I just got my 1989 V8 RS, And the hatch motor for the "trunk" is going bad. You have to pull/push on it to make it come all the way up and down. I have heard of some people welding it in place so It will always be in the "closed" position and was wondering if anyone has done it and what the pros and cons are.

 

Repair it, dont weld it because that fixes nothing

The housings for the motors are plastic so some slob will break it when slamming the trunk vs damaging the mechanical parts. Plastic housing is available from TDS, 1A auto and ebay

 

also, while you're in there, it may be worth replacing the plastic sliders that the latch rides on. they get brittle and fall apart. If yours are cracked or gone, take a look over at TDS for replacements

 

I agree on inserts. Mine were pretty bad once I tore it apart. I tried to jb weld housing once worked for awhile but eventually broke so I bought a new one from TDS. It's a stupid design IMO to have most stress on a plastic housing that's held to a metal bracket with 3 small screws.

 

even sillier on GM's part is that the inserts never got a part number, so they couldn't even be ordered from the dealer new!

 

Yeah, I'm definitely going to check the housing and the brackets, I can still hear the motor going so hopefully its still good. But it sounds like its struggling so I will probably have to buy a new one here eventually..

What is the actual www. for TDS because when i google it all that comes up is some stock trading company..

 

Top down solutions. Www.top-downsolutions.com

 

Thanks, I'm very new to actually working on cars. Luckily I have a few mechanic buddies.

 

No worries TDS instructions usually have pics and step by step directions.

 

Yeah, that's cool. 1A auto has instructional videos too. Should be helpful.