Please help: need trunk latch pics

I have a 2008 LT 4-door sedan. I pulled up somewhere, opened the truck and got stuff out -- and the truck will not latch shut!! And because there's no maintenance manual, I have no clue what the trunk latch is supposed to look like - which way is ready to latch and what looks like it's jacked.

Mine looks like this:
Attachment 10509

I pushed the white part with my key, and it rotated around and the hook came down and latched. So I think this is supposed to be the "ready" position. And it did rotate easily enough without undue force, so it's not stuck.

But closing the trunk lid doesn't activate the latch. I tried closing hard and soft, and pushing in slightly. There's nothing in the way, and neither the driver's seat pull nor the inside-the-trunk pull are stuck in the latch-open position.

If anyone can give me any help on this, I'd really appreciate it. I can't drive much of anywhere with the trunk lid flapping, and duct tape is hard to clean off!

Ed

Did a bit more investigation by folding down the seats and inspecting the latch while someone pushed the trunk lid down.

The bail just wasn't getting into the latch far enough. I loosened the bolts and pulled the bail all the way up, and it still didn't catch. I took off the rubber bumpers from the trunk lid - still wouldn't go down and catch the bail. I could see it if the hook was catching the bail and rotating shut, but wouldn't stay - then I'd suspect one of the pull cables was stuck. But the hook isn't even being activated.

I'm really at a loss here. Any thoughts?

Ed

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EdNerd

Did a bit more investigation by folding down the seats and inspecting the latch while someone pushed the trunk lid down.

The bail just wasn't getting into the latch far enough. I loosened the bolts and pulled the bail all the way up, and it still didn't catch. I took off the rubber bumpers from the trunk lid - still wouldn't go down and catch the bail. I could see it if the hook was catching the bail and rotating shut, but wouldn't stay - then I'd suspect one of the pull cables was stuck. But the hook isn't even being activated.

I'm really at a loss here. Any thoughts?

Ed

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see if you can adjust either the striker (the true name of the bail) up or the latch down. i'd also look into the escape cable because i experimented on my 2010 and pulling the escape cable prevented the latch from latching.

I adjusted the striker all the way up, but it won't engage the latch.
Neither the escape cable nor the driver's seat cable are stuck in the pulled condition.
I secured the trunk lid by engaging a wire loop in the latch and tying it to the striker.
I may have to shim the latch down with washers.
Just wondering what happened all of a sudden - that's a mystery!

Ed

I engaged the help of a friend to hold the trunk lid closed so I could check it out inside.
Attachment 10528
What I found was that the strike, moved all the way up, was just not pushing the hook around.
Attachment 10529
I removed the latch and discovered the plastic contact piece where the strike contacts the latch had broken.

I also discovered that I could gain an extra fraction of an inch if I turned the strike over. With that, and removing all the covers, I could push with all my weight and force the latch to engage.

For the moment, I'm going to enlarge the holes in the strike plate to move it up a bit further.
And I'm going to see about buying a new latch assembly.

Ed

The broken latch:
Attachment 10530

I tried searching your model year for the replacement latch, but I got nothing, but here s the part number for a 2010 latch, which is more then likely identical to the 2008 one: 96327155


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2010AveoLT

I tried searching your model year for the replacement latch, but I got nothing, but here s the part number for a 2010 latch, which is more then likely identical to the 2008 one: 96327155


Sent to the Interwebs by an Apple

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Yep, it's the same part number.

96327155 | ACTUATOR | 2008 Chevrolet Aveo

Wow!! Thanks, guys!! I searched and came up with some many different things that I wasn't at all sure what I was looking at.

I notice it's called an "actuator". Is this the electric solenoid that operates the latch? Or the entire electrically operated latch assembly? Because I'm looking for the simple key operated latch, and everything I'm looking at for 96327155 says "keyless entry".

Ed

Bought one off ebay. Slightly worn at the plastic contact, but there was enough left to make the latch work better than the one I took off.

Ed