...with great kit from Top Down Solutions. I got the rebuild kit with motor. My motor was in ok shape, but my guides, plastic housing, and gear nut were shot. I figured it was better to just replace the motor too and be done with it. For a couple more bucks and a little bit more time, it was well worth it.

The only issues I had were...

1) Getting the reversing switch to seat right, although I think this was mostly me being overly cautious and not wanting to break anything! It did require a little more force than expected to get it to seat properly. I did compare the contact blades on the new motor to the old one and they are a little thicker, so that might have been part of it too.
2) Had to play with the location of the mounting plate. I marked the spot were it was removed from, but I think over the years it had shifted to compensate for the bad hatch struts and cracked housings. So my marks wound up being off. No biggie, just added extra time.
3) and in true form...I forgot to re-attach the hatch release mechanism, not once, BUT TWICE. That's all on me!

All in all, took me about 2 hours start to finish. AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS PROVIDED IN THE KIT! It can be a little tricky to line stuff up properly, so I strongly recommend using either a helper or a vice to help hold stuff, especially when lining up the guides. It can be a little tricky because you pretty much have to have both sides go in straight and at the same time. Even being just a hair off makes it near impossible to seat them properly.

I can't say enough about how nice it was to work with Lon and TDS. There was good communication and the the product was top notch.

 

Good info man, My pull down motor works, but you have to grab the hatch right away if you want to open it. I have the TDS headlight repair kit at home and it looks liek good stuff, just have not had time to do it yet.

 

You might want to replace your hatch struts. That was actually what started me down this road. When I replaced mine, the motor wouldnt pull the hatch down flush like it should. When I pulled the cover off, the plastic motor housing was literally cracked to pieces and the guides were crumbling. Replacing the struts AND refreshing the motor makes a world of difference. Now when I pop the hatch, it fully opens right away rather than just unlocking.

My next task is to look for the parts to add a remote switch.

TDS stuff is top notch and comes with everything you need. Highly recommended.