Umm, yeah...I think I ruined my hatch motor. Well, my hatch does not stay open anymore, but after skimming some on thirdgen.org, I found out that you arent supposed to SLAM the hatch down to close it...which is what I have been doing for about 5 months now. Is this true? Can someone inform me as to what exactly the hatch motor does? Are you supposed to just lay the hatch down and it locks shut for you? I never knew about this...

 

If it is a self pull down, then yes you ruined it. There was a type (I think in late 80's, and 91-92) that you just set down, and it will lock it down the rest of the way for you. If you slam it, then yes you probably broke it. If it has just the lock, and no motor or anything besides the electric release, then you are most likely fine.

And don't worry about feeling like an idiot, those times are when we learn the most!

 

I'm no expert but, I just close my hatch far enough to make contact and the motor slowly pulls the hatch down the rest of the way.
Doesn't yours work that way?

 

Exactly, but not all were like that. Some you had to push down and lock yourself, like mine was.

 

LOL!....yeah.....everybody learns the hard way but then you won`t make that mistake again......replacement motors can be found on line....the best one made is the one used on the lincoln town cars 95-97 usually found on the signatures....old retired guys slam the trunk down all the time and the motors still keep on ticking

 

Hmm...where exactly is the motor found at? I just wanna be able to save myself some work if I know exactly where to look for it at.

Yeah, long story short, the previous owner never had a manual with the car, and I never knew about the motor, so I just thought that the locking mechanism was old and worn out, so you had to slam it shut. Thanks for your help guys...haha, guess I've spent so much time learning about engines and suspension, I forgot about the simple things.

Edit: Also, will a broken hatch motor be the cause of the hatch not staying up on it's own?

 

No, that has nothing to do with the motor. It has to do with the shocks/struts. Those are probably worn out.

 

The only reason I can think of for the hatch not to stay open on it's own is the struts are bad.

 

Did you ever hear the hatch sound like it had a motor working back there? I know the draw down units would click into place about .75" up, then slowly come down, slow enough that a person that didnt know what it was doing, would open it back up and slam it again.

I had my car cleaned once at Turtle wax, and i watched them clean the rear glass, then slam, slam, open, slam, PUSH, SLAM the hatch down, well, he cracked the plastic casing that holds the motor, gears, and the sliding part. It was only $26 new from GM, and took 15min to change out. If you tosted the motor, yea your looking at some more money.

 

Yeah now that I know about it, when I turn off the car, I hear a motor going back there for a few seconds, but never when I close it. Looks like a trip to the junkyard is in order

 

The hatch pulldown was used from 1986 - '92. What year is your car?


....when I turn off the car, I hear a motor going back there for a few seconds....)

What you're hearing is the fuel pump.

 

Hatch motors and parts to fix them can be found at http://www.top-downsolutions.com/

Lon is a great guy to deal with and can help you out.