Tailgate torsion bar not torsioning but looks ok

[mespig]

Hi all - 1995 Bronco. Tailgate was down and then there was a loud crack or snap and it dropped a further 1/2” or so. Now it’s super heavy to lift up.

I took the back panel off and the torsion bar seems to be intact. The two brackets look ok and the bar is clipped in there. The inner end of the bar just seems to rest against the inner wall of the tailgate and seems a bit loose (not under tension). The other end (in the loop on the body) is also loose-ish.

Is there supposed to be a standoff between the inner bar end and the tailgate? It all looks ok but something is wrong…. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! Mike

 

[Tiha]

Pics would help.

Inside the tailgate I think some years had a rubber foot on the end of the torsion bar. Mostly to help keep it quiet. The outside visible end should be loose so it can slide in the loop.

If you didn't break off a mounting clip inside it could have just been bound somewhere?

Are the cable stretched tight?

Also the hinges are not very fancy, possible something had been stuck in there?

 

[mespig]

Thanks for the reply! I don't feel any binding when I lift the tailgate... it's just heavy as snot now. The torsion bar is loose when the tailgate is down. this seems wrong since the torsion bar is supposed to help lift the tailgate... is that the same for everyone else?

Cables are stretched tight when the tailgate is down (assuming you mean the braided cables connecting the tailgate to the body on each side)

I've tried to add two very short videos showing both ends of the bar as well as pictures of the corner clip and the loop. (the white stuff is old lithium grease as the bar used to groan back when it actually worked).

The inside of the tailgate video hopefully shows how the bar is loose and not applying any pressure to the tailgate. (ps. yes, the inside is muddy... when I took it apart i discovered my drainage holes were plugged so was washing it out)

Thanks for any suggestions/observations/help! Mike

(ok, we can't upload videos so did a screen grab of hopefully relevant behavior of the inside bar. you can see that it's not touching the tailgate body but resting on the thinner bar from the latch assembly and is loose - can be wiggled up and down and ~1" side to side)

 

[jlanes]

Hi all - 1995 Bronco. Tailgate was down and then there was a loud crack or snap and it dropped a further 1/2” or so. Now it’s super heavy to lift up.

I took the back panel off and the torsion bar seems to be intact. The two brackets look ok and the bar is clipped in there. The inner end of the bar just seems to rest against the inner wall of the tailgate and seems a bit loose (not under tension). The other end (in the loop on the body) is also loose-ish.

Is there supposed to be a standoff between the inner bar end and the tailgate? It all looks ok but something is wrong…. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! Mike

The torsion bar tends to corrode and break in the bend at the drivers side of the tailgate.

 

[Tiha]

If the bar is loose with it down then I would think it is broken somewhere as well. Not easy to see in there.

 

[Big h]

I just had the torsion bar replaced on my 95. Bought it from Bronco Graveyard around $80 new. Paid $150 to have installed. The one that came out was not broken but did not work, so it must bent over the years of use.

 

[mespig]

Hi all - thanks so much for taking the time to read and respond. Love this site

So I guess i didn't think that the rod would break given that it's quite hefty. But, after digging around, I'm pretty sure it's snapped inside of that back corner pocket that has a rubber sleeve around it as @jlanes suggested. The bar that goes vertical inside of the tailgate can be jiggled and the horizontal part of the rod doesn't move.

QQ: is the vertical part of the rod supposed to just rest on the inside of the tailgate metal directly? the tailgate doesn't seem to be overly thick there.

So... looks like a Saturday of trying to get a new rod installed. I saw a video on YouTube and it doesn't look too difficult although I'm hoping I don't have to pull the rear window. But... will also be a good opportunity to replace the window seals and try conductive cement to connect one of the defrost connectors (thanks for posting the TSB on that @miesk5!).

Thanks again everyone.

 

[johnnyreb]

It looks like in the MIDDLE PICTURE the rod has been bent over time.