I have a '99 Venture with a TERRIBLE rattle at the rear hatch. Listening from inside the van while riding, it appeared to be coming from along the passenger side edge near the top half of the hatch. I then remembered thinking that the hatch had been "heavier" to open in recent weeks. So I suspected the plunger on the passenger side of the hatch door.
When I arrived home, I opened up the rear hatch and the passenger side plunger definitely had play and a slight rattle while the driver side one is solid as a rock. This looks like a DIY job to me with a part from the "used parts" shop. Couple of questions though.
There are 2 bolts that secure the top of the plunger that look straight forward to remove, save for the fact they appear to have been painted over when the van was originally painted. I removed the passenger rear tail light to reveal the lower plunger connection. Here there is a HEX head that connects to the body of the van but it's not a bolt through a bracket like the top which is the 2 bolts through bracketed holes. Before I put a wrench on this lower HEX head and turn, is there anything I should be aware of on this mount location?
Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Bob