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Power liftgate will not close - solution

949 views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  dsminva 
#1 ·
My power liftgate would not close, using any switch/fob. It would just give a "click" from the latch area when the button was pressed.
It would open just fine, and would close using the button if it was in the middle of its open motion, but when fully open I just got the click. Manual close was working fine and smooth.

Solution was with the micro switch screwed to the front of the gear assembly. I bought a new one ($7-8) and was going to install it to see if that was the case. I removed the switch and took my meter to it and it read fine, so I decided to reinstall it since it wasn't bad. (At this point I figured the controller was faulty). I buttoned it back up and tested it, and wouldn't you know it - It works fine!
Must have been a faulty contact at the harness where it plugged in.
The switch is used to sense the full open position of the gate, so I figured that was a great place to start.

Its pretty easy to get to. Pop off the plastic trim along the headliner running left to right. Make sure to remove any of the white plastic clips that get left behind and reattach them.
Take off the plastic trim along the carpet that says "Cadillac", it just pops up.
Take off the small screw cover on the gray upper panel that the lift strut goes through and remove one Phillips head screw.
Pop that panel off. Again be sure to remove the reattach the white clips that got left behind.
The panel will not remove fully from the truck since the strut goes through it. Just unplug the speaker connector and let it flop out of the way as best you can.
Remove the cup holder from the driver side (Covers your spare tire jack/etc).
Now grab the large lower panel from the cup holder opening and the rear and give it a light tug. It should pop free. Do not try to remove the panel as it is still attached at the front. We just need access to the very rear.

You will now see the gears, and the small micro switch attached to the front.
The wire is zip tied and will need to be cut.
The tab for the electrical connector is a bit of a PITA since the wire is so short, but its manageable. A flashlight helps a lot.
Remove and replace/clean the switch.

Reverse steps to reassemble.

Entire process took me 30 minutes start to finish, and I also added some grease to the gears while I was in there. That actually helped, as it opens and closes a bit faster now.
Tools used: Phillips head screwdriver, flathead screwdriver for removing the white clips, flashlight, small T2? torx to remove switch, multimeter (optional)


Hope this helps someone else.
 
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