This is my second problem today and i've only had this car 4 days(not good considering i was a ford guy without any problems). The hatch motor was working fine, i put the t-tops back on the car and now the friggin hatch won't close. What can i do to at least get the dXXn hatch closed? PS once again i can find nothing about this in the service manuals.Thanks for any help.
Hatch wont close what do i do??????
- Thread starter DaJoker
- Start date
ok - is motor up or down? (put the key in and turn the lock, does the trunk "open").
when i got mine, if i closed the trunk lid it would make contact and the motor would start going - BUT, it wasn't close enough for the hook to catch it. so the motor would go down - but the trunk was closed. now i always make sure to hold the trunk lid and make sure i feel the motor pulling it down.
try not to end up slamming the trunk closed - i hear that wears the gears out... you want to make sure the motor closes the trunk.
when i got mine, if i closed the trunk lid it would make contact and the motor would start going - BUT, it wasn't close enough for the hook to catch it. so the motor would go down - but the trunk was closed. now i always make sure to hold the trunk lid and make sure i feel the motor pulling it down.
try not to end up slamming the trunk closed - i hear that wears the gears out... you want to make sure the motor closes the trunk.
calm down a bit, take a deep breath, and smile 
because the car you have now is 3 times the car any 80s model mustang is.
now, ive heard these motors have a history of being kind of a pain. not just in TTAs of course.....but all F bodies.
I wish I could help but just from what ive read I cant really do much. does the hatch not make any noise at all? or does it make noise, but just not catch?
oh....and its worth it when you fly by a late 80s mustang GT and then at the next light tell em you only have a V6.
because the car you have now is 3 times the car any 80s model mustang is.now, ive heard these motors have a history of being kind of a pain. not just in TTAs of course.....but all F bodies.
I wish I could help but just from what ive read I cant really do much. does the hatch not make any noise at all? or does it make noise, but just not catch?
oh....and its worth it when you fly by a late 80s mustang GT and then at the next light tell em you only have a V6.
The hatch motor makes no noise at all. I could push the latch down and use the key to open the hatch and it would click to open. Is there anyway to get it to close manually--had to disconnect the battery to get the hatch light to go off. PS I feeling a little better now.
slow 87 said:
Thats what I had to do with mine the only time it failed. If not
here is some good info
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/Documentation/101170Instructions.pdf
I had the exact same problem days after I bought #760 - and had to take out the fuse to get that light to go out until I got help. So I know the frustrations that you are feeling. Trust me - things will get better!
Try this - connect back the battery, and take a good look at the motor mechanism (don't take anything apart - just look at it from the rear of the car). The latch on it is probably sunk down below the bristles. If so, on top, look for a little black (plastic?) switch on top of the mechanism. Push that, and the motor should move up (up to the bristles). Once in this position, it is ready to accept the hatch to be closed on it - so carefully lower the hatch. Hopefully the motor will grab it and pull it down.
This is what took care of mine.
Then give Lon a call at www.top-downsolutions.com and he will tell you what you need, it anything. He is a good guy and willing to walk you though the process.
Good luck and let us know!
Chris
--------------------
'89 Turbo Trans Am #760 (1524 miles)
'83 Delorean DMC-12
'85 Kawasaki Eliminator ZL900
Try this - connect back the battery, and take a good look at the motor mechanism (don't take anything apart - just look at it from the rear of the car). The latch on it is probably sunk down below the bristles. If so, on top, look for a little black (plastic?) switch on top of the mechanism. Push that, and the motor should move up (up to the bristles). Once in this position, it is ready to accept the hatch to be closed on it - so carefully lower the hatch. Hopefully the motor will grab it and pull it down.
This is what took care of mine.
Then give Lon a call at www.top-downsolutions.com and he will tell you what you need, it anything. He is a good guy and willing to walk you though the process.
Good luck and let us know!
Chris
--------------------
'89 Turbo Trans Am #760 (1524 miles)
'83 Delorean DMC-12
'85 Kawasaki Eliminator ZL900
Same here. First problem out of the box was the hatch latch. The last post is right on the money as how to get the latch to return to the open position. Most likely you won't need to replace anything. I always make sure to keep some pressure on the hatch until it pulls the hatch tight. Good luck. When feeling low, mash the gas.
My hatch was toast when i bought the car. I got a new one off ebay that worked for like 2 weeks! Then there was an obstruction (stupid ttop shades) and then the motor was strained and could not pull the hatch down all the way. Motor never moved again. So i took the bracket assembly and closed the hatch and put weight on the top of it. I crawled into the car and drilled the rails so it would be in a permnant stationary position. It has worked flawlessy since and i still have a spare assembly in case i go back to the old system....
David
David
Thanks for all the help guys!!!! I had a friend come over and lean on the hatch to get it to close. Now all i have to do is order the nylon guides and that should fix the problem. When my friend pushed the hatch down i could hear the motor turn so I won't have to replace that. Which is a good thing because the list of things I want to get is getting longer and more expensive, ie scanmaster, chip, tires, pillar gauges etc.
trading t/a
I'm Angry!!!!!
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2001
could just change it to a non electric draw down. It's a little work, but saves you the hassle! I did it on my 87 T/A when it went
Just order the guides and gearbox from top-down solutions and be done with it, should run you about $78 and you will never have another problem other than maybe the finger in the switch (unless that is your only problem now).
If you let the hatch bounce is when you have to reset the switch, and also how you break the plastic slides.
If you let the hatch bounce is when you have to reset the switch, and also how you break the plastic slides.
