Paint It Black

Havent really done anything with this yet, and now that I look back Im not sure how to go about it at all. I plan on eyeing the fuse first, but if it comes to tightening the latch I dont know how to get to it.

I took a look today at the assembly and can see a few screws, but dont quite see how they unsecure the block assembly. Cant find anything online for it either. :/

Any first hand knowledge how to remove that latch assembly?

BEZ06

There is a "latch", and a "latch support".

Here's a picture of the latch and latch support as one connected assembly:




And here's a picture of the latch/latch support assembly attached to the rear of the cargo compartment:




In the first picture you can see the 4 bolts that hold the assembly to the rear wall of the cargo compartment.

The second picture is of the assembly attached in the cargo compartment.

When I put a power auto pull down latch into my '06 Z06 I got the assembly as one unit - I never separated the latch from the latch support.

You may be able to remove the latch from the latch support just working in the cargo compartment - I dunno!

However, I do know you can remove the entire assembly by removing the inner tail/brake lights and reaching in to access those nuts you can see in the first picture. That way you can remove the assembly, then you could try to open it up to see what might be accessible and and actually serviceable inside the latch. It's been several years since I did the mod, and I don't feel like going out and removing the trim piece in the cargo compartment that covers up the latch, but I seem to remember that the latch looked like a rather "unserviceable" unit - it might be hard to open it up to work on the components inside.

Good luck, and let us know if you are able to open up the latch and service the release solenoid or other components in there!!

Bob

Jimmy W1

2nd this. If you hear the solenoid every time, then the electrical system is working, so you can rule that out. If it opens eventually after three or four tries, then the cable hasn't come undone. So, you can rule that out too. I'm for the possibility of something being in a bind or out of alignment. Try hitting the button and at the same time- slightly pushing down (or slightly lifting up) on the hatch lid. If it opens every time, then it might need to be adjusted. Or one of the tightening nuts/screws might have come loose. This would be the first thing I'd check. Good luck.

Paint It Black

So last night I finally got a chance to take a look.

I took the latch assembly mount off the car like BEZ06 suggested. Then, took a look at trying to tighten anything only to find that all of the springs are riveted in on both sides. I sprayed the internals best I could with WD40 and put everything back together. No fix

After some troubleshooting, I came to the following conclusion...

When the electrical signal for the latch open (fob, drivers side, above license, doesnt matter) reaches the latch, the plastic arm that the manual unlock cable pulls moves outward. I decided to put slight pressure outward on that arm and press the unlock button, and it seemed to open easier (not completely however).

I want to say the cable should be taut enough to be pulling on that arm at all times, so that when the signal is recieved the arm moves with ease towards the unlock, but im not sure.

BEZ06, do you remember if that cable was taut or not?

Im leaning towards taking it to the dealer, im just wary about the price theyll charge.

Travelor

Usually problems tend to be rather simple and we tend to overlook them - and sometimes not so and the bear bites you in the butt.

But, have you considered greasing the latch mechanism? It might be something as simple as the latch is dragging.

BEZ06

I'm not sure what cable you're talking about, but if it's the cable in the picture below, that cable has absolutely nothing to do with the electrical opening of the latch:




That cable is strictly for opening the latch with the key - it comes up from the key lock cylinder above the license plate and is only activated by turning the key.

So.....the tension on that cable shouldn't affect the electrical operation of the latch at all.

Matter of fact, there have been numerous forum posts by owners that have never had a problem with electrical operation, but have either locked the fob in the car, the fob is inop, or the car battery is dead and they can't open the latch electrically. Then, when they try to open the trunk or hatch with the key they find that it won't work. In many cases the cable is unhooked as in the picture below, but that doesn't affect the electrical operation at all:




So, if that's the cable you're talking about, the tautness of that cable shouldn't matter.

Bob

Paint It Black

@Trav, lubricated the crap out of everything when I took it apart. No improvement

@Bob, what I meant is that when the latch is opened electrically, the plastic arm where that cable connects moves. If I put outward pressure on the arm, the latch opens easier so if the cable was able to provide that outward pressure to an extreme amount, I wouldnt be having a latch issue.

Thats the connection ive found, maybe my car is the fluke but who knows.

My brain hurts from constantly thinking to myself what would cause this issue. lol

p.s. Not to mention that there is still the issue of the latch not auto-closing but a single time after the mechanical latch release is used. That just doesnt make sense to me at all.

Can I get an engineer here or something? haha ugh

LeoDelC

I don't have experience with GM solenoids, but I have replaced a couple door lock solenoids in my wife's Toyota. The failure symptoms are very similar to what you describe: the lock/unlock function would intermittently work, and I could tell the solenoid was "trying" as the mechanical lock control would twitch but not flip. The Toyota design uses a small DC brush motor not much different than you find in any number of motorized toys. The motor turns a small gear system that creates the thrust to manipulate the lock mechanism. The failure mode for these have been simply the brushes wearing out; as a result in the motor loses torque which makes the mechanical function intermittent and ultimately non-functional.

I would not be surprised if the GM design is similar- it is a very economical way to electrically control a mechanical push/pull actuation. The way you describe your problem is consistent with this type of failure mode- pulling on the cable slightly is just helping the motor out a bit, letting it get by with its reduced torque.

If this is the case, the practical solution is replacement of the solenoid mechanism. While it may be possible to service the motor, assuming you can successfully diassemble and reassemble the mechanism, you'll almost certainly need replacement brushes specific to that motor for which no source would be readily available to you.

Jimmy W1

^^^^^^^That's what I was just getting ready to say. ^^^^^^^ The solenoid might be getting weak or it might be going bad and doesn't have enough power to open the hatch all of the time. It might be losing it's ground due to moisture (or something like that). You might want to check and make sure it is tight and hasn't come loose from it's support.

BEZ06

The site I used to get graphics and part #'s went belly-up.

But, I went to forum vendor http://gmpartshouse.com and tried to find the latch for you.

I'm not positive, but best info I could find was that the latch lists for $362.80 and the forum discount price is $268.93.

Good luck with the problem, but if the solenoid is bad a new latch would be your best bet.

Bob
*

Paint It Black

Im thinking that taking it to the dealer first, to make sure it legitimately needs replaced, would be a good idea before I drop a few hundred on a new one.

Then if it is truly doomed, I can order the part and R+R it.

Question is, what is the dealer going to charge to "look" at something? Arm...leg maybe?

cclive

All dealers have an hourly labor rate...ask before jumping in...especially if you are only going to let them diagnose it and not repair or replace it.

Paint It Black

thanks

Chevy Cust Svc

Paint It Black,
Most dealerships will charge a diagnostic fee of anywhere from $75-$150 to take a look at it and tell you what is wrong. However, they will often credit this fee towards the total cost of the repair.

Chevrolet Customer Service,
Justin

rayjui

Okay I think I'm having the exact same issue:

1. The latch may not open until the 2nd or 3rd time (using fob or switch button), but you can hear the solenoid or whatever electrical response is meant to happen everytime.
2. Doesn't matter what electric button you use, unless you use the manual key method, it wont open the first time (and it's getting worse and worse, meaning I may need to press the button 5 or 6 times before the lid would open)

I also can hear the solenoid clicking and it sort of feels very "weak". The manual key can always get it to open.

I assume I need the "latch" system replaced as it seems that the motor that pulls the arm has worn out.

BEZ06: I checked the site you mentioned: http://gmpartshouse.com . The regular price has gone up to $400 (I think the part number is 15220345?). Do you know how I can get the forum discount price?

I live in Vancouver, Canada. Just called local GM today, their quote for 15220345 is $680 CDN!!!! Unbelievable!

Thanks,

Ray

Rebel Yell

Before you do that Ray, spray the latch mechanism with some WD40 if you haven't already. You never know, it may just need a bit of lubrication. Luckily that worked on mine, hopefully that may be all you need.

Jim

rayjui

Hey Jim,

Thanks for the reminder! I did spray a lot of WD40 on the latch but unfortunately that didn't help....I'm planning to bring the car to a dealership and have them check it. In the worst case and in fact very likely, I'll need a new latch assembly....

Regards,

Ray

Ray

cclive

Or it may be an alignment issue...easy adjustment of two bolts...I would at least try it before going to the dealer...

Rebel Yell

I was hoping that would do it for you Ray. However, as we Corvette owners know very well. If you wanna play, sometimes you gotta pay. Good luck, hope it an easy fix.

l68stingray

I'm having the same issue with my 2008 C6. For some reason this post didn't come up when I did a search. What was the final resolution? Did you have to replace the latch or was it a bad connection?