ok, my trunk wont pop,,i was told it was the relay. where is it located? what color wires go to it.. i was looking near the ecm but didnt see anything.
thanks

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1988 GTA Trans Am 350tpi: 47k miles,3:27 BW rear, aftermarket t-tops
Hotchkis: subframe connectors & strut tower brace
Flowmaster: 3inch exhaust& dual chamber muffler
Accel: 8.8mm wires, cap&rotor, u-groove spark plugs
Edelbrock: 52mmTB, intake & runners
K&N: filtercharger
TPIS: 170* stat, afpr, mat relocation kit
March: performance crank and alternator pulleys
Hypertech: 176* fan switch
Other mods: ported plenum, gutted cat, tb coolant bypass, homemade cold air induction, flux capacitor, driver side floor mat removed

 

Have you checked your ACC fuse in the fuse block? You might want to try unplugging the wiring harness at the hatch motor and plugging it back in. It's a far shot, but u got nothing to lose. I accidentaly closed my trunk with a box of fuses on the sill. Motor wouldn't work at all. I just unplugged it and plugged it back in and it worked. Sorry, I don't know where the relay is.

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"WARNING: Objects in mirror are about to disappear VERY quickly!"

 

the motor works, its just that it wont pop from the button on the dash or the alarm key chain, i have to use the key i just realized that it will pop from the dash button and alarm key chain if the ebrake is on!! WHY? it never used to do this?? so what blew??

 

The relay, I believe, is below the hatch-release switch on the console. Follow the wiring to it.

JamesC

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[This message has been edited by JamesC (edited May 23, 2001).]

 

there is a brown and white wire that is touching the ebrake inside the console. could this have something to do with it?

 

The hatch release was designed from GM so that the parking brake (with manual trnasmissions - shifter in park for automatics) must be engaged before allowing the hatch to be released. This was done to prevent it from opening while driving.

The positive side of the release relay coil is connected to the accessory fuse (continuous +12 battery) and the other side (negative) is connected to the hatch release switch (and your alarm system so you can release it through your remote) which in turn is connected to a switch mounted at the emergency brake lever. The parking brake lever must be raised at least an inch or two to close this switch so it can complete the circuit to ground.

Why it wasn't operating this way before I don't know. Perhaps the parking brake switch was misaligned so that it would never operate. This switch is configured with normally closed contacts to ground, so with the switch in its normal, or "free" state (not being operated), it will ground. Operating it will open the contacts (removing ground) with the parking brake lever in the down position (which contacts the switch button), preventing the relay from operating and the hatch from opening. Parking brake lever "up" releases the switch causing it to make contact to ground, allowing the release relay to operate and open the hatch. Just a guess.

[This message has been edited by Stuart Moss (edited May 23, 2001).]

 

ok, it was operating when i had the car in park before(i have an auto),, so why is it now that i have to pull up the ebrake?
isnt the ebrake just needed to let manuals transmission cars pop their trunk?

 

Good question of which I have no answer.

According to the GM service manual for my 91 Camaro, only the manual transmissions used the parking lever as the safety. Automatic transmissions used the shift lever (park as well as neutral) as the safety.

Since you have an automatic and the parking lever is affecting this relay, you'll have to look and see what is connected to the parking brake lever and the release relay (the release relay should be ~5 inches to the left of the lever). Just follow one of the wires from the hatch release switch (NOT the wire connected from the release relay coil to the release switch) - the other one and trace it. From the factory, this wire goes to the shift lever switch that will ground it when it is in park or neutral and open it when in the other positions.

It sounds like there were some other "hands" fiddling there (the person that installed your alarm???).

cheers

[This message has been edited by Stuart Moss (edited May 23, 2001).]

 

its got nothing to do with the alarm install, the alarm was installed 2 years ago and the problem started to occur a few months ago. i think the wire near the ebrake is touching something or a relay blew..???????????

 

Well, the only way to know for sure is to trace the wire and see excactly where it is connected and/or see what exactly the hand brake release lever is connected to do cause the relay to operate.

I was only taking a guess that the alarm installation had something to do with your problem based on the information you originally provided. Nothing more, nothing less.