Pizaman:
The cable is located in the lower door. You will have to rip the lower tailgate trim piece off in order to access the cable. Once you are in, unbolt the actuator, located on the passenger side, then use some needle nose pliers or the like to grab the cable and pull. After that, you will need new trim and either perform the fix as described above, or purchase a new latch assembly as the cable is not available seperately.

 

the latch is in the lower door. i had to rip off the back panel and search for the loose cable behind the plastic soundproofing. once i found the cable i pulled it with a pair of pliers to release the hatch. see the pics i posted to do the repair. youll need a crimper tool, some crimper sleeves, and some wire.

ripping off the panel was a real pain. there is no way to remove it without separating the side pieces, but they can be reattached. once i did the repair i snapped on the center piece, then reattached the side pieces with a couple of self tapping screws.

good luck!

 

I assume the latch mechanism shown in the pictures releases the tailgate. What releases the upper glass portion? In other words, if there is a failure of the upper glass opener mechanism, what is the solution?I assume the glass release is still located in the tailgate. The reason I ask, is that all is OK right now with my 2005 LR3, but I kind of think that I should tear it apart now and try to install some sort of manual release for both openings while things are still working.

 

yes from what i could tell both are in the lower part. if you notice when the upper door is open the only thing visible is the steel loop. the actual latch and actuator is in the lower part.

the fix i posted was to release the upper door, not the lower one.

on whether to rip it apart to install a release ahead of time is up to you, and is a bold move. if you figure out a good way post the pics!

 

So the pictures were for the latch for the glass upper door - thanks for letting me know. What we really need either a CD or better yet a printedservice manual that has lots of exploded drawings. I had that sort of thing for my Buick Roadmaster, (directly from GM). It was the size of a telephone book and much better than any Haynes manual or the like. There seems to be something of the sort available on the internet for the 2004 and up Range Rover HSE, but not the LR3.

 

bbyer: There is such a thing, it's called GTR, but you need to be a Land Rover technician to have access.

 

I suppose it is not a surprise that LR does have the same sort of data base that GM has; too bad LR does not have the same faith or regards for their customer base as does what is probably still the worlds largest car manufacturer.

I was flipping thru a Microcat file that I have on the 2004 Range Rover re the tailgate/upper glassand it says that the RR tailgate hasseperate manual release cables for both the upper glass and the lower tailgate. I have not actually seen that, but will try to find out just what RR did. It seems to me that there are a lot of design similarilities between the 2004+ Range Rovers and the 2005+ Discovery/LR3s.

From the notes, it appears that the RR actuators are located in the respective moving panels, whereas the LR3 has both actuators located in the tailgate. That is where theunlock sound comes from regardless of which unlatch button is pushed. That at least means one only has to tear apart the tailgate. I wondered if I undid thetailgate support cables, would they wind up into the vertical posts and hence more tearing apart to retrieve them? I suppose so unless I figure out a way to restain them first. This "fix"does not look all that easy.

 

Thanks everyone for the info in this thread. My back latch took a dump and I was able to fix it by looking at the pics and a little engineering of my own. Pain in the BUTT!!! Great site guys and again Thank You.
Just2kicku

 

dharch, thanks for posting this info and pictures. Wow, I am getting this info late as mine has broken twice on my 05 LR3. (the factory cable broke, then the first dealer repair broke exactly 12 months later). Since it seems to be that this repair only lasts about a year in my car, I should consider implementing your fix before it goes to **** again. As far as I know LR does not have a fix for the problem other than replacing the part....

...I asked my dealer about that. Can't they install a more durable cable or attach it better to the actuator? But no, they are not allowed to engineer any fixes themselves other than what LR tells them to do. When you're on vacation, the truck is loaded with gear, and the rear won't open....it's a royal pain!

From what I understand it should be a lot easier to get in there before the cable breaks (with the tailgate open) as opposed to breaking in when the hatch is closed up.

Thanks

 

I just want to get something very clear here in my head and if I sound like I'm being redundant, please forgive me but I just want to be absolutely sure:

You are saying that even when the hatch release works fine and I have an open back door to work with, the only way to access the release actuator is "ripping" all the preeties off the back door and jerry riggin it afterwards?