I've been dealing with a sticky hatch handle for a little while now. It often gets stuck in the open position and I have to manually force it closed. I suspect some moisture gets in there from taking it to the brushless carwash. The water jetting in horizontally must get into the inner part of the handle. Anybody have this problem?

 

I have that problem.

When it gets really bad, I spray it with something like PB Blaster while pushing the handle in & out, until it works almost like normal. That then usually lasts for a while.

 

Silicone lube is clear, comes in aerosol courtesy of wd40, and can handle water. Same lube used on struts and a bunch of other stuff, draws dirt though.

White lithium lasts quite a while and doesnt draw much dirt, not certain about water resistance or rust prevention, but this sportsfan thinks anything coating bare metal can prevent rust, so long as its present. Also can come in aerosol via home depot or lowes, ect

You could also try marine grease, its an all purpose used for, hell, I know nothing about boats. Waterproof, super tacky, not aerosol and will have to be pushed in, messy junk.

Chassis lube'll do you too. I like bel ray, available at any powersports shop worth their salt. Think itd fit the bill real well, but its a little tub so youd have to pack it. Really grown fond of this company since using their motorcycle chain wax, best stuff on the market.

Ball is in your court.

 

I used WD-40 silicone on the handle, but it'll still eventually stick again.

 

This seems to be a common issue with older fits. Mine had the same issue. Its very hard to get it lubed as the hinge is on the back side of that handle. Mine was in horrible shape. When i had my rear wiper apart, i decided to remove the hinge completely and it took quite a bit of work to remove most of the rust, and get it working properly. I should have replaced mine, but im to cheap, and didnt want to wait to reassembly the car.
The rear wiper needs to come off, and remove the rear plastic piece on the outside, then you can remove the handle. Its actually quite a job if you have a rusty Fit like i have. Plan on breaking a few fasteners.

 

I use Q-Tips dipped in WD-40 and slightly bend them to get to rusted metal parts up in . Did this several times . Working much better and less mess . A good flashlight helps . Pictures taken after 1st treatment with WD-40 .

 

The pics are helpful. I'm going to use white lithium grease.

 

Mines sticking to. I just bought the car the other day and have spent some time figuring out how to open it. I need a new mechanism.

Where do you guys suggest I by parts from? I don't see the part on rockauto.

 

Rear hatch handle? Theres all kinds of places to source parts from! I'd recommend an OEM component though, original stuff. Aftermarket suppliers of body parts *almost* always suck. Even if the design is solid enough for the aftermarket supplier to not be able to screw up, they'll skimp on paint and clear coat. Anything to make it cheap.

Here's the part number you need: 74810-S6A-003

Just google it and choose your supplier, whether the juggernaut known as amazon, an oem parts distributor, a retailer like summit racing, or ebay (which has grown to be quite dependable in all sincerity. I have no issue sourcing from them provided that the pricing, transit time, ect. all coincide with my needs)

The next thing I'd like to touch on is rust-proofing/repair. Yep, you can fix corrosion now through use of a somewhat expensive (about 40 bucks minimum) product kit called POR-15. You've gotta grind off paint, clean, use an etching solvent, then sand and paint over it if the area is exposed to UV light. Its a total pain in the butt, but if you follow instructions to the letter the end result will be truly rust-proof. It kiiiinda fuses to rust, kiiinda permanently.
Used primarily by those with deep pockets restoring classics, it serves as a coating for the vehicle's chassis. But in this case, I'd just go with a new part and lube. Exposure to that etching solvent for a few minutes is probably worse for you than huffing round-up weed killer. It burns the skin.

 

Thanks.. I guess its not the mechanism then..

Yeah por is nice. I used it on a engine rebuild, but its nasty and needs a top coat for UV protection.. I prefer rustoleum top side. But I'm not sure about the black and how it match's my black fit. The best way to treat rust pitted metal is ospho to kill it and epoxy primer over it. Or second best, rustoleum primer/paint over ospho treated metal.

But considering I paid less than 2000 for a good running fit, I dont think its worth the effort to spend much time on the little rust above the rear bumper and bottom door seams.

 

Oh, forgive me if I gave you the wrong part, I'm not familiar with this issue or your specific circumstances. Its "a" part anyways still, the info on where to source components is sound, but if you find a good new source we'd all benefit from hearing about it.

I appreciate that! My knowledge of rust-proofin' is limited by experience and I only got to familiarize myself with POR. I hated it, but.. yeah, it works! I'll check out the stuff you mentioned though!!

 

No your probably correct that my problem is the hatch handle. I have it working a bit better, but I have a feeling it will stick at the worst time like when its 20 below out or when you lend it to someone..

I think the trick is to push the hatch handle to the closed position before closing the hatch.

 

The hatch wouldn't disengage on occasion . After the 1st application of the WD-40 the hatch worked at all times . The 2nd application the rear door latch moved more freely . Plan to lube it once a month .

 

I took a minute to look up low-temp chassis lube and found "lubriplate low temp", popular for garage door openers.. ahwell, one thing I can honestly recommend is this: , the link is to amazon. Its chincy, you hand pack it, it doesnt come with a rod to push the base plate up and compress the grease, and its the best grease gun I've ever used. Would require component removal, but you could use a heavy grease and it would go where you want it.
The squiggly lines are due to unsteady hands.


Almost forgot to mention why its the favorite. Doesnt leak.

 

Interesting , less mess be a plus . Have to keep the gun I use in a covered bucket . Good lookin' gun writing . How about in cursive ?

 

I keep mine on the nightstand incase of emergencies. Time to down-upgrade, dude.

 

. Thats' better than my cursive with a pen . It's disappearing with the younger generations .

 

I would suggest Tri-Flow instead of WD40. WD is really a penetrant, not an oil. Tri-Flow is both and contains powdered teflon. As a locksmith I have used both for many years.

 

I have had no problem and going into 11th yr. The last few years been giving it a shot of WD40 every so often. Why WD40? Because must have 2 lifetime supplies of the stuff.

 

I've had success with Seafoam lubricant. I had my handle stick too in the past and it really worked well.