I don't like the fact that if I decide to pull over and take the T-tops off/put them on, or get something else out of the trunk that I have to turn my car off to open my hatch.

I know there's a way to do away with this "feature" but I don't know how. My buddy's dad did it a while back on one of his cars but I haven't gotten around to asking him yet.

#1, why did they incorporate this feature?
#2, how do I remove it?

Any help is appreciated, and I'm sure this has been covered before but I couldn't find anything in my searches...though I may have been looking for the wrong terms, I don't know.

 

You should be able to pop them with the engine running by pulling the e-brake lever to the first detent. It is a built in feature to prevent someone from accidently popping the hatch while the car is in gear.

 

I thought the hatch release interlock was through the park/neutral switch on an automatic car.

 

Well I'll give it a shot. I have no parking brake right now as it is anyways (LS1 rear swap and haven't gotten around to the brake cables yet...other priorities), but it will at least detect it being up, though the P/N switch does sound much more like what they would've done on an auto car..

 

*sigh* You're a g*d. The parking brake handle is the key. Doesn't even need to click. As soon as the parking brake light goes on, you're good to go.

Now...if someone could send me a schematic of this system, I'll try to find an easy way to get around it without having to pull the handle, but leaving the light out. I realize I bypass the switch itself, but then the light will be on all the time. That can be fixed by removing the bulb, but I want something that's more permanent for if I ever get the parking brakes hooked back up.

Though, its really not that big of a deal if all I have to do is lift the handle anyways..

 

To Aperion, on camaros it is and on early model firebirds it is on the e-brake switch. On the later model firebirds it was on the P/N switch for automatics and the e-brake for manuals.

 

I hot wired my switch to make it work at any time. I just ran a hot lead to one of the terminals. It's been a few years, so you'd have to play around w/it--but it is possible to do.

 

Well what he can do is take the tan/white wire that goes from the hatch release relay and splice it into the yellow wire that goes to pin "F" of the Park/Neutral switch and that way he could open the hatch just by having the shifter in either park or neutral.

 

Here's a wiring diagram if it helps. If you need a better quality version I could email it to you. It's for an '88 Camaro but your bird should be pretty much the same.

 

well, I own an 89 automatic firebird and pulling the e-brake allows me to open the hatch.
I found it out when I was trying to press the hatch button with the power on (engine off) cuz the brake light would come up. Than I just turned my car on, pulled the e-brake up and kablam the hatch opened.
I dont think I had a manual in there before, so I guess it all depends on your car.