I've got an '86 IROC with the brake light located on the hatch (not in the spoiler). My third brake light hadn't been working, so I sanded off the metal plates, etc. Now, I can get power to the light circuit. The light works fine with the hatch open (I have to use a piece of wire to get power up there). However, when I close the hatch the light stops working. After a few hours of trying to figure out what's wrong, I've determined that the ground wire is intermittent.

The left gas cylinder for the hatch carries power for the defoggers, and the right one carries ground. I hooked up a meter to the contacts on the right cylinder, and it completed a circuit. However, when I push the hatch down about 2-3 inches, the circuit is broken and there is no continuity. When I hardwire the light to a different ground source, it lights up fine, even with the hatch shut.

Any ideas?

EDIT:
I just checked continuity on the other cylinder, and it does the same thing. When I bought the car I purchased new cylinders because the old ones were shot. Was the original GM part "proprietary" in any way?

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1986 Camaro IROC-Z
Code 23 Paint ("IROC Blue")
305 TPI
4-Speed Automatic
T-Tops
Grant GT Steering Wheel
New A/C Motor!
6-Speaker Audio System
Nakamichi CD40z CD Player

[This message has been edited by blue86iroc (edited August 10, 2001).]