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Trunk Pulldown Design Questions


theGman

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I have 3 Cads with trunk pulldowns...a 96 SLS, 95 FWB and a 93 SDVille. I have always had fleeting thoughts about disabling these things which, to me, are an accident waiting to happen. Well, the pulldown on the 93 deVille stopped working last night; in the rain, of course.

My basic questions on these are:

The pull down motors are in the body? I'll call this the base unit.

The actuating lever is in the lid? I see a lever there. I hear a cllick when manually moving this.

It seems on quick viewing (rain) that there are motors in both the lid and the base. If the pulldown is in the base, what is the gizmo in the lid, a power release?

I have read on searches that people have manually screwed down the mechanism. I assume this is the base unit. Do you have to take it off the car to do this? How exactly can you do this?

Sorry, I actually am pretty mechanically handy, but with the intermittent rain, plus limited daylight after work, I was hoping to ask a few questions to save me a lot of time in the dark.

My immediate need is for the 93, but are the other cars similar design?

Thanks, Paul

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I had one go bad in a 91 Seville, there is a switch in the lower half (body) that goes bad and stops the pulldown. Its $20. I took the unit out and found that the motor ran but only in one direction. Replaced the switch and it was good as new. Don't disable it, if you are mechanically inclined, take the motor/switch unit out and do some testing by jumping it... Its fairly easy to fix

Here is some reading for you (I am Scotty in those posts):

http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?sho...325&hl=pulldown

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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I personally do not see much value in that feature. Mine failed in a freezing rain too. You can easily remove the unite from the lid and lower the latch manually to desired position (you'll figure it out as soon as you have it). Then you need just to unplug the connector. You still will be able to release it with remote, but have to press it down when you want to close it, which is absolutely ok with me, but others prefer to keep it as it was designed.

The saddest thing in life is wasted talent

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The switch in the deck lid turns on the motor to begin pulling down the deck lid. The switch in the base is a limit switch to turn off the motor when the deck lid is fully closed.

The number one cause of failure is someone slamming the trunk lid....it can damage the upper switch. There is also the possibility of the wires breaking at the deck lid hinge.

The design has been the same since the early 1970s when the motor design replaced the hydraulic cylinder design. They are reliable units - I have not had one fail on me yet... If your limit switches are OK, then I would check the wiring for fractures where it bends at the deck lid hinge. I like this feature as it adds a nice "Cadillac" touch.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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The switch in the deck lid turns on the motor to begin pulling down the deck lid. The switch in the base is a limit switch to turn off the motor when the deck lid is fully closed.

Thank you for the info; I fixed the problem tonight by removing the trunk cover pieces, carefully banging on the pull down till it worked, then adjusting the height to just above full bottom with the connector plug and leaving it unplugged at the right height.

Paul

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The switch in the deck lid turns on the motor to begin pulling down the deck lid. The switch in the base is a limit switch to turn off the motor when the deck lid is fully closed.

Thank you for the info; I fixed the problem tonight by removing the trunk cover pieces, carefully banging on the pull down till it worked, then adjusting the height to just above full bottom with the connector plug and leaving it unplugged at the right height.

Paul

Good job. You are all set now. :)

The saddest thing in life is wasted talent

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