Hey guys,
So I went to undo my rear hatch today, to throw my school crap in trunk, cause I was going to take a friend home. So as I pop the rear hatch, I hear the motor rev as it pushes the hatch up, but right as I grab it it pulls it back down. So I let go of it and try it again. Unfortunately this time, I don't hear the motor rev and pus the hatch up it just pops open. Now my hatch wont close. I think that the motor went back into the position to thinking it was closed. Any way to fix this please, because I have a rear trunk light and i don't want to kill my battery.

Thanks, 3rd

 

Untill you get the motor fixed you can remove the bulb from the rear hatch to save the battery. I dont know how to help you as far as the latch goes.

 

Try greasing the latch assembly, it sounds like the latch may not be releasing the hatch all the way. Also, you can test the latch with the hatch open, just press down on the contact. It's a little black plastic tab that swings in when the hatch striker is in place.

 

Okay so I tried the thing with the plastic piece, yea still didn't work. Car on or off, still nothing. So I unplugged the light and I guess I'll be making a call to the gmc dealer down the street.

 

IT is not rocket science to repair the hatch pull down assembly. Start by downloading the instructions from Topdown Solutions on this site. Then you have to get your hands into it. The following are the main parts:
Nylon slides
Plastic gear.....most common failure.
Motor & Housing
Switch

 

Okay ill go ahead and do that then. Should these parts be readily available at the dealership in case I need one of them to fix it?

Thanks, 3rd

 

Some of the parts are available at a dealer. I upgrade the new-style motors and clear plastic motor housings by reinforcing them with aluminum and epoxy. The dealer won't have the guides though.

I may have some good news for you. I don't think anything is wrong with your pull-down unit. Based on your description of what happened, I think your pull-down unit didn't cycle down all the way. I suspect you opened the hatch before it had cycled down completely. If so it won't continue down or go up until you complete the down cycle. Here's how; reach inside and press on the striker-sensing switch. It is a small paddle that is just in front of the latch (closer to you). If the unit is good, pressing on that switch will start the down cycle. Once you hear the CLICK, that is the reversing switch ending the down cycle. Release the striker-sensing switch and the pull-down unit should cycle back all the way up.

Lon Salgren

 

Hey yal,
So I was hitting the wrong contact point. I thought you were talking about the contact point that it located inside the actual trunk lid of the car. Yeah it works fine now.

Thanks, 3rd

 

I have an87 Iroc convertible. Its sounds like I also have the same problem. Can you post a post a pic of the contact point I should be hitting

 

Just stick your finger down between the black brushes and you will feel the contact. Just press on it until the motor goes down. Nothing is going to grab your finger.

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, my finger.



















Just kidding.

 

that is so funny that happed the other day to my hatch it would not close down so i was like WTF and about to kick the car my contact points for the 3rd brake light on the wing are the 2 on the outside so i cleaned them with steel wool but i thought that it wasnt that since it had worked all the time before but just a shot so mr.handy man i just took off the back plastic covering in the trunk and to give you a little info i was hooking up my trunk light because for some reason it was unplugged back there when i got the car! "weird" but the motor stoped working i checked the fuses even though i did not know witch one went to the hatch and i guess the box that is in the wiring back there for the hatch and light combo wire harnes that box is just a relay...but i guess the first lever that the trunk clip toutches is the motor switch and it was stuck in the back posision so you can hold that down and see the motor go down! but then the latch that locks and grabs the trunk as the motor is being pulled down it was not locking for some reason. So i started looking around and i turns out that the cable that pulls when you turn your key it unlocks the hatch well that just needed the spring reset back on it and the mount for the cable to be but back in the housing of the unit! kinda a pain in the *** but i figured it out!! but just be carefull not to screw down your plastic around the hatch motor and what not while you are testing the contact points and trying to line up and test your trunk because that blocks off your access point to where you can manual unlock the hatch!! you have to climb behind your back seat and into the truck to do it but i almost over looked this and closed my hatch for ever without ruining my trunk light!! just a little FYI! but i got it working!!

 

I had to re-build my pull down motor and most of the slides were cracked. Luckily I had a donor motor with extras. Carefull with those slides.

 

My hatch has not been used for years..The motor and latch work..someone told me the shocks are gone out..Its too heavy so I said ta haides with it..Besides I pile everything in the back seat anyway..