Trunk Won't Close

[jafowler49]

My Trunk simply won't close on my 89. The rear pull-down unit/ motor, or whatever you want to call it, isn't catching the latch or whatever it is, so the trunk just won't close. When I took it to the mechanic he said something about the bearing needs to be repaired in the solenoid. But he said it'd cost like $700!! I think that is way too much. I was wondering if I can just buy a used replacement from like ebay and install it. Can I swap the one I have with another one? Would that be possible? Is the solenoid something seperate? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Murco]

The solenoid only operates the latch which can still be opened with the key. Is your's not opening at all?
Most 3rd gen hatch problems are related to broken gear housings on the pull-down motors. The housing cracks and strips the gears which causes the hatch to remain 1"-2" in the air even when the latch is locked. It's simple to fix and the housing and gears are sold at your friendly Chevy dealer for about $25.00...

[jafowler49]

My trunk won't close. Can I just buy the whole pull-down on ebay and replace it?

[Murco]

Originally Posted by jafowler49

My trunk won't close. Can I just buy the whole pull-down on ebay and replace it?

Sure, you can do that or just go to a local junkyard and find any 85-92 Firebird or Camaro and pull the part yourself. I have 6 spares I picked-up for $50 at a local yard. To pull one out only takes 5 minutes and involves removing 4 bolts, 2 electrical plugs, and 1 cable.