jeremyb1988

Hey guys...okay...so I bought my car like 6 months ago...I remember when I first got it...or think I did at least that the defroster came one for a little while.

However...when I tried to use it again it no longer worked...seems like the OLD switch I had would do something...the yellow light would come on some times...and you could hear the drain on the battery when it was coming on...well I decided to buy a new old switch...installed it and the light popped on...but did nothing.

I personally dont think its a "wiring" issue...I think its more of a component bc the car imo is in such good shape on the inside...etc....I heard and or read it could be a relay/timer? I have found one on Ebay...seems like a fairly simple system. ALSO ALL MY OTHER electrical parts on the car works! Everything....just not this!

navy02ws6

Have you replaced your rear hatch lift supports since you bought your car? Many of the replacements are not made properly, and will instantly short out your rear defrost switch when hooked up. I ended up just going back to my old ones as my new ones were wayyyy too strong anyway, and I was worried about them breaking the hatch motor since it took both hands and all my body weight to close my hatch with them. Of course, a month later the hatch motor quit anyway when the gears on the gear nut completely separated from the nut.

Also, if you know how to solder, you can usually just take the shorted out switch apart and recreate the metal part that always blows with solder.

jeremyb1988

O crap...I did replace the struts with new ones...and yes there the ones that jolt the hatch into the air...I wonder if that's what the problem is...I bought my replacement from Ricks Camaro...u would think they would have provided me decent ones...I think that makes sense...bc I swore I remember it working before all of switching them out...when I replaced my rear defrost switch recently...it came on and the light for like a second and then nothing...

jeremyb1988

If anyone knows where I can get the PROPER rear struts...I called Hawks and Camaro central and they said this is definitely a problem with those new struts...Camaro Central and Hawks said that is WHY they do not carry ones with the rear hatch defogger hook ups on them...

navy02ws6

Yep sounds exactly like the problem I had. IIRC there's a seller on eBay that supposedly sells ones that don't blow the defrost switch, but they're not cheap. Around $50/pair. Of course I can't remember the seller's name. Hopefully someone will chime in with a good source.

Regardless of where you order them, make sure you opt for ones WITHOUT spoiler and WITHOUT rear wiper. Obviously your car is too new to have a rear wiper, but I've found that the only spoiler that's really heavy enough to qualify for "with spoiler" when pertaining to rear hatch lift supports is the 1991-92 Z28 with the giant F40 style wing. My 1991-92 RS rear spoiler is very similar to the IROCs, and "with spoiler" supports were way too strong for my hatch.

jeremyb1988

Yeah that would be awesome if someone knew of some that worked...I'm on Ebay now...but there are just SOOO many diff ones...whoseller USA, Sanlong parts, strong arm, stabiles, and 1A auto...any of those ring a bell....I guess I need a new defogger switch...ugh! Know anywhere to find those...seen one on ebay...bought that but it blew...tried to take it apart and basically broke some plastic of the ends I guess it comes apart at....they don't look like the easiest things to take apart for repair! If anyone reading this has a good one...and knows of some good struts that would be awesome! I want to also check the relay as well...again took of the panel, but DID not see the relay SMH...maybe its behind another panel? I have a 1987 Camaro electrical diagram...so I will use that...someone said the relay could be bad...but that seems odd because when I tried to use the switch like 2 weeks ago it just sounded like a huge current drain...and the light never came on but the switch was doing something...then I put another switch in and light came on for like a split second and NO SOUNDS at all lol....I'm like durn it...stupid rear defogger...I like stuff working!!!

navy02ws6

DO NOT get the Sanlong ones. Those are the ones I got, and they blew my switch immediately.

jeremyb1988

Haha well I have narrowed it down...i bet the 1A auto ones are good...idk...they seem like a decent company...maybe I should call them guys...I think I will right now

navy02ws6

1A tends to stand behind everything they sell...also one of their employees frequents the boards here.

jeremyb1988

Yeah I called them...the guy said he had never heard of any problems with the struts as far as customers returning them or issues...which either tells me that's a good thing...or he just dosent know haha

navy02ws6

Jeremy, did you ever end up getting replacements that work with rear defrost? Mine still needs them, I'm getting tired of getting hit in the head every time I'm back there, and still don't know which brand(s) to trust...

navy02ws6

Snagged a pair of Delco 510-509s for $13/ea on Amazon through some sort of glitch, they're back up to $34/ea now. Will report back if they don't work, figured I had nothing to lose since I can just check them with a multimeter and return them for free if I have any problems.

navy02ws6

Update: Delco 510-509s work fine with rear defrost, and don't blow the switch.

They're spec'ed for no rear spoiler and no rear wiper, and are still WAY stronger than they need to be IMO. I never had any experience with closing the hatch on these cars when they were new, but I did buy my '02 T/A new, and you could leave the hatch down but not latched, and it would stay down without springing up on its own. Not the case with all the replacement lift supports I've tried -- the hatch is either sky high and wide open, or latched closed. No way to leave it down but not latched. But I guess it's better than getting hit in the head with the hatch from weak supports.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

One of my clearest memories was taking a 85'ish Z28 for a test drive on a cool rainy afternoon. I pulled into a parking lot and pressed the hatch release button, figuring I'd have plenty of time to walk back and open it far enough to be sure it worked, then close it up again. As soon as I hit the button the hatch went full open.

The 91.5-92s seem to do this more often than the earlier cars, because the later pulldown assembly raises first and then clicks the latch open near the top, combined with the spring to push the hatch striker out of the latch, they tend to open all the way.

navy02ws6

Thanks for sharing that memory, Drew, nice to know that my late '91 RS hatch is operating like it should! Seriously, little things like that bother me lol.

Makes sense on my early '91 T/A too. Hatch supports in that car are fine (unlike the ones in my RS that were usually fine, unless it's raining or cold outside), and that particular hatch has never raised itself after being released.