keep that in mind. Thank you so much for your expertise and help 😃

I believe you’re referring to the hatch pin mounts, part number - 477827035 OEM - www.pelicanparts.com/More_Info/477827035.htm?pn=477-827-035-OEM Aftermarket - www.pelicanparts.com/More_Info/477827035.htm?pn=477-827-035-M995

I’m afraid I’m not quite sure which part your referring to based on that description. If you can find it on the parts catalogue, you can search the part number and any number of vendors may offer it for sale.

Oh man, that is a tough one. I haven’t experienced that yet, but have seen others mention it on forums. You may need to tear down your other door and study the latch to see how it works, then get creative with triggering the latch on the stuck door with a screwdriver. Here is one solution I found, it may apply to your situation: forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-924-944-968-technical-forum/139127-my-door-wont-open-anymore.html

The hatch lock cylinder (where you insert the key) is a separate part from the hatch lock lever (the hinged bracket that is most visible when you pull back the carpet liner). These two parts are not directly connected. When the lock is turned with the key, it should catch on a metal tab that’s bent inward as part of the lever system. Without seeing the mechanism on your car, my guess would be that the tab on the top of the lever is bent out of alignment or broken. If that’s the case, it would be possible for the motorized release to work, but the key not. I would start to dig in there, watch the movement of the key/latch inside, and see if it is properly contacting the tab on the lever.

Yeah, I’ve seen similar mentions on quite a few occasions, with some people saying that the glass delaminated within days of installing new struts… which is why I’ve deliberately NOT replaced the ones on mine, they are probably at half strength right now. Some people go without them altogether and just prop the hatch as needed, but I guess it depends on how often you use the cargo area. I’ve also seen people install some struts for the 87-96 Jeep Wrangler, StrongArm #4761, as they are similar sized and have the electrical connectors for the cargo light circuit, but have much less pressure to them. There are other factors that may hasten the delamination in my opinion like putting uneven pressure on one side of the glass when closing the hatch, as this causes the glass to twist inside the aluminum frame. So I generally try to close mine with two hands placed over each of the hatch pins.

Sounds like a loose cable to me, as they tend to stretch over time. Check out the video at 3:35 and see if removing some of the cable slack corrects the issue. 👍🏼

@@NC944er Thanks brother. I checked it out and it looks like all of the slack is all take up, unless I did it the wrong way, the cable is almost to the jam nut?

@@free-birdrocker8809 Are you saying that the outside jam nut is almost at the end of threaded cable section? If that’s the case, can you see that each part is moving as it should when the motor turns? Is the cable actually pulling on the central latch mechanism? I suppose it may be possible for the cable to stretch so far that it couldn’t be re-tightened within the proper limits and could use replacing. If the hatch opens with the key, you’ll know that the latches and connecting rods are all actuating correctly, so provided that the motor is turning all the way around, the only thing left would be the cable.

@@NC944er Yeuppers, the hatch opens with the key, the pins see to be ok, and the hatch clamps seem to be lined up, I noticed the motor spins like a helicopter when I press the button. Its odd? You reckon the cable?

@@free-birdrocker8809 No, that’s normal. The arm on the motor should make one full rotation all the way around. If not the cable, I wouldn’t be able to speculate further without inspecting the system first hand.

Wow! Those are some wild ones. People do some weird things, maybe to save money. If you told that same person you planned to do a sunroof repair, replacing the gears, adjusting the motor/cables, and cleaning the drains, they’d probably think “you” were the weird one. 🤣

@@NC944er good point, lmao

My car arrived on a trailer a few weeks ago, and I was about to pull it into my driveway, when I thought to clean the windshield with the washers. No dice. Opened the hood, and the washers were unplugged, hoses cut (stray pieces sitting in the battery well) and the reservoir, etc were gone.

@@jergervasi3331 my car had hood pins on it when I got it. My washer squirters also didn't work. The ding dong that installed the hood pins drilled the hole through the hood from the outside and the drill bit went right through the reservoir.

@@dirtyricenova7503 OUCH! (BTW, I’ve seen guys install subwoofer box mounts and drill into gas tanks… good times, indeed!)

It’s a little difficult to provide a clean answer on mine because a lot of my costs are associated with restoration while I’m catching up on deferred maintenance. For example, I spent around $1,600 replacing the entire break system when the old brakes where mostly functional, just really rusted and unsightly. Like anything, the more you drive these cars, the more money they will ask for. It’s not terrible if you can find one that’s well sorted and caught up already. There are a few big jobs that will set you back, like clutch and head gasket replacement, but aside from basic maintenance, the timing belt stands out on these, needing attention every couple years to the tune of $300-$1000 depending on DIY versus shop costs. Some folks will estimate around $1,000-$2,000 a year, but again it all depends on the timing of those big items and what’s already been cared for. Doing your own work is the best way to stay ahead.

@@NC944er Alright thank you, I’m looking at a Stock 86’ 944 Turbo with about 65k miles and I only plan on driving or during summer so it won’t be driven that much but 1-2k seems reasonable for a fun little Porsche xD

@@ItzBlunt Turbo costs can be a bit higher even for simple low cost items, because you have to remove so many other parts to get at the affected components. If you have the opportunity, I would recommend a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) by a qualified mechanic. It might cost $200, but then you’ll know if you’re good for awhile or looking at another $6,000 to get the car squared away.

@@ItzBlunt Also, not sure if you’ve been here yet, but it’s a great place to start to understand what to look for: www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/944_buyers_guide/944_buyers_guide.htm

@@NC944er Higley appreciate the info thanks man 😊

If your car features a hatch release switch, it’ll be located on the inside carpeted wall of the driver’s footwell area, just in front of the hood release lever, but not all cars came with the motorized release system.

I have a 1983 944. This year does NOT have a electric release, only releases with the key. I am not sure when the electric latch was used but would guess in the 1985 when other major changes were made.@@NC944er