We are leaving tonight for a trip to Philadelphia (from Atlanta).
As we were getting the Blackwood ready, all of a sudden the tonneau cover won't open. Not by the remote nor from inside the cab. I checked the under dash fuse and it is fine. After screwing around for 10 minutes I finally found the remote outside the truck release handle/key thingie. I ain't gonna tell you where it is but it isn't real close to where they say it is. Seriously, it is way up under the bed and you have to crawl on your back under the truck to use it. And...to get the right combination of slamming the lid closed and using the key and the lever all at more or less the same time is almost a two person job and that person had better not be your wife. Pat refuses to get under the truck, the easiest part, and she is not strong enough to slam the lid against the pressure of the springs or whatever they are.

Anyway, anyone have this happen and what was the cause if not a fuse? We have to use the bed as we are bringing a lot of stuff back from a hobbies distributor.

Hope someone can help in the next few hours. My dealer hadn't a clue and "we close at 5:00 or 15 minutes from now" and I am 30 minutes away from there anyway.
Regards
Bill

 

I hope you got things figured out Bill. Keep us posted.

RP

 

Could the power in the remote be down...need a battery ?...Could dirt have covered the receiver that the remote needs to work right ?? Safe trip anyway...

 

bill
did you check the fuse in the power dist. box under the hood?it is the big maxi fuse on the right near the center #602 page 152 in the manual
hope this helps

 

Thaks for your concern, guys and advice.

In reverse order, I have never been able to open the under hood fuse box and there are no instructions in the owners manual.
I didn't want to rip the cover off so left it alone.

The tonneau will not operate from the key fob or from either of the two buttons in the overhead console, so I am guessing it is that superfuze or a mechanical defect of some sort. It goes into the dealer on Monday.

Sad to say, no matter how many times I manually un locked and locked the cover, after 100 miles or so of going over pavement joints, especially bridges, it would loosen up to the first stop. So, we ended up having to ship all the stuff we purchased at the distributorship after all. Might as well have used the Continental instead of the Wood.

I'll let you know what the problem was for future reference for the owners group.
Bill

 

bill
the cover on the under hood fuse box is hinged at the front.
the latch is at the rear on the engine side.
good luck

 

Took the Blackwood in today for the "fixes".
What an ordeal, took almost 30 minutes to explain the problems to the Service Writer in such a way he could type it into the database that generates the workorder.

As the Wood is a very rare beast and parts were obviously going to be needed, they gave me a loaner vehicle, an 04 Aviator used vehicle with 10K miles on the clock.

A very nice vehicle around town and quite peppy. Then I made the mistake of taking it out onto the Interstate. My God!!
The vehicle has a rear axle whine both on accelleration and decelleration that I have not heard since the cars/trucks I drove in the 1950s. I mean nasty loud and very obnoxious. I wonder if that is why it is on the used car lot. If so, they better fix it as no one would buy it sounding like it does.

I read somewhare this was a problem with Explorers/Aviators but would have thought it was fixed by now.
Bill

 

You think that is bad, then you are lucky you didn't buy a 99 cobra. Fords IRS is a plethera of problems, and they all started with that car. I owned two of them, so I'm intimately familiar with driving service loaners.

 

Hey Bill,
What was the result of taking your Blackwood to the dealer? I'm having the same problem with mine, won't open from the door keypad, the remote or the console switch. I'm getting very dirty crawling under the truck every time I want in the back.
Advice would be very appreciated
Brian

 

I already emailed Brian on this but thought it might help to post here as well if anyone has the same problem.

I cannot help too much as all the service dept told me was that it had a bad "power module" which I assume is some electric switching or routing device that controls the electric motors that move the lid up and down etc. I doubt that all of the motors went out at once so that makes sense to me. As I did not buy a service manual for the truck, I do not really know how the mechanism works for sure but I think I have the principle right in that a signal is sent to two or more motors to run what I assume are pistons to raise and lower the lid as well as to "tuck it in" after it is lowered.

Bill

 

Bill,

The joys of dealing with my sister store! I wish you would have brought your truck to the pros at the Marietta store. We are the Blackwood experts when it comes to diagnosing and replacing the power lift module, seen it on about every BW that has come thru the door at one time or another.

As far as the Aviator loaner goes, we have an Aviator loaner that has the same noise, as a matter of fact we have replaced so many differentials in the past year, it would make you sick. Just replaced the whole diff in my 03 SC last month to cure an ongoing rear end whine that I have been living with for awhile!

Next time you need something, call me, I 'll have a loaner dropped off at your store and pick your truck or car up!

 

Glad to see your still around Bill

Sorry to hear/read of your problems, but it sounds like your in good hands with Capt JJ