Hatchback liftgate post (pneumatic)

[Echostatic]

I was just loading my '07 Yaris and tried to close the hatch when I heard a "DUNK" and it fell shut. Inspection revealed that the left pneumatic arm's anchor (on the trunk side) had popped out.

Has anyone had this happen? Better yet, anyone have an easy fix? It'd be great not to have the trunk drop on my head every time I'm rummaging around.

Here's a picture of the snapped-off piece in question. It looks like my pneumatic arm froze - I can't manipulate it manually unlike the still-operating one.

http://phreque.com/_tempor/DSC02233.JPG

[WeeYari]

Pics? Can't quite visualize what you say has happened.

[suckerface]

Lending a helping hand...

Sorry for the large image, just saved and up'd

[WeeYari]

Yikes. There's no easy fix for that. First time I've seen it happen. Good luck.

[devinlamothe]

Wow that is not good lol

My guess is it looks like it will have to be welded back in.

[mazilla]

It wouldn't take much to get that welded up...that's pretty crazy that it popped out like that. It won't be pretty, but it won't happen again either.

[OTA'sTOY]

Just watch when you decide to get it welded might have to remove rear glass to prevent it getting shattered
or you could just carry a broomstick to keep rear up n open

[TOLMACH]

I would try to repair it using screws,, something like two M5 or M6 bolts on each side

[Echostatic]

Glad I could blaze a trail with a new failure :) Thanks for the suggestions, all. Looks like I'll be keeping the parts handy and going for a weld when the droopy liftgate gets on my nerves!

[Echostatic]

Solved. I bought these (just in the nick of time, looks like. Currently unavailable): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007D5BTBY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
...and a local body shop charged $100 to re-weld the detached piece and slap on the new trunk struts. All said and done, $154 and it's back to working like new. Not as terrible as it could've been!

[RedRide]

There is a great vendor that has been around for many years that sells qualty lift supports for most any vehicle.......... " "lifttsupportsdepot.com"
http://www.autopartsbylou.com/index.php

People who have ordered from them say the quality is first rate and, the prices are low. They also sell all kinds of hardware associated with lift supports.
Here are their supports for the Yaris.
http://www.autopartsbylou.com/lift-supports-products.php?make=TOYOTA&model=Yaris&year=2009&type=mmy&x=18&y=11

Be shure to read the FAQs as it has a lot of info about supports in general that is usefull no matter where you purchase them.


BTW, those type of supports are much stronger than some people realize and there is a lot of stress on the mounts when compressing. It's probably best to always lower a hatch gently when closing.

[poorsh2]

Use a big molly bolt to hold the bracket. That is ugly
good luck

[LugNut]

I just replaced mine on my 2007 hatchback. Bought the two new ones from the above -- www.autopartsbylou.com -- for US$40.93 including shipping, and they arrived quickly. They were made in Turkey.

I used one of these to support the hatch while replacing the lifts:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-in-1-support-cargo-bar-66172.html

The new lifts are much stronger than old, at least for now. I assume they will break in a bit with time.

[vandallen]

This happened today 1-03-2015 to my wife's Yaris. The left side broke completely off and the right side broke one weld. I drilled holes away from the broken part and put sheet metal screws in it.
We will see what happens.
Van

[CrankyOldMan]

Add me to the list of casualties for this failure mode. I'll probably just use JB weld after removing a little bit of paint to get good adhesion. What a pain in the arse!

[jazzyb88]

My left side (second one now!) just went today - happy new year to me :thumbdown:

First one snapped in July of 2016 and at the time I took it to a body shop for repair. What they did was drill through two holes on the bracket and then drill another two holes in the boot lid so they could then secure the bracket using 2x M6 hex nut and bolts.

I might attempt the same repair myself but the only thing I'm unsure about is how to tighten the nuts on the inside?

Or perhaps I just give them the repeat business lol

In hindsight, it might have been cheaper just to get a whole new hatchback from the breakers!

[komichal]

I guess this can be fixed easily with rivets.
I hate rivets... but from time to time they do make one's life easier.

[jazzyb88]

Will rivets be strong enough to hold the bracket?

[Dodge Aries K]

My 2007 did this as well. Friend of mine welded the bracket back on and it's been okay for over a year

[jazzyb88]

I'm thinking of going for rivets like these (https://www.amazon.com/Rivets-Stainless-Steel-Inch-Pack/dp/B072337HGP)

Just not sure if they'll cope with the force exerted on that mechanism. Guess I can try and if it fails go down the nut and bolt method!

[WeeYari]

I'd personally go with a much stronger solution with greater chances of long term success. The hatch strut is rated at 88 lbs. That is a lot of stress to place on tiny little pop rivets.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

[myfirstyota]

Airplanes used to be held together with rivets....

[komichal]

Blind rivet can hold a lot. A LOT.
I do agree that proper welding would be the best, however if there are any issues about it I would not be worried about riveting.

[CrankyOldMan]

This is what I've been looking at for my fix. M8 Stainless Steel Rivet Nut (https://www.mcmaster.com/97467a693)

Here's some mechanical properties for one brand: http://www.rivet-nut.com/assets/rivnut_mechanical_properties.pdf
M8 is about the same as 5/16, so you can compare the loads that way. That said, I have no idea how well the sheet metal itself would hold up, since it's already been damaged.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Yeah, I was going to suggest rivnuts too.

[jazzyb88]

Thanks for the replies. I've gone with M6 rivnuts.

M8 seems a bit too big as that involves drilling a 11mm hole when the current hole is about 7.5mm.

[CrankyOldMan]

I was going to use a step drill but the only ones with 11mm steps are way too long and would drill out the other side of the hatch.

Definitely interested in seeing how it goes together!

[jazzyb88]

Had some time this morning so had a go at repairing it...

For M6 rivet nuts, you need a 8.9mm drill bit so the first thing I had to do was go out and buy one of those (drill bits are usually sized in even numbers).

The existing holes in the hatch were drilled to the larger size and the rivet nuts inserted to check fit, which was perfect. After that I filed the metal so that the nut would sit as flush as possible to the sheet metal so when pinched, you would get a good grip.

Here was the end result!

http://oi428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/jazzyb88_ebay/Yaris/IMG_20190105_120226.jpg

http://oi428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/jazzyb88_ebay/Yaris/IMG_20190105_120310.jpg

http://oi428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/jazzyb88_ebay/Yaris/IMG_20190105_121000.jpg

http://oi428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/jazzyb88_ebay/Yaris/IMG_20190105_121155.jpg

Hatch now all working fine :smile:

The rivet nuts also felt quite solid while I was tightening the bolts - no movement whatsover. The key to this is having a good rivet nut tool - I used one with a lever action which took quite a bit of effort, so I think the trigger type tools would be hard work!

Thanks to all those that suggested using rivet nuts to fix the problem!

[WeeYari]

Good job. Hope she holds for the rest of your ownership. Pop rivets would not have held.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

[sven337]

A friend had a MIG welder so we welded a few spots of the interior side of the part to the sheet metal. That definitely didn't seem like it was enough, so I added 3 pop rivets (2 bottom, 1 top). We'll see how long that holds, if it holds at all. Next step would be rivnuts.

[dave mac]

That happened to me this morning, same thing, LEFT side. Only one of the two welds let loose. Dunno what I'm going to do (or not do) yet so for now there's a broomstick in the trunk!

[gilsaluki]

My 2007 Yaris Lift Support Bracket broke yesterday. Left side. Wish I had seen this thread earlier. Pop riveted mine back on. Works but for how long. Did the RIVNUT solution hold up these past three years?

[jazzyb88]

My 2007 Yaris Lift Support Bracket broke yesterday. Left side. Wish I had seen this thread earlier. Pop riveted mine back on. Works but for how long. Did the RIVNUT solution hold up these past three years?

Yes has held up just fine. No issues so far from daily use.

[gilsaluki]

Followed the Rivnut fix instructions/photos. Not perfect, but got the bracket rivnutted back on. Hope it works. Pop rivet did not last. Thx.