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How is the trunk light work is it on a swich so that when u open the rear hatch the light comes on? If so anyone got a pic of the switch and how its mounted thxs
there is a plug for it. but i think it also is in series with the hatch motor. my light doesnt go out cause my hatch motor runs continously i think. ill send a pic when i have a chance.
Here hare two pics of the plugs. this first one is for your trunk lamp.the trunk lamp goes in the 2 prong housing tht sits in the rear panel tht covers the hatch motor. the second pic is the plug for your hatch motor. if i recall correctly the lamp and the motor are in series. on mine the light comes on but doesnt turn off because my hatch motor is running continously at the moment so i have them both unplugged,
That's how mine was from the factory I couse I got thewhole in the panel for that black switch thank you both for the pics I'm goin to use a switch mounted to the motor setup so that when the motor opens the light will come on by its self and when it closes the light goes off
...on mine the light comes on but doesnt turn off because my hatch motor is running continously at the moment so i have them both unplugged.
You didn't mention the motor continuously running in your other thread. You have a bad gear nut. TDS 109111 GEAR NUT $7.95, in stock. Web site is temporarily offline. Call me and I'll ship it to you.
You didn't mention the motor continuously running in your other thread. You have a bad gear nut. TDS 109111 GEAR NUT $7.95, in stock. Web site is temporarily offline. Call me and I'll ship it to you.
Lon Salgren
626-369-0040
I didnt make a thread i think, but i already ordered it on sunday. you sent it already.thanks.
OK, someone else with a 91-92 style pull-down posted a problem with the hatch light not shutting off in the "Electrical" category. If that is the ONLY symptom, then I suspect a bad striker switch. It turns off the hatch light and turns on the motor for the down cycle. In your case a motor continuously running is a bad gear nut.
I'm having an issue with my hatch light not shutting off. Usually when I pop the hatch if I don't get to it right away to lift it open it will close again on its own.
I just recently changed all of my bulbs to leds and I remember when I popped the hatch to remove the light I saw that the light was on but then when I made it to the back of the vehicle the light was off. I figured it must have burned out. So then I put my led in and it didn’t work. I had power going to the light but it was not grounding. I just figured the wire must have been broken somewhere and I just grounded the light to the frame and now the light works but it does not shut off. After reading this thread I'm thinking maybe the switch is bad.
Do these symptoms indicate a bad switch and is there a way to test it?
You have a 1989-91 F-body. On those years the striker-sensing switch turns on and off the rear hatch light via a white wire that is plugged into the black with orange stripe wire. That white wire is a switched ground. Unplug the white wire and test it for continuity to ground. With the hatch open you should have ground. Press the striker sensing switch you should have an open circuit.
I did what you said. When I check the wires my meter isn't registering anything so I think the circuit is open.
There is a black thing where the white wires meet. I think it's just a splice of some sort but I believe that’s where my problem is.
Can you confirm that this black thing is just a splice of some sort? I don't want to cut it off not knowing 100% for sure what it is.
I do not recommend "kludging" anything. You need to simply replace the striker sensing switch. It includes all the wiring for the hatch pull-down unit. The switch has been discontinued for many years now by GM. You can get it from any 1986-early 91 pull-down unit. The striker-sensing switch from a 86-87 would need to be modified by swapping the small black connector on the blue wire for the larger white connector in order to work properly for your 1987-91 car.
I sell refurbished striker-sensing switches on my web site under the "Hatch pull-down items".
Thanks for your help with all of this. It's very much appreciated. If all that black thing does is join those 2 wires together and if that is in fact where my problem lies, what harm could come from soldering those wires together? I would much rather have a "free" repair as opposed to spending $50. If it turns out that doesn’t fix it then I have no choice but to buy a new one if I want it to work correctly. But as I said, I'm not 100% sure what that black thing is. I tried opening it but was unsuccessful. There was a plastic cover on it which I was able to remove but it doesn't appear as though it opens.
What does the single white wire connect to? Where can I find the black switch for the light?
For 89-early 91 model years the white wire plugs into the black with orange stripe wire. It supplies a switched ground to turn on the hatch light when the hatch is opened. From 86-88 the optional hatch light was turned on by a manual switch. If your car doesn't have the black with orange stripe wire, then the white wire is unused and therefore plugs into nothing. Leaving the white wire unplugged has no effect on the hatch pull down motor working or not working.
