Just got the car about a week ago. 95 coupe, LT1. When I first got it, hatch would take 2 or 3 tries to pop on the door release. The a couple days ago it was 5 to 10 tries. Now it just won't pop. Is there a way to diagnose this and find out where the problem is?

 

Are you using the button in the center console or the ones on the doors(early C4's have them on the doors so I hope the later ones do as well)?

Does your fob have a button to open it?

When you push the button do you hear the mechanism in the back click?

If it opens right away using other switches then the other switch is the problem. If it is the same for all switches and fob then the problem may be a relay.

 

Don't have the fob for the car, and both the door switch and the console switch don't work. I don't hear anything in the back, but that could be just because I'm not standing next to it. I'll have a friend listen for a latch click when i push the button, but I kind of doubt that's the problem. I'm guessing it's electrical.

 

Have you checked the fuse?? There should be a wire to the passenger side of the latch that you can pull to manually open the hatch ( might need pliers to pull it).. Someone with a newer model than me can point you to the location of the relay and solenoid that operate the latch release if the fuse is good ( They are both back by the latch on my 84)..

 

You should be able to hear the hatch relay from inside the car. It's located near the hatch solenoid. The hatch solenoid is really loud, so it's obvious when it's working.

There are electrical interlocks on the hatch switches:

The switch(es) in the doors (I read somewhere that the one on the passenger side was eliminated on late C4s) are tied in with the courtesy light delay module and the pushbutton switches in the doors. You cannot open the hatch with the door switches unless the door is open, which is controlled by the courtesy light switches on the rear edge of the doors. If the courtesy light delay module has problems or the door switches are stuck then the hatch won't open.

The pushbutton hatch switch in the console is tied in with the transmission. You can't open the hatch with that switch unless the trans is in Park or Neutral. That's to prevent you from opening the hatch while the car is moving. If there is a problem with the switch on the shifter it could prevent that pushbutton from working.

There is a circuit breaker that supplies power to the hatch. I had a problem with mine for many years because the connector pins in the fuse block were loose and the circuit breaker would fall out about every 6 months or so.

According to my '86 shop manual, it looks like the parking brake must be on to open the hatch with the console pushbutton if you have a manual trans. The automatic trans cars have a hatch fuse in the auxiliary fuse block behind the center cluster. The auto trans must be in Park or Neutral, as I mentioned earlier.

 

It is very loud, so you have a definite electrical problem

 

Ok guys, sorry to send you all on a wild goose chase, but I am spotting on my Vetter right now in the quiet early corny, and sure enough I can hear some clicking from the hatch when I try both the door release and the release in the console.

Also just noticed a massive crack in the plastic by the center of the hatch.

 

On the '87 there is no electrical interlock with the door switches, and no
need for one. You simply can't get to the door switches unless the door
is open.

Chuck

 

If you hear the hatch solenoid clicking but its not releasing....the latch hook may be out of align OR the solenoid may not be able to pull it hard enough.

There is a manual cable to pull to get it open. You need some needle nose pliars and then you reach back from the passenger side to the rear trim about where the solenoid/latch is mounted...reach up under the trim panel thats cracked and fish around for the emergency cable. Once you find that, pull it sharply to pop the latch. Most folks make some kind of extension for that cable after they have had to mess with it once...
hatch solenoids DO fail for whatever reason...mine is dead and in need of replacement. The cargo trim panel is common for cracking. Thats why the aftermarket world has embraced all the trim pieces for sale in the catalogs...

 

Of course there is...

Step 1) Get your hands on a digital multimeter

Step 2) If you don't have a DMM see step #1

Step 3) Get the hatch open by pulling the emergency release

Step 4) Remove the plastic top rear hatch panel

From there we test voltage at the solenoid while pushing the release button. It should measure near battery voltage. I'd also check to see that the body of the solenoid is properly grounded too. If both pass the the solenoid is defective and needs to be replaced.

Hopefully you can close the case for your hatch that won't open.

@ Cliff Harris nice write up btw - pretty comprehensive!

Regards,