Help: Removing electric trunk pulldown

6484 Views 25 Replies 12 Participants Last post by caddycruiser, Nov 21, 2005

coleman

Discussion Starter · Nov 15, 2005

I really want to remove the trunk pulldown motor/switches/wiring. Just silliness in my opinion; and I'm not looking forward to the day when it decides not to work.

Is there a stationary bolt-on equivalent that works in place of this pulldown system? Otherwise I have to make one, and I'd rather not... Can I use the latch from a Caprice or Roadmaster, or did any of the Fleetwoods come without this feature?

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

Night Wolf

· #2 · Nov 15, 2005

what year/model car?

on my '79 the switch broke, so I bought a NOS switch, now the motor wont engauge.. on that the motor is remotely mounted and driven by a cable, so I disconnected the cable and used a screw driver to adjust the latch, I would close the trunk, when it got to a point i liked... closed al the way yet easy to close, I put the cable back in.... to keep the latch from moving.

if it is the newer type where the motor is kinda built in, on the trunk part there should be a lever switch (or if RWD it will be within the trunk latch) ush it so the latch goes down alot, then unplug the harness, close the trunk and see how it sits... it'll either be too high (make latch lower) or wont close (make latch higher)

really I would leave it, while they do break, its usually because people slam them and stuff.... be happy it works and show it off to your buddies that their car dosn't do that

you are right tho... as far as I am concerned, it is pointless.... my Olds dosn't have it and the '79 is now disabled... I like it.... I am not 95 years old and I wont break my back if I truck to close a freakin trunk.... plus, the trunk lid on the Olds was just as easy, if not more easy then the trunk on the '93 Coupe... just let it latch down.

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caddycruiser

· #3 · Nov 15, 2005

When the one on our '93 died, I think we took the cover off of the motor and manually wound down the gears/latch. Had to close the trunk a couple times to see how far to adjust the latch, up or down, so that the lid would be alligned, and then I think used a twist tie or two to "tie it down", because it would just extend itself up again without anything holding it down.

Then just pulled the fuse to kill the power and make the trunk ajar light go off. Works like a normal trunklid now!:cool2:

coleman

Discussion Starter · #4 · Nov 15, 2005

Sorry, used to signatures saying what I've got. 1993 Fleetwood Brougham.

I'm not really happy with leaving the system intact if it's not going to work. I've already removed the complete self leveling system since that broke. I've also removed the entire EVO steering system since that started to become extremely annoying and was creating control issues.

I'm a nut for detail. I guess I'll have to look for a replacement stationary latch in a junkyard. Should be only a couple bucks. If I can't adapt one, I can easily weld one up. Before I went wandering around in the yards I was hoping to see if anyone here knew for certain whether or not the stationary latch from the other B/D cars is adaptable.

caddycruiser

· #5 · Nov 15, 2005

Well, as is, you would NEVER even know our '93 still had the feature, unless you pulled away the carpeting and went digging into the little motor. Once we manually wound the mechanism down and anchored it (again, you can't see the anchor, either), that was all she wrote.

Unless you knew what you were looking for, you'd never know it had the power pull down. Replacing the whole thing with a stationary latch sans motor would be great too, but a little more work than necessary.

Actually, I think our Roadmaster is the same way, since it too seems to have had the power pull down, which seems to have been "modded" in the same way before we bought it.

caddieboy

· #6 · Nov 15, 2005

Stoped working on me because a friend insisted there was room in the trunk for her umbrella when we went camping. So, had to stop by a dollar store and bungie the trunk because it was too much for the motor.

I finally managed to replace it from a scrap yard and it was easy to replace. I bought a second ($15 each) but the connects were wrong. I'll buy another and get a cheap screwdriver so if it happens again, the working motor and screwdriver will be there.

I would love a latch too, but by the looks of things, it would either not close or be slightly ajar. For now I'll live with it and have a backup. I like not having to slam the trunk.

coleman

Discussion Starter · #7 · Nov 15, 2005

I appreciate all the advice on how to disable the pulldown.
I am seeking information on how to remove the pulldown.

Can I use the stationary catch loop from a Caprice or Roadmaster, or did any of the Fleetwoods come without this feature?

caddycruiser

· #8 · Nov 15, 2005

coleman said:
I appreciate all the advice on how to disable the pulldown.
I am seeking information on how to remove the pulldown.

Can I use the stationary catch loop from a Caprice or Roadmaster, or did any of the Fleetwoods come without this feature?

Yes, that is a very likely thing to do--all Caprices and base model Roadmasters (also LTD's w/o the option) had the regular hook, which should fit right on. All the Fleetwoods came with it, though, so that wouldn't help you much.

Katshot

· #9 · Nov 16, 2005

Though I personally can't imagine why you're doing what you're doing to your Cadillac, the standard catch is adaptable to your car. It will need to be welded in place though.

the APEMAN

· #10 · Nov 16, 2005

Better off removing the knuckleheads who forget and insist on slamming the trunk like it is a Chebby.

caddycruiser

· #11 · Nov 16, 2005

I still don't get the pull-down thing.

I NEVER have to even remotely slam the trunk on our '93--just a nice, light thunk and it's latched, the same as it was when the pull-down worked, actually.

The pull-down was pretty cool to watch when it worked, but I still don't miss it one bit.

Kinda overkill to me....you're closing the trunk already, so why not just give it a tad more push and close it the whole way in the first place?

davesdeville

· #12 · Nov 16, 2005

The one on my 78 broke, I just welded the catch loop thing stationary. I don't see why anyone would go to the trouble of getting another one, the 6 cubic inches of trunk space you'd gain isn't that much...

BCs71

· #13 · Nov 16, 2005

The electric pull-down dealy broke in my 94 FWB also....

So I fed 12V over to the pull latch to get it in the fully open (or down) position, I forget which was ideal.

Then I adjusted the bolts in the trunk lid for the latch assembly plate (holes for bolts are slotted) and slid the plate and retightened the bolts when the "sweet spot" was found. A little trial and error (closing the trunk several times after adjusting the plate slightly) and about five or ten minutes and it closes and seals like a charm.

No big deal!
I don't miss the elec pull-down feature, I'm used to the old fashioned way! :canttalk:

caddycruiser

· #14 · Nov 16, 2005

BCs71 said:
The electric pull-down dealy broke in my 94 FWB also....
So I fed 12V over to the pull latch to get it in the fully open (or down) position, I forget which was ideal.
Then I adjusted the bolts in the trunk lid for the latch assembly plate (holes for bolts are slotted) and slid the plate and retightened the bolts when the "sweet spot" was found. A little trial and error (closing the trunk several times after adjusting the plate slightly) and about five or ten minutes and it closes and seals like a charm.
No big deal!
I don't miss the elec pull-down feature, I'm used to the old fashioned way! :canttalk:

I think that's almost EXACTLY what we did with ours--I just couldn't remember, specifically, since it was over 2 years ago.

caddieboy

· #15 · Nov 17, 2005

coleman said:
I appreciate all the advice on how to disable the pulldown.
I am seeking information on how to remove the pulldown.

Can I use the stationary catch loop from a Caprice or Roadmaster, or did any of the Fleetwoods come without this feature?

My 87 Brougham came without an automatic pulldown. Just a latch.

pimpin88

· #16 · Nov 17, 2005

if you just disconnect the battery, open the trunk with the key, pull the fuse, and reconnect the battery, the latch will stay down and operate like a normal, non motorized trunk latch.

i think that trying to get a normal latch and putting it in place of the one you have currently would be to much work. just my opinion though.

CaddymanTom

· #17 · Nov 17, 2005

Caddyboy, My 87 doesn't have the pull down either. My Eldo does but not the Brougham. I never understood it either. Now if it worked with your remote and when you hit the button it would close the trunk from a fully opened position, that would be cool or is it too much like a mini van ??

caddycruiser

· #18 · Nov 17, 2005 (Edited)

CaddymanTom said:
Caddyboy, My 87 doesn't have the pull down either. My Eldo does but not the Brougham. I never understood it either. Now if it worked with your remote and when you hit the button it would close the trunk from a fully opened position, that would be cool or is it too much like a mini van ??

Yes, now THAT would be a nice luxury feature. Actually, when they redesigned the Town Car in '03, such a feature actually became an option--a trunklid that can fully open or close itself at a touch of a button. A similar power pull down latch like these Caddies is standard on the "base" model to start, then the full power lid is standard on every other "upgrade" model.

Mercedes has it as an option on a few of their upper end models too.

80cadzilla

· #19 · Nov 19, 2005

my latch in my 80 deville works great, and if its workin i don't know why you wanna mess with it, sure its not of much use but hell who cares, your caddies got it and other people don't, be proud.

caddieboy

· #20 · Nov 19, 2005

CaddymanTom said:
Caddyboy, My 87 doesn't have the pull down either. My Eldo does but not the Brougham. I never understood it either. Now if it worked with your remote and when you hit the button it would close the trunk from a fully opened position, that would be cool or is it too much like a mini van ??

As long as friends would have no way of closing it maually. When I forget to tell friends to just push my Fleetwood's trunk lightly, then slam it down and I cringe. So far hasn't been proken. And luckily they drive cars that don't need to be slammed hard to close. The 87 needed a pretty good wham down.

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