I need some help wiring up the switch to pop the solenoids for the tonneu cover on my dad's '92 Z28. The dash and interior wiring harness we are using are from a hardtop car so basically we're trying to do this starting at the switch.

What we have is the switch with two wires coming out of it, one tan and one grey. I have a '92 dealer service manual and I'm having a hard time understanding what it wants me to do. It looks like the tan wire is supposed to go to the relay on the power hatch release, I guess it just needs to be spliced in somewhere? And the grey one on the wiring diagram shows that it tee's into a bunch of other stuff including the parking brake switch, which itself only has one lead coming off of it. So again, do I just splice the grey wire into the lead going to the e-brake switch? Any help would be appreciated. Once we figure this out and one other wire coming from the power hatch release, we can finish installing the carpet.

 

I haven't looked into the wiring schematics in awhile but it sounds like the switch provides a ground for the relay. The relay is probably powered all the time and when you hit the button it grounds it, and only when the ebrake is engaged. Does that sound right? When I changed my dash panel to the 3button version (one trunk, one foglight, and one rear defrost) I found that ASC spliced into the trunk wiring for the tonneau switch up there (on birds)

Funny story, I bought a power trunk release for my bird years ago. Bolted it up, aligned it and shut the trunk. Boom it worked flawlessly. Reached down and plugged the connector in and relays started clicking like mad, the tonneau switch light was going on and off and the car was pulling a Christine! That's when I realized ASC used the trunk release wiring to pop the tonneaus. A couple extra wires/relay and I was golden.

 

Hey bluezee, my vert is a 92 like your dads. My tanneu switch (popper) is on the drivers side tanneu in front of the release handle that releases the top from the tanneu. I can pull my switch and run wires if you would like? My switch hangs out a little bit anyway. I have been meaning to fix it and this would be a great excuse to get in there and do it.

 

Man if you would do that I would be very grateful!

 

I will trace from the switch on the tanneu and see how it goes to the release solenoids. Do you need to know where it gets power from? You can run power to it from anywhere but I would run it hot all the time like the factory did. There is a spot on the fuse box that says bat and I use a male spade and connect it in the port.

 

I basically just need to know where each of the two wires go to from the switch on the tonneu cover. I've got about 6 ft of wire coming from the switch and the ends were snipped off and I don't know where they went to.

 

is yours manual or auto? see i just converted mine from a auto to a manual and then i had the problem of the system not popping the solenoids. come to find out the relay that is under the power window and tonneau release well was still wired for the auto and not the manual. if yours is a manual and you have the dark green big wire at the relay all i did was take the wire from the parking brake and cut the green wire away from the relay and put the brake wire in its place and it works now.. not sure if that is what you want to hear but that is what i did to get mine working again,.

 

OK, There is a grayish-tan coffee (with milk) colored wire and a peach colored wire going to the switch. The metal pieces are shaped the same as the rear lid release. A blade with a slight 90 at the end and it has a triangle shape halway up the blade. The harness runs down the hinge and Ys off to each solenoid. Each wire has a small white stripe I think. It was a little faded. It was tied to the release cable that releases the top from tanneu. If you can find a parts car with the middle switch in the console for the trunk it will have the right connector to attatch to the tanneu switch. Hope this helps, I learned something myself and got my switch glued in so it doesn't stick out anymore. The little tabs are broken off so a little gasket maker does the job.

 

the way the switch operates is it grounds the relay which would be located in the center console. so you have the switch which grounds the circut which goes to the relay. Im going on memory on the rest from the 92 Z28 I had but it then goes from the relay to the solenoid on the passenger side via a blue wire, then all the way around the back of the car by the taillights to the other solenoid. If one solenoid is burnt or there is a bad wire the whole system will not work. that was a problem I ran into with mine and had to replace a section of burnt wire in the trunk. I hope any of that helps

 

Some good info in this thread.

Is there anyone who has the electrical schematic for ASC unique wiring for each year? I'm looking for 1989 info myself right now. Need one that shows the solenoid wiring and the changes ASC made.

I have offered to host more files like this via a PM this morning to Duck and OKFoz.

I have the stock 'hatch release' diagram (for 1989) hosted here:

http://www.gmassie.net/l98gta/hatch-release.jpg

Doesn't cut it for the convertible....

Gerry-