Something has died in the power hatch pulldown in my '91 Camaro. Unfortunately, it did so while in the "up" position.

I can push the hatch in and lock it into the receiver, but the motor won't pull it down to close and seal it. Is there any way to force it to power down? I know the hatch can be forced to release, but I don't know about pulling it down.

I've checked the LID and ACC fuses, both are good. The power release and key release both still work. There is 12V at the Blue and Brown leads to the reverse sensing switch.

I'm not sure if the striker switch is bad or the motor is. Any way to reliably diagnose which may be the problem? Can I power the motor externally while it's still in the car?

 

Have you looked at the grounds for the pull down unit. Here is schematic for you to look at.

 

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80% of the time the motor isn't what goes bad. The reversing switch is what goes first. It's a $20-$25 dollar part so it's worth changing without regret if not the problem. Let me know if you what more details on it because there are 2 different switches available for your year. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the input guys. Also thanks to Lon for some troublshooting tips and suggestions over the phone.

I pulled the reversing switch and manually connected 12V to the motor and was able to pull the assembly down.

Now I can safely and securely drive the car to work for the remainder of the week. I'll test both the reversing switch and the latch sensing switch and order the appropriate parts from TDS.