I finally got around to trying to adjust the rear hatch, which didn't shut all the way, thus letting rain in. I thought it might be the hinges, so I tried gently adjusting them with a piece of scrap wood and a dead blow, after loosening the bolts. It helped the left side, but only because the left nut on the stud was a little more than finger-tight. I figured, alright, I'll open the rear hatch inspection port, lubricate stuff, and generally just check for wear.
Turns out, there's a reason it never sealed properly:
Attached File
The previous owner had "fixed" it, at some point by taking a couple screws out of the trim pieces around the back hatch area, and putting them into the mechanism to "hold" it. That picture is exactly what I saw when I opened it. I figure there's probably a loose screw in the hatch, but I'll get a magnet and do that some other time if it continues to bother me. Two countersunk screws, one self-tapping screw, and the back hatch has to be pulled high to turn the lights on, so that explains why sometimes it didn't.Good to know that there's a 12V+BAT source back there though.
So, I fished through the toolbox drawer of bolts, screws, studs, washers, and nuts, and found some that worked.
Attached File
Now it doesn't move when you push on it, and it always closes. Looks like it'll always open when I push on the button now too.
It's got a crankcase pressure issue, the left head is the only one with a PCV, the right only has the "filler cap breather" on it, so I should really get around to doing that, but I'm not looking forward to dealing with that mess. It needed a quart of oil, so I dumped in whatever I had lying around.
In the spring I'm picking up another 318 almost identical to mine, but with a carb, intake manifold, and a mild-ish cam for stupidcheap. A local guy is swapping his snocommander (short bed 3/4 ton w250) to a 383. I'll probably tear into it replace anything that needs to be replaced, and keep it as a spare for when this engine finally gives up the ghost.