still sort of a newbie here.....

The hatch on my 89 will not open. I've tried all 3 buttons.... (both doors and console) .

Is there an emergency manual handle I can release to open it... Also where is the relay located?

I should also state that when buttons are pressed to open hatch a slight sound can be heard in hatch area.

Thanks
Joe S.

 

Check the Owner's Manual..... emergency hatch release...
located middle of rear wall.... pull cable/cord. If the cable/cord
is not evident, you will have to crawl to the rear of the hatch to locate.

After you locate the cable/cord, it is advised to tie on a line so you
will never have to crawl into the hatch again.

 

Are you sure it's not unlocking or are the struts bad?

 

sometimes that rubber gets a bit sticky against the glass, too. When clean, I apply some silicone to it.

That relay is driver side, rear, outboard the release cable, under the trim piece, as I recall. It's probably the noise you hear, telling you the electrical is okay.

 

There are some (weird) restrictions on when the hatch will open.

To use the switches on the doors the interior lights must be on (which means a door must be open). The ground connection for the door switches comes from the courtesy light delay module.

To use the switch in the console depends on whether the car has an auto trans or a manual trans. An auto trans must be in Park or Neutral. A manual trans must have the parking brake on. Here's a fun fact: If you have an auto trans you cannot release the hatch while the starter is cranking (the switch is grounded through the starter solenoid).

There is a circuit breaker for the hatch in the fuse panel. In my car it is the top one of the four, even though the shop manual says it is the second one. When the switches are activated the hatch release relay should make a clicking sound. It is located in the back of the cargo area under the rear surround panel on the passenger side of the latch (the relay on the other side is for the antenna). It is buried in foam rubber to keep it quiet (there is a top foam rubber piece that was removed for this picture):



If the relay doesn't make a sound then the problem is probably in the circuit breaker or wiring. If the relay clicks but the hatch release solenoid doesn't work then the relay might be bad or the solenoid could be bad. There is an article on fixing a solenoid yourself if you want to tackle a project like that:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...id-repair.html

The emergency release cable is buried under the security shade. In my case it was very hard to get the hatch to release and I had to use pliers on the cable. I think it would be easier if someone were pressing down on the glass from the outside:

 

Thanks for everyone's info.... Really appreciate it!
Joe