1991 Pontiac Firebird Electric Hatch Pulldown Diagnosis and Repairs (Ep.15)

[@neonaffliction]

"Definetly not ideal" that pretty much wraps up me doing something on my project car

[@gosportjamie]

Sometimes you can't get things back to how they were new, so getting it back to working is about as good as you can get...

[@subjectsigma925]

I feel like my measurements went the best but that's because I didn't take any measurements -AdamLZ

[@nathanw7114]

Never missed an upload since I found this channel, looking forward to every one!

[@geopou4618]

Same i love this channel more than anything else on youtube, been watching for a while now too. Excited for more.

[@the_jccn]

same here! sometimes i forget about the series then i see an upload pop up in my Subscription box and get excited to watch again, its such an interesting series!

[@sainsburysdad4929]

2040: So I’ve finally finished restoring this car.

[@specgrade3275]

Better late than never. Dude must not be married, lol!

[@thebigpicture2032]

20 year restorations are the best ones. 😀

[@aaronhayden1780]

The Big Picture they are because the owners have enough money to do stuff right over 20 years

[@fisshuman]

*and unfortunately we can't drive this car legaly anymore

[@tblazen619]

Best rear hatch motor repair video I've seen thank you

[@ashlands1423]

"The Length of this video is getting out of hand" No, please don't end

[@mattman237]

I can't believe I just watched a 30 minute video of an electric hatch repair, but I did.

[@Magnero]

Looking forward to his "I made a mistake, the electric mechanisms have failed and now I'm switching to the non electric unit" video he is going to post next year.

[@DarthSega]

One of the best things I ever did was swap out that pulldown for a manual "Slam Latch" assembly. I removed the mounting bracket off a donor 83 Firebird junkyard car, by drilling out the spot welds, then did the same on my Formula. Then a buddy welded in the manual bracket into the car, lined up the standard latch and now I have a nice and reliable latch assembly. Another bonus was since I autocross and road race my car, so shaving a little weight was a side benefit.

[@hondacota4rt]

I love that you fix things instead of just replacing with new parts. Pretty rare on youtube.

[@alexstromberg7696]

Would work better and not waste a shit ton of time if he just bought new parts, but this gets views.

[@soomuchtorque]

This video came at the perfect time because my hatch recently stopped pulling down.

[@ChadWilliamsFixesAll]

"Oh please, Oh please don't break, please God don't break" in/lbs torque settings are the only ones I live my life by.

[@bappo7105]

these videos are the physical embodiment of "do as I say, not as I do"

[@garybussy1035]

I love diagnosing and playing with this old funky electronic stuff. Very cool!!

[@RESTORATIONRESCUE]

This channel is awesome. I love the videos. I have never and probably never own one of these cars but I still am glued to this channel.

[@Corassiam007]

Just slide as many large long zip ties as needed between the two outside track rails to suck up that wiggle room and ditch those shitty plastic guides if they're broken. Worked for me!

[@KarKraftsman]

Gold

[@patrickmoodabe9728]

I’m surprised you didn’t douse everything in WD -40. Hands down - the funniest two finger salute I’ve ever seen in previous video. Keep up the great quirk (I mean work). Cheers THE Patrick M.

[@PigBenisss]

You know you have problems with electronics when every connector looks like dark bread

[@jhuntosgarage]

In other words, toast! 😉

[@Keeperofthecrazies]

You've helped me so much in working on my 89 bird. Very well done and informative.

[@evanchapmanfanman]

Nice repair, glad to see this old bird coming together.

[@blubb7711]

When working on 80-90-2000 cars, you definitly need a 3D printer.

[@Toxicity1987]

Yup, but an SLS 3D Printer, with the cheap ones you can print high quality nylon parts, with the expensive ones you can print metal.

[@blubb7711]

@Adrian well, I find that my 88 escort xr3i uses way more cheap plastic than my 2002 Galaxy, which uses a lot of high grade PA+GF. Never the less, sometime shit just breaks.

[@thebeez9487]

25:19 I've used these same torque specs so many times, LMAO

[@Marcus_Noble]

60% of the time, it works every time

[@thebeez9487]

@@Marcus_Noble Yes Lol

[@cenariusbg]

One of the best channels. I love your work man. Please, at any point fix that rusty thing on this part. You took it away so many times... Wire it up a bit and spray it.

[@mannye]

Amazing how much work and time is needed to restore a car. Just this latch mechanism!

[@baracuda771]

Thanks for including timelines the way you do; really helps humanize the way you complete and confirm things for the viewers. Keep it up!

[@brandonhalmrast]

On todays episode of "dont do this...but..."

[@MyMustang72]

i had a 87 firebird in the UK with a split main gear in the plastic gearbox,i had a replacement made out of steel which was a 100 percent better. On my camaro z28 iroc convertible i did away with the electric pull down and fixed it in its lowest position permently and used it manually.

[@tj_gsomething_]

My '86 TA latch is still fully functioning (knock on wood) so I'll save this video for when disaster strikes! Great tip with the fuel pump relay!!! True master mechanic!

[@ronaldarchibald2506]

Strange coincidence. I have had 6 or 7 3rd gen firebird/ta. The only one that the hatch hold down worked on including the interior button release was a base model 1986. None of the others worked completely.

[@renamamiya158]

This series makes me want a firebird.

[@mihaered]

Glad to be a patron of this channel, I really enjoy your content. Keep up the great work! :D

[@mercury0214]

Haha bro no way only person who I’ve ever seen that has the same last name

[@numbnutz9398]

2:22 That is some epic Bubba engineering right there. Drywall screws!

[@PTSDiy]

Ah, a Fuzzy Dice video. My day is made.

[@rafalkowalski5062]

LOVE THIS SERIES!

[@chadmccolm6544]

Here is another good one. Never ground an amp to the trunk pop. A place I had my amp installed at did that one and it made the trunk pop run all the time making so the battery would run down

[@MrHuismeester]

OMG How complicated !!!! I did not understand a single word off your explanation but nice to see how you solved problems like this one !

[@HondaDayz408]

I felt like you were calling me out with the heat shrink part

[@yourcarsucks3259]

I've been watching your channel for a year now, started watching the second gen build and loved it. Your video style is great. Finally made my own account to document my own second gen build and wanted to follow along. I've actually built a few 3rd gens myself, so I'm liking this one too. Keep it up!

[@alexcopeland866]

I bought an 88 formula with a busted trunk release and button, got in and found self tappers and caulk and the motor looked like it was dropped from a plane, this video is going to help me tremendously with repairing my completely inop trunk

[@CPMest81]

Another cool video. Rebuilt my hatch motor last year.

[@sammypiper5754]

Wow. The knowledge here is tremendous! Thank you for the diy solutions and actual mechanical/electrical repair tips. Nothing necessarily wrong with replacing older parts but it’s good to see real fixes.

[@rafaloberc3194]

Been there done that. In my 86 camaro berlinetta. Plastic sprockets stripped. Had to replace whole unit. Memory lane....

[@jasonrackawack9369]

Edit above comment to be 88 IROC.....man that car hated me, everything and I mean everything on that car broke.

[@joelpalmer]

Your videos are excellent. Well shot and extremely informative. Thank you for all the work that goes into making and editing these!

[@ThatGuyFromNantucket06]

This is now part of my Saturday morning ritual. Cheers bud.

[@chriskalkman3815]

The length of the video doesn't matter. I LITERALLY forgot what time it was because who else's makes a car video that is so soothing and entertaining at the same time?

[@jhuntosgarage]

I have a 97 Camaro that needs this. Thanks for sharing! Right on time!

[@Butchersbikes31]

What I did with my firebird was, I got a 8mm deepwell socket, a flathead Screwdriver with no handle, put the flat end of it in the hole of the Manual latch release on the actual latch, welded the socket to the round end of the screwdrivers neck and hammered the socket over the square part of thelock cylinder on the inside, my homemade mechanism connects the lock cylinder to the latch itself directly, to pull the hatch shut I adjusted the latch itself to the lowest adjustment on the rails, and tightened it down, works every time no issues it’s been 5 years since I did this mod, Hope this helps, thanks for reading this👍

[@vincentvalla8299]

Previous owner welded the hatch pull down in place :-) having a really hard time finding a replacement

[@trailerparksupersports]

great video, i dont think it was getting to long love the firebird series and the blazer one! keep up the great work.

[@tylerhaines2023]

Bro I was just re watching an S10 video from you then this dropped like 5 minutes ago, Thanks dude! watching from NZ

[@MotorScotti]

Good to know, thanks for sharing. This would be the last little thing to redo on mine.

[@SA-zoom1]

Great video cant believe how complicated the repair is. I have an 88 GTA and I have upgraded to keyless entry and remote tailgate release, works off the cars original central locking and you just have a keyfob like any modern car, the system was very cheap, but I did pay a technician to install it.

[@cliffsta87337]

Glad you’re back to car videos.

[@FoxMcCloud12000]

The "Oh please, oh please don't break, PLEASE GOD DON'T BREAK" torque spec is the most common in human history, transformed to several systems over generations all over the world... Loved this joke.

[@rustbucketbeauties2767]

Thanks for the content! It's great to see progress.

[@brandonberger4451]

In case you were looking to replace the plastic housing for the firebird. Most Cadillacs of this vintage use the exact same gearbox and motor with a different latch.

[@jessemarchese7245]

Please upload more frequently 🙏🙏

[@mullinsjm1]

Been ready for this for a hot minute!

[@jmccord0716]

Beautiful firebird! I had a 1987 model in high school loved that car wish I hadn't of sold it

[@PigBenisss]

Also when are you going to fix the blazer's front end "oopsie"? Love these videos dude, I always get super hyped to fix something from watching these

[@m1a1hm]

Great video!! I got a 92 Z28 5.7 TPI which I got to do some of the same work on my hatch.

[@nigelstringfellow5187]

Love your work mate well done

[@l.castilloa.5554]

Excelente trabajo👍 ¡Toma tu like buen hombre!

[@ronaldarchibald2506]

Out of 7 3rd gen firebirds only one 1986 had a proper functioning latch assembly including the interior button. It was on a car i bought for parts for another bird i was building.I saved it and finally sold the release for 50$ last year.

[@alexyo3927]

What a crazy complex system

[@greggkuzila7513]

Ames performance they got all the stuff you need for a Firebird

[@silentmajority1532]

Love your videos. I went through just about the same thing with an 89 Toyota MR2 about 15 years ago. Bought it for 300 sold it for 2700 after driving it for 6 years. Had tons of stuff wrong with it, and I fixed it all. My question is, why didn't you repair the relay. I have fixed several. Even the ones that are supposedly sealed. They are way less complicated than the headlight control module you took apart. Even better yet, when you are looking at the junkyard, grab all the relays and fuses from them.

[@HectorLopez-ow3lm]

Hi, I'm from Mexico, I see your videos a lot despite the fact that I don't speak English ... I really like your channel, since you explain everything very well ... I would love for you to share subtitles in Spanish ... especially the blazer

[@BoostedPastime]

Outstanding video!

[@0yCrazyb]

This guys whole car is probably done and has 1000WHP But we won't find out till 2022 because the amount of video and audio he has to sift through is IMMENSE

[@NanoMedia1]

I am quite lucky because I discovered this series only about a month ago and was able to watch ep1 to ep14 consecutively. I wonder how many more are coming out lol.

[@merascaires]

Thanks for this video. Really good job, don't give up!

[@Masonjarislit]

Awesome video 👍. Do you think that you would ever repaint the car if so I think you should do a mirror black.

[@dateatorjr9671]

My neck and back hurts after watching this video.

[@jaredhodgins2078]

More videos more often!

[@briangoldberg4439]

some greases chemically react with plastics. it's safest to use silicone greases on plastics, like the kind designed to used with door weather stripping gaskets.

[@lonwillis783]

Nice to see you again thanks

[@SDKwarrior]

i wonder why my 88 fiero has a way different setup. maybe because of the glass hatch like you said but the fiero's is so much simpler lol. really informative video tho

[@gbestwick]

Little suggestion for you in the future. Assuming the plastic is compatible, if you have hairline cracks but everything is intact you can use a syringe and methylene chloride to repair them. It wicks into the spaces and will reglue everything in place without a huge layer on the outside. You can get that solvent from most plastic shops.

[@seafoodsalad3356]

Sounds like a good candidate for 3D printed parts - stronger than plastic and odd parts

[@alexstromberg7696]

Isn't most 3d printed stuff plastic...

[@seafoodsalad3356]

@@alexstromberg7696 You can get aluminium powdered 3d printers these days and a harder carbon style. But yeah general consumer printers are a variation of plastic!

[@rafalkowalski5062]

Great video. Waiting for the next one!

[@Flannel_Bandit]

😍😍😍😍 need more

[@thebigpicture2032]

I did the same thing on my 91 GTA. I ended up buying a new case, new solenoid and guides. They seem to be shot on every one of these.

[@MrKidi39]

Great to watch!

[@jessemarchese7245]

Why was the key insertion censored lol too intimate

[@leanderdato4764]

it's to prevent the possibility of someone making a copy of any of the keys

[@jessemarchese7245]

@@leanderdato4764 that seems pretty stupid for someone to want to try and copy keys from a small out of focus part of the video, then try and find where they live and somehow get into the hatch of his car

[@imnotabotrlyimnot]

@@jessemarchese7245 You'd be surprised at what some people would do to get their hands on a functional hood pull down latch mechanism.

[@bpbryceland]

Thank for the detail video!!

[@thecman26]

An old buddy had one of those, exact same color!

[@louisgreenberg5384]

Love your work

[@stephanalbrecht7889]

That hatch cost me some nerves too. I feel your pain :-) although I have a 92 with the “improved” mechanism 😂

[@SmokingMan26]

Gotta love cars that see a lot of snow/sea air eh? Wow that Corrosion.

[@521farmer]

Howdie awesome thanks for sharing your project with us cause mine is no work at all so trying to find how to take the key assembly out the key works about half so with your help will give it ago thks from Canada 🍁 SK later 😊joined for more help Happy New year in 2024

[@_Chaoticollie_]

Of all the things I noticed that you blurred out your keys, good! Seems like many people don’t realize their key bitting can be copied

[@razorfame9523]

I was waiting for you to sandblast everything

[@XathosPvP]

17:38 Was "kaputt" supposed to be german? :D

[@swissoutdoor777]

Yes it means broken

[@XathosPvP]

@@swissoutdoor777 Ich weiß, hab mich nur gewundert da es unerwartet kam 😅

[@jhopkins1515]

I had a 1990 firebird and mine had the manual latch assembly like that older camaro you showed. Not sure if someone before me did that or it came from factory.

[@shallowabyss515]

I noticed you're using zip ties a decent amount around wiring looms and the like. Might want to check out "grip lock ties". Zip ties that can be undone and reused that also have some rubber-like (not sure exact material) padding on the inside that makes them apply more even forces, grip better, and adds a small layer of compliance that reduces vibration and diminishes damage that can be done to a loom with normal zip ties. They are used a fair amount in small air crafts, desert rally trucks, and the like. Honestly this is the first video on your channel I have seen, so i'm not sure if you're fixing this up to sell, or it's your forever car, but if you think you're going to hold onto the vehicle for a long time they might be worth the expense for some of your applications.

[@N1RKW]

This sort of problem has been solved over and over again in other industries. For example, commercial door closers work somewhat like shock absorbers with valving that allows for different rates according to door position. A properly set up door closer will increase damping as the door gets closer to being closed, preventing damage from slamming. It seems to me that GM could have changed the existing dampers to act more like door closers (which would probably have been a far more durable solution), but instead they went and reinvented the wheel, so to speak.

[@BenDitGamesons]

I did that already too... It wasn't easy but i've fixed a not working unit. And now it works properly. But I defently prefer the 91 1/2 to 92 version, this kind of hatch release motor is much more easy to work with...

[@towmater1966]

I bet you could 3d print a new housing

[@msbae]

17:40 No surprise that new part didn't work. Parts made of Cheap Chinesium never work right or last a long time. Kinda hard to get quality out of a country that relies on using the cheapest possible materials and slave labor. :(

[@davidribeiro]

China uses what the client wants to pay for it. We want cheap crap and we get cheap crap. They can also do iPhone quality if we want to.

[@KLANofKILLERS]

I wish I had seen this before converting it to a slam down hatch lol

[@craigedelman4771]

Hello! What a video and what a process! I’d like to ask a question as the proud original owner of a 1989 GTA. My electric latch was working fine and then I had the bright idea to retrofit an LED bulb in the hatch light. This blew something and I can’t quite figure what. The fuse at front is fine. Do you think I blew the relay or one of the switches? Would love you opinion. The electricity in the latch doesn’t work at all now.