If anyone has a 4 seasons hatch, the new version thats made of plastic and has a rotating dial to open the vent but no locking tab, I think I have worked out why the spring arm that opens the vent breaks.......... Seems a common enough thing but haven't been able to find a long term solution or reason why until now.
My original version which was replaced a couple of years ago after hail damage with the new model has been giving me grief after about 6 mths as the arm which pushed the vent open is a spring just like those flexible curtain ones, after many mods and experiments I finally hit on why the things would get a kink which would render them useless, the springs bit aren't available, you have to buy the whole control unit.............
The spring gets caught as it passes through the hatch frame as the opening for it is too small, so Mod #26 was to just run a larger drill bit into the slot the opening spring arm moves thorugh, now the spring passes through without getting caught and bending out of shape.......... I have found if the spring arm has bent in the middle, I cut the mangled bit out after measurng a good spring to get length, I then insert a 3mm length of brush cutter cord or curtain spring with plastic removed bit of silastic helps to fix, then once at the correct lebth I fix some heat shrink over the whole thing, with the hole enlarged it doesn't give the mod version or an original spring any problem now................. a replacement opening unit is around $50 and won't fix the problem of the spring getting mangled....... after a few years of pulling the things apart I now have 4 vents that open fully ..................... No pics as its been such a mongrel job ......
My original version which was replaced a couple of years ago after hail damage with the new model has been giving me grief after about 6 mths as the arm which pushed the vent open is a spring just like those flexible curtain ones, after many mods and experiments I finally hit on why the things would get a kink which would render them useless, the springs bit aren't available, you have to buy the whole control unit.............
The spring gets caught as it passes through the hatch frame as the opening for it is too small, so Mod #26 was to just run a larger drill bit into the slot the opening spring arm moves thorugh, now the spring passes through without getting caught and bending out of shape.......... I have found if the spring arm has bent in the middle, I cut the mangled bit out after measurng a good spring to get length, I then insert a 3mm length of brush cutter cord or curtain spring with plastic removed bit of silastic helps to fix, then once at the correct lebth I fix some heat shrink over the whole thing, with the hole enlarged it doesn't give the mod version or an original spring any problem now................. a replacement opening unit is around $50 and won't fix the problem of the spring getting mangled....... after a few years of pulling the things apart I now have 4 vents that open fully ..................... No pics as its been such a mongrel job ......
