Danpatters583 Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Hello helpful friends! I have a 1990 reatta. And I'm a bit confused. My trunk release from the key for or button in glove box doesn't seem to release the trunk. Here's the interesting part. The relay (I'm assuming thats what it is, in the trunk) clicks. And I have 12 vdc going to the connector of the solenoid. Yet no release. It also seems to happen mostly when it's hot out (90 plus today). So, I found one at the junk yard a few months back. I plugged it in and closed the latch to simulate it closed. And to no avail, it still doesn't open. So I'm wondering if it's possible to have a bad ground at the solenoid? Or something to that effect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 I don't know much about the trunk latch but have you traced what is actually clicking in the trunk area when activated? The reason I ask is; on the 90 coupe there is a relay center on the passengers wheel arch at the front of the trunk, under the liner. I know there are at least two relays that operate the the inner high filament for turn and brake lights. They only operate the high filament on one light bulb per relay. I know there are more than just the two relays and I am not sure what they operate so maybe that is the click you hear?? I know my 90 coupe uses a 1004 trunk light bulb, which is a two contact single filament bulb meaning it has a dedicated ground wire to that socket. Oddly, catalogs call for a 1003 as does the owners manual, but it is wrong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpatters583 Posted August 21 Topic Author Share Posted August 21 Good to know! I did trace it. And yes it's the relay center under the liner. When looking at it it's the lower right relay that clicks every time I hit the button to release the trunk. Oddly, while playing around with it, I found that one of the cramps was a tad loose on the relay socket. So I bent the crimp just a bit to make better contact to the relay. Still same results. I measured the voltage from the connector to ground, when I hit the button, saw 12 vdc. So, I continued to play around with it. I plugged it back in and started wiggling the shit out of the wire. Sure as hell I was able to get the solenoid to actuate. But not consistently. So im thinking it's the solenoid. Im not sure yet. I have the same results with my spare latch I found. So I think I may tear open the solenoid and see if I can repair it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 If you place a test light between the solenoid wire and ground, you will get an indication if the power is consistently hitting the solenoid. I bought a handful of leds with 12" leads and the resistor so they operate on 12vdc. Doesn't add appreciable load and easy to use if made up with little alligator clips or pins for probes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon L Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 Run a second ground wire and see what happens. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpatters583 Posted August 23 Topic Author Share Posted August 23 On 8/21/2024 at 3:49 PM, 2seater said: If you place a test light between the solenoid wire and ground, you will get an indication if the power is consistently hitting the solenoid. I bought a handful of leds with 12" leads and the resistor so they operate on 12vdc. Doesn't add appreciable load and easy to use if made up with little alligator clips or pins for probes. I will have to try that! When I get a chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpatters583 Posted August 28 Topic Author Share Posted August 28 (edited) Got another chance to do some troubleshooting on the trunk latch. Ran a ground from the latch assembly to the trunk light mount. Figured that had to be a good enough ground. Still no change. Replaced the relay and still no change. Even though the old relay was working. My next question is, where is the ground for the latch located? Is it just using the body/trunk? Also, will the lock on the outside of the trunk prevent it from opening if it's broken? Mines been broken for a while. And it used to work every time. When i used the fab or button in the glove box. Slowly got to where I'm at now. No function at all. I just saw the troubleshooting thing on the how to guides. And it mentioned attaching another ground. What do you guys recommend? I was thinking of cleaning up the hinge to trunk and body sections and then install a ground connecting the two pieces together? Any ideas? Edited August 29 by Danpatters583 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 How many wires inside the loom going to the trunk lid? My 90 has three; black, orange and orange with black trace. The orange/black stripe goes to the latch. The orange and separate black goes to the trunk light. I didn’t disassemble but I would guess the black wire grounds the light as well as the trunk lid? Will the latch work if you Hotwire it: independent power and ground? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpatters583 Posted August 29 Topic Author Share Posted August 29 Mine has three as well. Same colors. I tried putting power directly to the latch. And still no change. Never tried a separate ground and power. Yesterday I did run a ground from the bolt on the latch to the brace holding the light in place. In between the trunk lid and the light bracket. Still no change. The only thing I've seen is that if I jiggle the power wire every now and then I'm able to get it to function for a split second. Yet I have like 11 volts going to the wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 If the trunk light works, it would seem you have an acceptable ground. 11.0v seems rather low and if wiggling of the connector makes a difference, perhaps the feed or connector itself is to blame? The whole purpose for the relay is to have a robust power supply to a distant location and smaller gauge wiring to activate it eliminating heavy gauge wiring throughout. If you can't be sure the latch itself is reliable, it will be very difficult to track down a related problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpatters583 Posted August 29 Topic Author Share Posted August 29 Hmm. I'll double check the voltages again. See if 11 volta is accurate. But that's a good point. I will have to try and see if I can get it to work reliably. I'll retest it when I get a chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpatters583 Posted September 5 Topic Author Share Posted September 5 Sorry all for the delay. My transmission in the old reatta I think finally gave up the ghost. Died on my way to work yesterday. So I'm debating if I even want to keep the car now. Just frustrating cuz of my luck with cars lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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