So on my 84' I can't open my hatch by the hatch release and the lock cylinder is all messed up. Is there a way to pop the hatch from inside like you can do with a trunk?

 

Notthtat I've found. The interior plastics cover up the mechanism. At least one of the screws that holds the plastic is hard against the hatch when it's closed.
For what it's worth, when this happened to me and the lock cylinder wasn't functional I drilled the guts out of the cylinder and then used a screw driver to pop the hatch.

 

did it work and then quit working or did it never work? "try" and locate the wire that runs to the hatch popper in the kick panel area, there is a diode/capaciter/fuse thing.

the color might have changes from 83 to 84 but this was the cause of my hatch popper to not work on my 83. i jumped it with a fuse pod and a 15a fuse and it worked. this may not be your issue but something to look at.

 

just try to jump the hot wire from the switch to a 12v sorce why wont the key work? push down on the hatch hard then try the key .

 

Thanks guys. I have no key to the door or hatch and the lock cylinder is all messed up from the owner before me. Is there a fuse box diagram on the site so I can make sure I'm checking the right fuse? If not I'll just do what Skinny said and drill it out then use a screw driver since I need to replace the lock anyways

 

You can get to it, but it's a pain in the @$$. PO attempted to replace the hatch lock on my ride and gave up apparently, because I have a lock cylinder in the right place but the one time I tried to unlock the hatch from the outside, I turned the key and pulled the cylinder out Apparently there's some kind of spring and a lever of some sort that pops the latch open....

Anyway, unlocking the hatch the hard way. You will need a #2 Philips screwdriver, a small flashlight, and a thin flathead screwdriver. Climb into the hatch and unscrew the plate for the hatch light switch. Let it fall inside the plastic trim, you can put it back later. Next, using the thin flathead screwdriver, GENTLY pry off the lens covering the hatch light. Once it pops off you should see a metal bracket with four tabs holding the light in place. Bend these tabs out and let the light fall back as well. Now using the flashlight, peer inside that small hole where the hatch light was. You should see a flat metal rod poking through a small cylinder on the latch mechanism for the hatch, towards the right upper corner. Slide your thin screwdriver in the gap in that small hole where the flat rod pokes through. Twist the screwdriver til the hatch pops. Hope like hell your shocks are still good, cause pushing up a 200 lb hatch isn't very exciting.

Hope this helps!

 

If you decide to go this route, keep in mind that parts of the lock are pretty tough. I think that the lock bezel and key slot opening are made of stainless steel. That's hard on drill bits. Have a few bits handy as you're likely to break one or two as you mangle the lock mechanism trying to remove it.
After it's all said and done, it's a simple matter to remove the locks from your doors, get a replacement cylinder for the hatch (from the junkyard or wherever) and have the whole works re-keyed so that one key fits all.

 

Ok so i was wondering what fuse in the fuse box is the hatch under? I replaced the ACC and the one that says LID(both were blown) but still doesn't work. Am I missing something?

 

ok i am having the same issue, my rear hatch wont open, the key is gone. to give a bit more room to crawl in there how would be the best way to remove that cargo cover rod with out breaking it?