Two tailgate questions: Help!

[utherjorge]

So, I'm swapping parts from the old tailgate to a new shell.

As I have been disassembling, I see two problems I have this far:

1. My lockout rod was broken. How badly do I need it? What does it do, or is that a stupid question?

2. Every time I hiot the rear window switch, my amps drop to 7 or 8 on the gauge, and the truck is having a hard time somewhere. When I got things apart, the power wire split, one to the motor, and one to one of the latches, driver's side, I think. That one is cut and looks like it's just hanging out there...no wire nut or connection or anything. What's it for, and would that cause the amp drop?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lunatic]

I wasn't sure what the lockout bar was - So I looked at the pages that I linked in your previous thread. Item #32.

I'm not really sure what it does or doesn't do when broken......But maybe somebody else can chime in. Perhaps something to do with a lockable tailgate ?

The splitting wiring goes to the motor and to the switch on the driver's side tailgate (safety) switch. The switch prevents a person from bringing the window up if the tailgate is down. You should fix that connection. The heavy draw may be from a direction short, when you operate the window motor, that isn't blowing a fuse.

It'd be easier to make sensible suggestions if I could actually see it the wires.




Troy B
Ft Hood, TX

 

[swettysblazer]

That rod should connect to a spring on the bottom. When the window is all the way down, the rod gets pressed on putting tension on the spring. This is how you are able to open the tailgate. If the window isn't putting pressure on the rod, then you can't open the tailgate.

 

[utherjorge]

OK. I'll make that one work...I can't find one online anyplace. I'm also going to try to find a new wiring harness for the tailgate. Holy Christ, is that one shot.

Thanks, guys.

 

[swettysblazer]

Mine was all bent to **** and it would barely go down. We wound up straightening it out and it works pretty good now.

 

[Lunatic]

No local pick n pull or junk yard available ? Will cost alot less.






Troy B
Ft Hood, TX

 

[utherjorge]

I have a couple of junkyards around, the problem is that the two I pulled were in worse shape than mine was: the rust on my old one was mainly at the bottom: bad enough that I could pull the rods out of the bottom of the tailgate with no damage to them. I can post a pic if you want...crazy stuff.

Then, when I got in there, I saw that parts of the interior of the tailgate had rusted bad enough that in trying to unbolt them, the part of the 'gate that held them actually broke off. Bad news. The plastic part of the lockout rod was broken, though truth be told, it looked like an old break, like it had been busted for some time.

Here's some pics. First is obviously the bottom of the old gate.
Second is the part cut off that I think is causing the short.
Last but not least is the ratty remnant of the wiring harness at the bottom, where it goes through the tailgate opening. There could be a short anywhere in this mess, too.

 

[496truck]

Is that really a wire nut in the 3rd pic? Those should not be used in an automotive application. They don't seal out the elements and the wires will corrode and cause voltage drops in the system. This is probably why the gauge drops when you use the tailgate window.

You don't really need a "new" harness. It's simple enough to build a new one if you know what you're doing.

I'm sure there is a way to bypass the lockout too. Mine must have been done before I bought it cause my gate will open with the window up or down or anywhere in between. On that same note my window will go up/down with the gate open or closed cause I bypassed the latch switch when I repaired my gate harness.

 

[utherjorge]

That really is a wire nut. I bought some electrical stuff today, and stripped off the old wire covering and threw a new one on. The good news is that the wires themselves look fine, with no visible copper or anything like that.

I bought some heat shrink to remove that nut and wire in case I have to replace something; I know what a corroded wire looks like, and so if I see it, I'll cut some extra off to get a good connection. Based on what I saw when taking off the old covering, I think the gate switch was bypassed on mine, too. 496truck, can your lock on the outside lower or raise the window as it's supposed to? I can't...and I wonder if that's a side effect from this electrical surgery.

The great news is that when reassembling everything, I can't get the latch to engage right. So...the tailgate might engage and never come off! Awesome!

I knew the actual interior handle was doo doo anyway, and now this cinches it: I'll replace it and see what terror I come up with. I believe the new floor is ready as we speak, and so the hope is I can bolt this in, get it secure again, and see what happens. Everything sure as hell looks better...but no workee. I'll post a pic later with the problem I now have.

 

[496truck]

Yes, my gate switch works. The problem I found with my wires was, at the bottom of the gate, GM had put a couple splice connections in there to run over to the gate switch and wrapped them in electric tape. Over time water gets in there and corrodes the splice. I pulled the old tape off and it was a green ball of crud. I cut the wires all back and soldered a new splice connection. Then I covered the splice with clear silicone RTV and then wrapped it with tape. That oughta hold it for a while.

 

[utherjorge]

I'd have to see the schematic for it, because here's what I have:

1. The blue wire up from the harness at the bottom of the gate spliced to a red with the stupid wire nut.
2. The remnant of that blue wire still running up to (I think) the tailgate lock, which does work with the power locks.
3. The connector to the tailgate latch, which has one blue wire connected back to the harness, and one simply cut and left.


I don't know where that other end of the connector for the latch was supposed to connect to. I can imagine the wire tucked back in is what was cut for the splice to the red, but no idea where the other end of the connector is to go.

Oh...here's a pick of the mess I've made of the assembly for the tailgate handle, and how it's not working: