Lift gate issue

[Brian Griffith]

Need some help, my son has an 07 escalade and forgot about the power litigate and the battery was dead and I lifted the gate to retrieve some things and now with a good battery it only opens about a foot and then it closes. Did I break it or is there a procedure I need to do.

 

[Doubeleive]

Need some help, my son has an 07 escalade and forgot about the power litigate and the battery was dead and I lifted the gate to retrieve some things and now with a good battery it only opens about a foot and then it closes. Did I break it or is there a procedure I need to do.

99% of the time it is the gas struts that need to be replaced, the power motor cannot lift the hatch alone so it uses the struts as a "assist" if you switch the power function off and then go out and manually lift the hatch once you have it part way open it should lift with struts alone and when closing it should not slam shut or quickly drop.
the struts are sold everywhere and can be easily replaced by simply using a small flathead to pull the metal clip up just enough to get the ball head detached.
best to use a helper to hold the hatch while doing this so it doesn't close on your head. you can do it alone just gotta hold it just right and manage to get the clips loose at the same time.

 

[intheburbs]

Usually that means the struts are dying. If the gas struts aren't properly "helping" to lift the tailgate, the added load causes the lift gate motor to confuse that with encountering an obstruction and it reverses.

Get new struts for the tailgate. Might as well get them for the lift glass, too. They're relatively inexpensive. I got all 4 Stabilus struts for like $60, but that was a few years ago. Go to Rock Auto or 1aauto.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

The lift gate's 2 support struts failed on my 07 about 2 years ago, giving the exact same symptoms that you are now experiencing. I replaced the 2 support struts, and I've had no issues with the lift gate's operation since then,

 

[Brian Griffith]

Thanks guys, makes sense i had to have somebody hold it up while i remove the items i needed to get out.. I'll have him pick up some new ones. One thing that I forgot to mention was that when I opened it up there was a clunk noise as it went up and I didn't know if it hurt the ram.

 

[Doubeleive]

Thanks guys, makes sense i had to have somebody hold it up while i remove the items i needed to get out.. I'll have him pick up some new ones. One thing that I forgot to mention was that when I opened it up there was a clunk noise as it went up and I didn't know if it hurt the ram.

no that's normal, it's just the lift motor making a noise not sure what it does exactly it is just a mechanical noise