1995 Cadillac trunk pull-down malfunction

Trunk switch in latched positon provides ground in unlatched provides power. This action reverses polarity of motor. Does trunk light come on ?

Yes, the trunk light comes on and goes off when the trunk lid switch is moved, as appropriate.

Suspect switch is faulty

if you ground the striker on the motor assy.it should run down and you hear a click and it runs back up and clicks.if you close the trunk it stays up. youll need to replace the pulldown switch on the motor assy.

Which part is the striker? The loop? If I understand correctly then, attach the plug to the motor and ground the striker (the loop) the motor will run down then up?? I tried that--I wrapped a wire around the loop as tightly as I could then wrapped it around one of the bolts that holds the mounting plate (not the motor) to the trunk. It didn't work, so maybe I don't know what the striker is or maybe the motor is bad?

the striker is the loop.ground the loop and there is a small switch on the latch when you push it the motor will run up and down if it will not run and the motor is hot its staying on. you will have to replace the pull down switch on the motor assy.after you remove the switch.you need to unbolt the striker and remove it from the housing.inspect the gear for being broken.if ok reassemble and install new pulldown switch.

OK, tried that, no result. The motor doesn't get hot because it doesn't run. I've looked for the pull down switch on GM parts on an official GM parts website, but no luck. It will sell me the whole actuator assembly for over $220... so, where do I find a switch or how can I fix the one I have? I disassembled my old one (not the supposedly working one). Where do you think the point of failure is? It looks pretty simple except for the resistor you can see in the top of it.

those pics are not right.remove the pulldown cover and check the pulldown, you will see a black switch on top of the motor assemably remove the switch and the striker from housing.check for a broken gear.then reassemable and replace the switch.pick up a switch at the dealer.

I think we're not communicating. The pull down is removed from the car--there is no pull down cover to remove. There is only one switch and it's just like the one I took apart and showed the pictures of above. Below is a picture of the "new" (used) pull down assembly, including the switch, and a picture of just the switch that I disassembled and took pictures of, above. It's just like the black switch on the assembly. I've had the original assembly completely apart and there are no other switches, just two connectors that go into the motor. Am I missing something?

you need remove the striker from the plastic housing.their is a plastic gear on the striker check if its broken then reassemble and replace the switch assy.

There are indeed several broken teeth on the round gear attached to the striker. Interestingly the pull down worked as well as it could when installed in a different car (it wouldn't pull down very far because of the broken teeth). However, when installed in my car it does nothing. So there are at least two problems counting the broken gear. The trunk lid switch?

More information: I put a spare gear into the pull down (from the old one) and it did extend when I reinstalled it. However, it won't go down. I removed the trunk lid switch and ran continuity tests on it. It has a black wire in the middle (gnd), an orange wire and a red wire (both power?). When it's "open," i.e., when the trunk is open and the light is on, there is continuity between the orange wire and the black wire. There is no continuity between the red wire and the black wire at this time. When the switch is held "closed," i.e. as if the trunk were closed, there is continuity between the black wire and the red wire, and none between the orange and the black.
Next I ran voltage tests on the connection side to the trunk lid switch. There are 12.54 volts at the orange wire when grounded to the black wire. There are no volts at the red wire when grounded to the black wire. There is continuity from the connection side to the connector at the pull down. Orange to orange, black to black, red to red. However, with the volt meter on the red and black at the pull down motor, I "close" the trunk lid switch and no voltage shows on the meter. It should, I believe, but it doesn't.
So, the switch appears to be trying to reroute power to the red wire, but no power flows... I checked all the fuses in the trunk and they're all good.

you need to go get a new pulldown switch assy. and replace properly

I understand that you think I should get a new switch. The question is, if the switch is bad why did the assembly function properly when installed in a different vehicle?

a new switch is no major investment.i must have replaced 1000 or so they would come in with the trunk not shutting sticks up.youll need to replace the grease where the stripped gear was.it picks up pieces of the damaged gear and my lead to the new gear failing.

Well I got a new switch and installed it. Still doesn't work. Now what?

Oh, and when I had the switch off, I tested the motor. It goes up and down just fine by simply grounding one connection and providing power to the other. Reversing the polarity reverses the motor.

youll need to put the switch on right.if you look back at the picture of the motor assy.youll see the toggle to reverse polarity.it needs to be in between the 2 bent pieces on the striker.the way i did it was install the gear half way grease the housing install the striker in the housing.the switch slides into the housing.then make sure the toggle on the switch is inbetween the 2 bent pieces on the striker.when you plug it in it should run up and it will click and shut off.

I put it together correctly. It's fairly obvious. It does go up when plugged into the fitting. It just won't come down when it's supposed to. I think it's supposed to work by routing power to the red wire that goes into the switch and cutting off the power to the orange switch. Only that doesn't happen.

the striker is all the way down in the pic you sent me and the switch appears not to be down all the way on the motor connection.if you push the switch on the deck lid at the lock assy. it should run up and down.check the switch and make sure the clip that holds the switch by the motor is locked on properly.

The switch is down as far as it will go. It clicks when the metal pushes it. If I run the striker back up (either by connecting it to the vehicle or by applying external power to the motor connections) the switch stays in the down position until the bottom metal contact flips it up, then it goes all the way up. The switch on the deck lid is securely attached to its connection. Pushing the switch on the deck lid accomplishes nothing, which is the whole problem. I ran an ohm test on the wires from the deck lid switch connection to the motor connection, and they all have good connectivity (i.e., zero resistance from the orange to the orange, red to red and black to black), so there are no broken wires in that circuit. I have ordered a new deck lid switch from Cadillac. Below are pictures showing that the metal tangs do contact and move the switch--when I make the striker move by manually supplying power to the motor.

youll have to replace the deck lid switch because the pull down unit appears right.you were right to order the deck lid switch thats the only thing left.

One hopes. If it's not that, then there's a bad wire somewhere and I'll need a wiring diagram to track it down.

almost allways its the switch on the motor.but i have replaced a few in the 20 years at cadillac.i cant see it being a wire.im sure you have checked the connecter for the deck lid switch.when you push the deck lid switch.the motor should run up and down.i wish i had more for you.let me know whats up.gl

OK then. I replaced the deck lid switch. Still doesn't work. Everything is new or different except that the pull-down still doesn't pull down. It will go up. It won't come down. Can't be a mechanical problem since all the mechanics have been replaced. Must be an electrical problem but I can't figure out how the electricity is supposed to flow in order to get the motor to pull the striker down. There's a break in the system somewhere.

recheck switch at motor insure locking clip for switch is locked.when you push the deck lid switch it should run up and down on its own.check the wires in the deck lid to the pulldown assy.remove carpeting where needed.check the harness at l/side trunk hinge.you will have to do a continuty test from the lid switch and the pull down unit to check for a open wire.i never had this porblem with the pulldown harness.recheck the pulldown motor for running both ways.i think the problem is the pulldown switch has a bad connection to 1 of the motor connections to go down.ill get back with you tomarrow.

any luck tracing and testing the harness?

No--don't have time right now. I'll get to it. It's like having a rock in your shoe, you know?

There is always the "Bunge Cord"

I HAVE THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM, AND I EVEN WENT THROUGH THE SAME PROCESSES TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE, MY CONCLUSION IS THAT THE GEAR INSIDE OF THE LATCH HOUSING, BECAME SEPARATED, IT IS HALF PLASTIC AND METAL, IT WILL ALLOW THE GEAR TO GO UP, BUT NOT ALLOW IT TO GO DOWN, THE GEAR MUST BE REPLACED, NOT THE MOTOR, AND NOT EVEN THE SWITCH, ITS THE GEAR.

go to the dealer and buy the gear, the plastic housing, and a switch and then just install them.this will completely rebuild the trunk pulled unit.

Sold the car about a year ago. That solved my problem with it anyway.
Keith