fenix991

Okay, I am tired of running around with a bungee cord holding down the hatch on my 87 EFX Camaro (Yea, yea, I know, get a real Camaro..<G>). Anyway, I know that there is a way to reset the motor on the electric hatch, but I don't know how to do it. Can anyone help so I can get this bright blue bungee cord off my black car??? (Besides, it's blocking my nice WVA Dale Earnhardt tag!!)

Karyn

Camaro_hunter_d

well.... did you try placing your hand over the latch and closing very very hard?. Thats what I had to do with mine. I put the subs in and it messed up the motor somehow(don't ask I dunno) but anyway I have gotten the motor to work sometimes, but mostly have to use the key to unlock and slam the damn thing down to get it to hold down.

fenix991

Well, I am not sure what he did, but my old man got playing around with the motorized hatch and a screwdriver and now it works <G> I don't know how long it will work, but it works. We did find out that you do have to slam the hatch down to make it work properly, though.

Thanks!

Karyn

un4givin89

Replace it with the slam lock. Mine don't work either. Matter of fact they never work rigth. Also check to make sure its still hooked up right. Mine fell right out of its track.

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

The hatch assy fell apart due to the plastic guides disintegrating. I have machined new ones of solid nylon. E-mail me if you are interested in buying some.

[This message has been edited by lonsal (edited July 06, 2001).]

TransAm4u2race

What year T/A's came with the electric hatch pull down thing. i bought a used 84 T/A and i dont know if i have it or not and if i do have it then it dont work

fenix991

I am not sure if they came out in the T/A's or not, but if you have one and it doesn't work, you might know it. When mine didn't work, I wasn't able to lock the hatch. I had to use a bungee cord to hold it down.

Karyn

KNTA4DNU

I seem to remember when 3rd gens first came out, there was a tendacy for the glass to shatter if you slammed the hatch closed, especially in cold weather. That's why they came out with the automatic pull down. Anyone else familiar with that story, or did I read it in Consumer Reports!!???

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87 Formula 305TPI T5

Jza

Besides, if you slam down on the assembly and its plastic pieces are already disintegrating from age, you're only helping it on it's way out the door.

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

un4givin89 is referring to swapping out the electric pull-down style hatch for the older style "slam it shut" style. Not suggesting to slam a pull-down style as a remedy to the problem. There are at least four ways to remedy this problem. 1) Buy a complete new pull-down assy from GM for around $400. 2) Get the older style hatch closure from a pick-a-part and swap it in. An adaptor bracket or JB welding in the correct brackets would be required. 3) With the hatch catch in the lowered position, drill and bolt the guides in place. I am enclosing a tech article on doing this method of repair. 4) Replace the disintegrated plastic guides. (Previously not an option, since GM never even assigned a p/n for those fragile guides). My guides are a direct drop-in replacement for the original ones and much stronger. Good luck, Lon.
http://www.sc3gfb.org/resources/hatchmotor.html


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90 RS Convertible
Owner: Top-Down Solutions
http://www.sc3gfb.org/members/lonsal.html
http://www.taskerinc.com/gs3/profiles/Lon_profile.htm

Trent257

i had the same problem, bungee cord on it, one nite i came home from work, pulled the ttops out, the damn lite wouldnt turn off, stuck a screw driver in there, the next day came home from work, took the bungee of to get the tops, the damn thing wouldnt open, so i popped it and it worked fine, i dont know what the hell happened but it works fine now

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Trent
---Car---
89 Firebird
305 L03 TBI A4
t-tops

---Stero---
Pioneer DEH-P730 Premium
Infinity 2way 4652 4x6's
Pioneer 4way ts-a6985 6x9's
2 pioneer 12" ts-w303c subs (selling if anyone wants em email me)

Futureim undecided about amps, undecided, and a pioneer cdx-p1270 12 disk cd changer