So I've had it. My deck lid release on my 87 GT just wasn't working. But today I'd had enough and was damned determined it was going to. Let me list the things I had tried to date.
- bought all new stuff from a junkyard car
- replaces switch, relay, solenoid, etc.
- tested wires to find power faults or anything that could give me a lead
First off, if your deck lid isn't working correctly (long time fiero owners probly know all this stuff by the way)... the first thing is to check the switch, its easy to get to and easy to replace if its bad. Remove the 4 torx screws and unplug the harness. Visually inspect for any blackening or melting indicating a short on the harness and check to make sure all the the switch blades aren't loose or broken or highly corroded somehow. Don't over think things yet.
If all looks good there, proceed down on the passenger side of the steering column. Almost directly below the switch under the dash you'll find the relay. It will have 3 wires going to it ( mine is an 87 and I believe some colors might be different on other years). You'll have a constant 12v source wire that is yellow, a grey wire, and a black. The easiest way to check if the relay is the cause is to jumper the 2 smaller wires (grey and black) and try the switch again. If the solenoid clicks than your relay is bad. If not, proceed to the next step.
Okay, you've checked the switch and relay, all seems okay so far. Let's move back to the engine bay. Coming through the passenger side of the firewall and up by the deck lid hinge will be a flat looking wiring harness that connects right by the hinge. From there it goes up into the decklid itself and back to the solenoid. Make sure all connections at the harness are solid, free of noticeable burning, and not corroded.
If that checks out good move onto the solenoid itself. The first thing I did was run a small ground wire from the trunk area up to the sheet screw that holds the ajar sensor into the latch body. Then try the switch again. The solenoid grounds through the deck latch when its closed. If the wire makes the solenoid click, than its not properly grounding through the latch and you need to adjust it til it contacts and grounds good.
If adding the ground does not fix your problem, remove the electric solenoid from the latch body and check for rust/corrosion. This is where my problem was. There's a small plunger attached to a levered arm that trips the spring arm when the solenoid pops out. The body of the "plunger" or piston on mine was slightly rusty and just kinda rough looking. My problem was fixed by simply spraying wd-40 onto the plunger and working it in and out. After about 10 minutes of doing this you could start to feel it gaining its "spring" back. Its natural position when removed from the latch body will be all the way OUT, if its in when you remove it, or sticks when you press it in... this may fix your problem as well. Of course it is possible that the solenoid is just junk... but I highly recommend trying these steps before buying all new stuff.
Once my solenoid had its spring back and I moved it in and out for a while to make sure nothing would bind or stick, I took the wire that j had made for the ground from the previous step... got another wire and stuffed it into where the single wire plug is in the solenoid and tapped the other end of the wire to the battery post. Sure enough the solenoid acted brand new. I left the ground wire attached and joined it back on the latch assembly and out a screwdriver in it to close the latch, hit the button and voila! Popped open. I then removed the ground and shut the lid to see if it would still work. Mine did. But keep in mind what was said earlier. The solenoid grounds through the latch so it may need adjusted. If it works with the wire and not without it, than its not contacting the latch well.
I'm sure this is nothing new to a lot of people on here, but I fought and fought with mine til I went through this process. So I thought it may be helpful for some other people new to fiero, or afraid to dig into the cars at all. Might also save some solenoids that didn't need to be tossed, just given some love. Let's face it, not all parts are easy to find for our lovely little cars anymore. Hope this helps someone, typing it all on my phone sucked the ace
Cheers and happy wrenching!
~James
Edit To add : the trunk release is tied into the ctsy/cel fuse in the fuse box. Bottom of the panel when its hanging. Its a 25 fuse.
[This message has been edited by EvilSqueezles (edited 09-04-2013).]
