. I'm restoring an 89RS and the unit never functioned when I first bought it.I got an OK deal on an new assembly. I now have it so if I push down on the hatch, the pull down mech pulls the hatch closed and it's locked.

If i turn the key, the hatch pops open and the motor drives the assembly upward. I gather that you can't just close the hatch like on a 4th gen or other hatchbacks. is the correct operation to push the hatch unbtil it's done its process?

Next, what happens if your battery is dead? Is there an override that it drops all the way down? Or, is your hatch popped open a little as you leave your car in a parking lot to go get a charger/jumper cables/battery. You know, an open invitation?

Since I've never seen it work correctly I just need some feedback if it's working correctly

thanks

 

The correct way to close it is to shut it onto the latch then let the motor pull it down. If the battery is dead, chances are it won't pop with the button...so you'll be using the key. The motor won't lift up without battery voltage. It will unlatch with the key though. It is possible to get it to catch with the motor down, usually requires a good bit of effort though. It is usually not recomended to do it that way.

 

Yea, mine got broken by a car wash attendant.

 

thanks

I'll just have to be attentive as to which vehicle I'm driving so as not to slam the hatch on the 89

 

And never let anyone else ever close your hatch! treat it like a newborn baby - very gently. Never use the key to open except a dire emergency. I don't even let my wife touch mine!

 

interesting. I have seen pictures of 3rd gens that have a switch in between the 2 window switches on the center console. I have no such switch, only a block off plate. So, I'm relegated to using the key unless I want to fashion a switch but it's not a big deal to me. Either it's going to be an occasional driver or I'm going to sell it once I get done painting it.

 

Yep - I have the switch. If you decide to keep the car, I'd definitely get the switch and relay connected into the motor to use. I even have an aftermarket keyless entry that's rigged into the hatch release switch so I can open it with remote.

- the comment on the wife is true. I guess I'm paranoid about my hatch motor really - I've had it apart and rebuilt it twice now, and because of that I see how really fragile they are. Daily I'm amazed that after 20+ years of getting slammed, there's actually any left out there that work at all (b/c you know all the 16 year olds that got these cars as a first car back in the 1980's abused them).

 

How does opening the hatch with your key affect the motor in any way? You are aware that all the switch does is trigger a solenoid that does the same thing as turning the key, right?

 

just a thought but maybe because the motor is still in the down position but the latch released the rear hatch. so, when you go to close the hatch, the motor is still in the down position making it unable to catch onto the rear hatch. not positive though

 

Opening with the key is a much worse - there is no solenoid operation (at least not in mine) - the key turns, which mechanically opens the catch in the top of the motorized unit, and the hatch opens from the force of the struts. Since there is no pressure downwards on the plastic button inside the catch area, the motor rises to the open position to be 'ready' for the closing.

If I open my hatch with the key, there is a very harsh "pop", and the hatch opens long before the motor rises. If I open with the release button, it is a very quiet slow steady smooth operation where the hatch opens with the motor, UNTIL it gets to the top of the 'cycle', and THEN the hatch is released from the catch. The key moves the catch lever mechanically, rather than the catch being moved electronically by use of the solenoid - in other words, the key mechanically moves the solenoid that was better engineered to be 'worked' by the electronics.

It's much much better to not use the key unless necessary - anyone can tell that by listening to the release by key-use versus release button use.

 

1992 might be different, but I doubt it. In all the earlier models all the interior release does is fire off a solenoid that does the exact same thing as the key.

 

since I've been bent over messing with it the past day, I see there is a plastic switch that when the hatch hits it, the motor goes down. The switch is only depressed after the hatch striker has passed thw licking mech. When I opened the lock with the key, the hatch released and thus the plastic switch was no longer engaged and the mechanism cycled upward.

I'm probably not going to bother with a switch in the center console although I may look. If there is wiring, I'll short them together and if it's that simple, and the mechanism functions, I'll hit the boneyard and find a switch

 

My motor is different than many I see - has different swicthes inside of it that are moved by the hatch loop than many of the others I've seen. I had it apart last month again (gear stripped in motor), andt he internals are the same for the motor (I have several 'dead' units lying around for parts), but the mechanism on top is different - and all my parts units are different than mine (must be from older year cars).

I do know on mine, there's a hell of alot of difference between using the key or using the button, because of such, I always use the button

 

Sounds like you have the wrong unit or something. mine works very well and is the original unit. seems your parts are being ripped up because of too much strut pressures, just my guess without looing at it. By the way, I use the key all the time,as it would seem silly to open up car to get to switch, switch on console works very well when inside.

 

Like I said, I have remote entry wired in, so I don't open car to pop hatch.

And my struts are worn, so there's not alot of pressure either.

Regardless of what many might think, there are at least 2 different hatch motor assemblies from the factory. I know this for sure, 100% guaranteed, I have TWO different ones in my hand, and there are differences between them. Also, another poster just today as a matter of fact asked questions concerning the differences in the two units - so I'm not the only guy in the world that has actually seen that more than one unit exists!

One might work better with the key 'popping' it than the other, I don't know, never had the 'other' kind in my car. So, maybe for the one kind, using key is no great issue. But on the other kind, it is an issue - there's a great difference in using the key versus using the button (or my remote), and that's why I just reccommend to everyone to not use the key and save the stresses associated with it.

Like it or not, there are more than one type of factory installed motorized hatch assemblies, and they may well indeed work slightly differently - mine is very stressed by use of the key. Use of the key in MY assembly releases the hatch from the mechanism BEFORE the motor comes up - naturally much different than using the release button, where the hatch is released AFTER the motor comes up.

Can't believe this has turned into such a great debate, when all I did was suggest that using the key may wear more on an already 18+ year old mechanism that was never designed to last even this long - I was just trying to be helpful and advise general caution when using this feature that was never designed to last indefinitely.

Pop YOUR hatch anyway you like. I'll not use the key for mine though thank you. And if your hatch works the same as mine does, I reccommend you not use the key either.

 

Here's the thread that shows I'm NOT the only one that knows hatch motors are different between years:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...1-91-92-a.html

It's even mentioned that TDS sells different parts for different type hatch motor assemblies.

 

I am well aware there is a different motor in 91/92, but as far I know they acted exactly the same. You are saying differently and I will accept that. My 1992 Camaro didn't have an internal release, so I always used the key and when I sold it the rear pull down still worked just fine.

However, the Original Poster has a 89, this does not have the 91.5-92 pull down unit. In those units it makes no difference if you use the key or internal release switch.

 

I noticed you guys are 'debating' about using a key for the pre-91 hatch motors. I personally have a 88 and 91 (haven't used the 91 motor yet though) and when I had the 88 running I would always use the switch on my center consol to pop my hatch since it was just easier for me rather than using the key.

Though, if you have no battery power and you use the key, your hatch will not lock back down. This might not be what you guys are talking about but I think I saw someone ask about having no battery power.

I popped my hatch without a battery, and now my hatch is unlatched until the motor has power again.

It might be possibly to (with a lot of force) get the hatch to latch back down by pressing it down but I tried pretty hard and it never worked for me.

So, that's just my .

 

my friend has a 92 rs and his rear hatch pull down used to work but now it doesnt even latch closed..u can open it any time..good thing his shocks dont work or it wouls fly open all the time..anyone know how to fix this?

 

Mine just stopped working correctly on me the other day. When I opened it with the key the latch never came up as it normally does. I have a 89 RS without power windows and I don't even have a button inside the car to pop the hatch. Is this normal? Where should it be located?

 

I'd suggest this guy:
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/

it cost me 47.50 for new guides, relay and some white lithium grease

there's a switch on the moving unit that gets hit as the unit moves from up to down so that the motor knows which way to go; if you're unit goes down without the deck lid you'll need to get in there and flip that switch so the motor will push it back to the top to receive the deck lid. You may need a new motor as well those cost some cash, if you need a quick fix, I went 7 years with those tar strips for plugging tires as a stabilizer to just be able to shut the trunk not the best, but it worked lol

 

the rear hatch system on my 88 r/s constantly runs, i have to disconnect it so my batterie doesnt die, what ways can i fix this problem?

thank you

 

I had the same problem on my 91 RS w/o power windows and it turned out to be the relay. On the 91 it is in the hatch behind the back panel in the wiring before the motor. If you are facing the hatch from the back of the car, it was located on the left side in the corner. Relay was like 10 bucks....

 

Does it move up or down, is it not moving?

If it doesn't move and just runs it's probably the gear.

Check out top-downsolutions.com

http://www.top-downsolutions.com/gea...aeb4a31aa38b30

 

Awesome, ill definatly check it out, and my r/s is w/o power windows to, which is fine, one less thing to worry about fixing.
thanks for your help

 

yeah it just stays in one spot, running non stop

 

I'm willing to bet that gear nut is stripped then.

 

Cool, when i get out of school, ill check it out and see whats up, thanks very much.

 

My hatch story. When I first got the car my motor wouldnt work and the guide track was totally busted. Missing plastic fittings and such. I found an entire assembly and motor on here from a user for 115 dollars. Was shipped without ANY padding in a cereal box....that made me nervous. Nonetheless I installed the thing and it worked just fine....for a month. Until one night where the motor got stuck trying to pull the hatch down even though it was down all the way. I disconnected the ground from the motor. My track is in the complete down position and opens and closes as it should. Without any help from the motor either. I'm leaving it disconnected as long as it continues to close all the way. These motors are too expensive and too tempermental to bother with. I'm surprised no one sells a solid latch replacement option or something like that. If there is such a thing out there, please let me know.

 

Update: I adjusted mine so now I can simply put the hatch down and walk away and the motor pulls it down. I guess that is how it is supposed to work.

Here is an interesting thing that i had to do. The catch or whatever it's called on the hatch which inserts into the pulldown when it's closed: I flipped its orientation. Yes, I had to modify the bolt holes but once I did that it worked correctly. No, the vehicle has no rear damage form a collision

the vehicle is an 89 RS w/V8 and it has no switch inside the vehicle. It only has the 2 power window switches. So, you must be outside with a key to open the hatch.

 

You shouldn't have to turn the hatch hook around. You had to do this because the rear hatch is out of alignment. I'll bet the spoiler no longer aligns with the side trim pieces, but instead sits too far to the rear. This is caused by the pneumatic struts pushing the metal portion of the hatch away from the glass. There is a "Hatch alignment 101" article on how to repair this in the Technical Articles section of this site.

Lon

 

1: I know I should not have

2: it lines up perfectly


3: it makes no sense to me but if it aint broke, why fix it


4: the pull down assy I got was from a bird so i don't know if they are different in size and at this point, don't care. It's off of my to do list

 

Not trying to hijack your thread but.... Would a newer style pull down assembly work in an older model vehicle? The newer model (90(91?)-92) pull down assemblies seem to be a much better design. Plus i can get one for CHEAP, so if the bolt pattern is the same ill do the swap.

 

From looking at pictures, no





Notice the completely different bolt patterns.

 

Well it was worth the shot. Oh well.

Note; I bought the pulldown assembly anyways for 25 bucks. I will transfer its mounting bracket and do the swap.