ARE Z Series Hard to Open?

Hey guys I’ve had this shell for a few months now and all of a sudden the rear glass is very hard to open.

I twist the center handle and the driver side releases, but the passenger side is sticking a little. It was smooth as silk when I bought it, but now it’s sticking and becoming quite annoying.

Is there a recommended way to grease the release or can I just squirt some WD40 on it and call it good?

 

Sounds more like a "structural "issue . Just throwing out a couple of things to check.

1. Check the actual shell frame as it may have been "tweaked" out of alignment.
2. Could have tried to lock down the rear glass and the rods were not completely aligned with the frame, causing the one rod to be misaligned.
3. Check the rods retaining brackets for any that are out of alignment.

Keeping in mind we're not talking about slamming back into a D9 Caterpillar here, but just some small event that caused the currant situation If something like this is the root cause of the problem, then the lubricant will only be a band aid.

 

Thanks for the pointers I appreciate it. I will check those out.

I should also note that the right side sticking is not consistent. It will open just fine multiple times and then stuck.

 

I wouldn't use WD-40, but instead a silicone lube or something similar. The holes that the latches bolt to are elongated (at least on my shell). You could try moving the one that sticks a little bit, just loosen the screws and slide it a smidge and re-tighten the screws. Also, I don't think there are rods on the Z-series, at least there isn't on mine. There is a cable. It's possible that the cable has stretched, but I doubt it. The latch is most likely just sticky.

 

If you offroad or go over bumpy roads, the clamps can shift and move the shell slightly. I'd loosen all your clamps, get in the bed and lift the top, put it back down, confirm position, and tighten all the clamps again. I don't think it's a structural issue though, just a misalignment.

In either case, any sort of lube is fine, but WD-40 isn't really lubricant. Silicone lube like megillet recommended or even light grease is fine if it still sticks.

 

Took it to a local ARE dealer and they were surprised at how much slack was in the cable for the locking mechanism. They said everything else looked good except for that and are confident that is the issue.


I’m going back tomorrow for them to adjust the cable. I didn’t have time to have them do it today on my lunch break. I’ll report back.

 

Update: sorry for the double post. The cables for the locking mechanism had too much slack and needed to be adjusted. Now the rear glass opens up effortlessly.