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ConvertiblesDiscussed here are problems and solutions to convertible specific questions, including difficult to find part numbers and other convertible tech help.
Well were having a warm spell and I decided to swap my interior out. While I had the seats out I thought I'd take a look at the electric release that has never worked according to the last 2 owners. Here is what I found behind the speaker panel.
The orange box looks like a power pack of some sort says like 12 volts on it. Then there are wires running through that big rusty block looks like a brick. I see only one red wire running into the release mecisom. Is all this stuff on the other side as well? What is the best way to trace down the problem?
Also there is a cable with three small wires in it that runs up between the seats which has been cut. The first day I got the car I thought these were the wires for the release. Now I'm thinking maybe it's for a trunk light or something. What do you guys think?
It seems like the one red wire that runs into a tube is the only wire runing to the release. Have no idea what all that other stuff is for. But I can't find the other end of the red wire in the foot well area and yes I have the kick panel off. Can't even find the two wires yellow/black running from the speakers either.
Well I sent power to the release mechism and it works, haven't looked at the one on the other side yet but I'll assume that probably works as well so at least if I really want to I can mickey rig something to make them work.
Well I removed that orange box and the brick. After I removed the running board I found the wiring from it dead ended and it had nothing to do with tonneau cover. Maybe some kind of aftermarket power top lift?
Also the wires from that cable in the middle were aftermarket and hot. No idea what those could have been for so I cut and removed that.
The red wire that pops the cover does not go to the foot well it runs to the center console switch. Now to get at the switch? It's either remove the shifter plate or the storage box? Hmm, which will be less of a hassle? The switch is closer to shift plate so I guess thats my next move. Getting cold and dark in the garage so this is where the story stops for today I guess. Wish I had a heated garage.
Maybe follow the wires from the center counsel? If not just re-run 'em? Your problem sounds easy. I have to take one of my mechanism's off cause it not working right. The other side works perfect!
Gonna take the other panel off tomorrow and check the other one but I'm sure it will be fine. The systems just not getting power. If I have to I'll run a new power wire to the switch or replace the switch. The wires and boxes I took out were from an old alarm system I figure after looking under the hood and seeing black boxes with flashing lights and wires spliced into the lights. It was a good place to hide the backup power supply I guess.
Gonna take the other panel off tomorrow and check the other one but I'm sure it will be fine. The systems just not getting power. If I have to I'll run a new power wire to the switch or replace the switch. The wires and boxes I took out were from an old alarm system I figure after looking under the hood and seeing black boxes with flashing lights and wires spliced into the lights. It was a good place to hide the backup power supply I guess.
I never understood why people take out alarm systems. If your gonna take it out don't put it in lol. Easy as that. My white one had an alarm until the owner removed it. The same one that put it in lol.
Did you try popping the tonneau with the ebrake on? Mine only works with it on, so it might be worth looking into
also, the wiring for the tonneau passes through the trunk switch before going to the actuators. That is to prevent having both open at the same time. I found the wire that went to the switch, and just spliced the two together and walla.... tonneau poppers work
The brick was part of the alarm system. After reading the post about the E brake I laughed thinking could it be that simple? Answer is no.
Today I took the panel from the passenger side off. Tested the release mec and it worked fine. I did notice that the red power wire running to the release had another red wire "looked factory" running toward the trunk area. Since my Tonneau cover is off and being painted I could not open the trunk to try and see where this wire could go. I cut it from the system thinking is could lead to something causing my problems.
Is it possible that this bridged power wire somehow runs to the other release? Instead of each wire running toward the center console seperately?
I thought when I saw the red wire from the other side going under the rug and being only a few feet from the center console it must run there.
Is it possible the the wire would run in front of the the rear drivers side seat then run up between the seats up around the backrest of the passenger rear seat and down to bridge in with the power wire running to the other release? sounds crazy but what else could be powered off of the wire to the passenger cover release?
I removed the top of the center console and popped the cover release switch out and of course there are no red power wires under there at all "that would be to easy" THERE IS A BROWN AND LIGHT BROWN WIRE RUNNING FROM THE SWITCH. If anyone knows the answers to this mystery please post. I am stopping until I see a reply. Thanks Mike
Answered my own question....the kill switch is a white switch on the lower left side of the hatch pull down....looking at it from the top.
It is attached to an 'L' shaped bracket. There is a connector attached to it that has one red wire and one black wire. The switch is a normally open switch (which means that when the switch is NOT depressed, it is open and NOT making contact of the red wire to the black wire). Therefore, when your trunk lid is closed, it DOES depress the switch which completes the circuit allowing the tonneau cover to be released.
The black wire comes off of the relay under your console. When you depress your tonneau release switch, 12 volts is applied to the black wire from the relay. (Be sure that the switch actually gets depressed when the hatch goes down....manually activate the hatch pull down and observe the kill switch....or put an ohmmeter on the leads and activate the hatch pull down)
This wire leaves the console, is run UNDER the driver's seat to the side of your car and travels back to the pillar post, up by your speaker, into the trunk.
The red wire is attached to the release solenoids...it goes to the passenger side in black plastic wire harness. Just above your passenger side speaker, it has a splice where another red wire splits off and goes under the rear seat bottom under the carpeting to the driver's side solenoid.
Found this in an old post from 2001 ... Dam now I have to pull that rear panel off that I just spent 45min putting back on and reconnect that wire I cut.
Problem fixed!!! Reconnected the red wire behind the speaker panel....found the white switch in the trunk.....cut the wires running to it....connected them together.....hit the switch and the release motors popped. All that work and it was just a stupid switch in the trunk. Now I'll spend the next hour putting everything back that I tore apart in the attempt to trace this problem down.
I love this site....Next problem is the tach fix. At least I did all my reading before hand and know what I have to do with this problem.
Don't assign intelligence (or lack thereof) to the switch. The purpose of the switch is to prevent you from popping the tonneau open if the trunk is already opened. The two can't occupy the sale real estate at the same time. You SHOULD re-wire the switch to operate correctly. Of course then you'd have to make the trunk pull-down work properly too (which isn't hard to do).
Trunk pull down doesn't work however the trunk closes fine. Not going to mess with it. looking at the setup the white switch is like 5 inches from the anything on the trunk lid. If there was some kind of stem in there it's long gone.
Looks good, making progress is fun, keep us posted.
Two things,
1) I wish my t-cover button did not work without E Brake Pulled, my switch is on the side of the cover itself, and I am just waiting for someone to pop that thing while I am going down the highway.
2) I had the trunk and T-cover meet once, I got luck, just a little mark, only I could find it, but if you can put back the safety interlock easily I would recommend it.
Thanks guys....I was going to dive into this same problem with my car this week. I know my switch is good and there is no power to it, now I know where to start looking. My kid may be riding in the back, so I will make sure my t-cover only pops with the e-brake pulled. New paint job and top is coming later this month, so I should have some new pics soon.
The E brake has nothing to do with the release on our cars. I am 99% sure the white switch is not being depressed when your trunk is closed and that is the problem. The last 3 owners of my car never bothered to trace this problem down and used the manual loops. Guess they never found this great site. I also fixed the tach as well... works perfect now. Thanks to this site.
The E brake has nothing to do with the release on our cars.
Well put your car in drive and try it. I'm sure it won't work unless you set the e-brake
Also, my car is a manual, so there has to be some sort of interlock for it to operate. They all should work with the ignition off too IIRC. Haven't had a battery in mine for awhile, or I'd run out and check
Problem fixed!!! Reconnected the red wire behind the speaker panel....found the white switch in the trunk.....cut the wires running to it....connected them together.....hit the switch and the release motors popped. All that work and it was just a stupid switch in the trunk. Now I'll spend the next hour putting everything back that I tore apart in the attempt to trace this problem down.
I love this site....Next problem is the tach fix. At least I did all my reading before hand and know what I have to do with this problem.
Thank you MYZ28NH. i had this same problem,and your post helped me troubleshoot my problem. that switch would have been the last thing i would have thought was the cause of my Tonneau cover switch not working.
I think the only reason yours will only work with the e brake pulled is because it is a manual trans car for automatic it has to be in park unless the wiring is deviated from factory spec.
Hi All
I have been working on my wife's 88 IROC Conv 5spd Tonnaeu release and found everything good until that Red wire went to the Trunk.
I found the White trunk interlock switch, found the 2 wires that go to it and it works great. I did have to move it up until it closed the circuit.
I have a Picture but I'm having trouble loading it.
Timmy from Connecticut
[IMG]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Owner/Desktop/IROC%20Tonneau%20interlock%20switch.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Owner/Desktop/IROC%20Tonneau%20interlock%20switch.JPG[/IMG]
Interesting thread. My situation is that I want to rewire the tonneau switch to open the trunk. I figured I would just extend the tonneau wiring to the trunk solenoid.
However, I have no power to the tonneau solenoids. I swapped out the auto for a T-5 and the tonneau switch stopped working. I'm guessing the switch was routed through the auto trans shifter wiring. Wiring has been very badly hacked by someone who installed a Viper alarm, so it's not all factory correct.
Suggestions?
Thanks
The E brake has nothing to do with the release on our cars. I am 99% sure the white switch is not being depressed when your trunk is closed and that is the problem. The last 3 owners of my car never bothered to trace this problem down and used the manual loops. Guess they never found this great site. I also fixed the tach as well... works perfect now. Thanks to this site.
I realize this post is very old but since I am reading it, I reckon others will have landed here over the years as well. I can tell you without one iota of doubt that the tonneau release system will NOT work unless you have the E-brake engaged and of course that means your E-brake sensor/switch must be working correctly as well. This is true for both manual and auto trans. I know because I currently own one 5 speed convertible and one 700r convertible. So I've spent some time mastering this tonneau release system.
That (E-Brake interlock) is only for a 5-speed. In an Auto, it has to be in Park, but the E-brake can be off. Trunk also must be closed regardless of transmission, and trunk sensor must work. You do not want to open the trunk and the tonneau at the same time. It's very bad.
That (E-Brake interlock) is only for a 5-speed. In an Auto, it has to be in Park, but the E-brake can be off. Trunk also must be closed regardless of transmission, and trunk sensor must work. You do not want to open the trunk and the tonneau at the same time. It's very bad.
I have an 87 5 speed convertible and when I think of it that is quite true. I now know this because the reason I was browsing these posts yesterday was to brush up on my tonneau knowledge because I was about to finalize the work on a 1990 Automatic convertible. As I was doing this work yesterday I confirmed that you are correct. Must be in park but E-brake does not need to be engaged. Here are some other good fart nuggets I've learned about Tonneau operation.
1. The plunger switch attached to the bottom of the hatch motor assembly must in fact be in place and depressed, meaning the hatch motor is all the way down. This ensures the deck lid is closed so that you don't slam the tonneau into an open deck lid.
2. Be sure the connections on your center console tonneau release switch are clean and very tight as this is a source of electrical "bugs".
3. The actuator solenoids are grounded to the car body via the solenoid body being screwed into the car body. Mine was not making good ground due to some seam sealer in the same spot. If needed, remove the solenoids and clean the area to ensure good grounding.
4. My tonneau rubber seal is brand new and causes the tonneau to be very snug when closed. When hitting the center console release switch I got a faint audible click. I suspect it was partially due to a weakened car battery after all the fudging around I had done all day. But I found that if I pushed down on the tonneau right above the latch hook at the same time that I hit the release button then solenoid would get full retraction and pop that side of the tonneau loose. Might be weak battery, weak solenoids or due to snug rubber seal. But you might have to push down on your tonneau to get it to release.
5. Make sure your car battery is fully charged and putting out good voltage.
You can easily test if all your electrical connections and components are working by manually releasing the tonneau and leaving it up while you hit the center console switch. If you hear a pretty loud click/sliding of the solenoids on each side but your tonneau is not releasing when its latched down then you either have weak ground, weak batter, weak solenoids or you need to push down on the tonneau while hitting the release switch.
Referring to the post above, '92 Firebird convertibles (presumably also Camaro's) do not use a pull-down motor for the trunk lid.
The tonneau switch for '92 (also possibly '91) is on the driver's side of the tonneau cover, above the rear seat on that side - it's not in the console like earlier cars.
Referring to the post above, '92 Firebird convertibles (presumably also Camaro's) do not use a pull-down motor for the trunk lid.
The tonneau switch for '92 (also possibly '91) is on the driver's side of the tonneau cover, above the rear seat on that side - it's not in the console like earlier cars.
Right on the mark, Sweatlock. The 91's also had the manual release at the rear seat - no console switch.
What setup should my 89 IROC Z Auto Trans Vert have?
It does not have the tonneau switch, on the center console. (I bought the car 2 years ago, and immediately put it in storage, so I am not very familiar w/ it)!
Finally brought my 1989 IROC Z Vert home to start refurbishing! It has the "Pull Down" decklid, but no third(center switch) on the console. It appears it was built w/ a RED interior and got changed to black, by previous owner(s). Hence the missing switch. The SPID is missing, hopefully I will find a "Build Sheet" as I work on the car. I might start a Thread on the project.
Today I installed new guides and clear plastic housing, on the trunk lid pulldown. I located the tonneau release switch wires, and installed an OE switch.
two things came up tonneau release solenoids click when the switch is activated, but they do not release. I will remove the interior panels, when I get a chance, to troubleshoot.
The new deck lid struts I installed ("Ultra Power" # 4632) are not strong enough to lift the decklid up off the pulldown mechanism. I ordered Sachs struts and will try them soon.
Today I installed new guides and clear plastic housing, on the trunk lid pulldown. I located the tonneau release switch wires, and installed an OE switch.
two things came up tonneau release solenoids click when the switch is activated, but they do not release. I will remove the interior panels, when I get a chance, to troubleshoot.
The new deck lid struts I installed ("Ultra Power" # 4632) are not strong enough to lift the decklid up off the pulldown mechanism. I ordered Sachs struts and will try them soon.
Try adjusting the entire pull-down unit frame up slightly. Mark the location of the frame to the car body first with a permanent marker, then loosen the 3 13mm screws and raise the frame up a bit,
Ok position switch mounted, no joy on solenoid operation...BUT I stuck the switch in on position to check some wires and noticed this...trunk light has power...now that being said...been wondering why trunk lights is spliced off right side solenoid power...but it does make me feel better that there is a signal getting through relay and switch out to the car.
Got power to the solenoids…12.8 each side…still cleaned the mounting area…no joy…if I trigger switch and push the plunger in it will “stick” in the pulled position so there is power to and in the solenoid…not strong enough to pull it though. Bad solenoids? Also is this correct mounting? Seems hokey to me. Anyone have a good part number as RockAuto doesn’t seem to have anything related to tonneau.
I was replacing my latch pull and found some spliced wires. I was wondering if anyone knows how they are supposed to go. I'm now trying to get my tonneau release to work and think that might be the problem. They are the blue and white wires.
I don't have any pictures of my pull down or know what those wires are. Maybe somebody else does. It might help also if you post what year your car is.
I was replacing my latch pull and found some spliced wires. I was wondering if anyone knows how they are supposed to go. I'm now trying to get my tonneau release to work and think that might be the problem. They are the blue and white wires.
Hopefully I can clear a few things up as I just went through this with my 89 Iroc Convertible. I circled a few connectors, which are factory below:
The blue wire circled in yellow will provide power to the pull down relay which should be next to your pull down assembly. This should connect to a +12V source all the time. In my case this was a red/wht striped wire. The white wire circled in red provides power to your cargo lamp and should be connected to an orn/blk wire on your cargo lamp. This has a split from the factory as it goes to the relay and closed switch as well as the cargo lamp on the plug. This should provide power to light when your pull down is in the 'up' position. Circled in green will be your tonneau release switch. This switch should be closed when the pull down is fully closed which will provide a connection between a black wire, which is a switched +12V source from the center console switch.
For the tonneau release to work you need to meet a few requirements. The trunk must be closed completing the switch in the trunk, this is what's circled in green in the picture above. The red wire will run to the passenger side release solenoid and split over to the driver side in the main cabin under the carpet. In my case being a manual transmission, my parking brake must be set to ground the coil for the relay in the center console to supply power to the switch in the center console. I would recommend initially checking for power at the black wire circled in green while pressing your center console switch. If this is good then you have a bad switch on your trunk. This could technically be omitted as it was a failsafe to prevent opening of the tonneau while the trunk was open. If this is not good you must troubleshoot the power coming from your center console.
The pull down connectors in your picture do look correct. I also thought the factory wiring looked questionable. I hope this helps, let me know if you need clarification.
12-29-2008, 11:29 AM
i had this same problem,and your post helped me troubleshoot my problem. that switch would have been the last thing i would have 
thought was the cause of my Tonneau cover switch not working.
