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Trunk opening on its own. Need help!!

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Old Mar 10, 2016 | 01:22 PM
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Default Trunk opening on its own. Need help!!

When I unlock my door the trunk pops itself. Then continues to try and pop the trunk. Just replaced the actuator yesterday. When locked, the key fob pops the trunk flawlessly. I took the batteries out of the fob thinking it was sending bad codes to the bcm but it still does it.
So I unplugged the wire that I believe works the button near the license plate and the trunk still is popping by itself.
And I've took the negative off my car for half an hour and still no solution.

Any input ? Someone with the same problem ? Could I be unplugging the wrong wire feeding the plate button ?
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Old Mar 10, 2016 | 05:07 PM
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Bump. I know someone here can help.
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Old Mar 11, 2016 | 04:20 PM
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Could be a short to ground in the hatch wiring. Unscrew the six bolts holding the hatch mechanism and the actuator to the body, carefully pull it out and look at all the wiring for stripped insulation. There are lots of sharp edges in that part of the car and if you accidentally rubbed a wire on one of those when you replaced the actuator, it could be giving you a short. You can try wrapping all the wires on the actuator in electrical tape as a simple test to see if the problem goes away. Just wrap them length-wise from the actuator to the big wiring loom that goes across the rear body panel behind the trim.
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Old Mar 12, 2016 | 06:48 AM
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Originally Posted by zakmartin
Could be a short to ground in the hatch wiring. Unscrew the six bolts holding the hatch mechanism and the actuator to the body, carefully pull it out and look at all the wiring for stripped insulation. There are lots of sharp edges in that part of the car and if you accidentally rubbed a wire on one of those when you replaced the actuator, it could be giving you a short. You can try wrapping all the wires on the actuator in electrical tape as a simple test to see if the problem goes away. Just wrap them length-wise from the actuator to the big wiring loom that goes across the rear body panel behind the trim.
I gave all the wires a look, even unbolt ed and removed my bumper, ima pull that plate back off and try that just in case tho. Thanks for the response man, seems you're the only one who attempts to help, I can never get good help on here, it's quite pitiful.
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Old Mar 12, 2016 | 11:46 AM
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RE>: "I can never get good help on here, it's quite pitiful."

I would like to offer help, but your question is so poorly worded I am having trouble understanding the problem you are attempting (and very poorly) to describe.

Originally Posted by tjc6591
I gave all the wires a look, even unbolt ed and removed my bumper, ima pull that plate back off and try that just in case tho. Thanks for the response man, seems you're the only one who attempts to help, I can never get good help on here, it's quite pitiful.
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Old Mar 12, 2016 | 12:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Spike100
RE>: "I can never get good help on here, it's quite pitiful."

I would like to offer help, but your question is so poorly worded I am having trouble understanding the problem you are attempting (and very poorly) to describe.
Insulting my wording isn't going to help. If you had intentions on helping me you could have asked me to clarify myself. Sorry I struck a nerve. It's true tho. The community here isn't helpful. I've posted multiple logical questions and it takes months to get even one response.
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Old Mar 13, 2016 | 06:55 AM
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I'm not certain I understand your problem so this suggestion is a guess.

You have two FOBs. Do both FOBs give you the same result?
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Old Mar 14, 2016 | 07:36 AM
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Originally Posted by tjc6591
When I unlock my door the trunk pops itself. So what are you unlocking it with? The key fob, the button on one of the doors, or the key itself? Or do all of those things cause the same problem?

Then continues to try and pop the trunk. Does it continuously actuate the lock or if you close it again it just pops open? Also what stops this, locking the car?

Just replaced the actuator yesterday. When locked, the key fob pops the trunk flawlessly.Might have just thought of something, have you tried disconnecting the button on the bumper? I am thinking something related to that might be bad, wiring harness or the switch itself.

I took the batteries out of the fob thinking it was sending bad codes to the bcm but it still does it. What does what when using what? I am very confused by this statement as I thought this was about using the the fob to unlock and I would think the fob couldn't do anything without the battery

So I unplugged the wire that I believe works the button near the license plate and the trunk still is popping by itself.Crap well my first thought isn't looking to good but maybe the stitch is normally closed? It might be good to look at the FSM and see how this switch actuates the hatch lock mechanism. If its normally closed disconnecting it would cause the same issue as a broken button.

And I've took the negative off my car for half an hour and still no solution.

Any input ? Someone with the same problem ? Could I be unplugging the wrong wire feeding the plate button ?Possible but I have no idea what wire you disconnected. Again the FSM would probably be your friend in this situation.
We will try to help if we can but if we don't have a solution or have never heard of it you might not get any useful responses. Also if we can't understand the problem we can't help. I added some responses/my thought process to your quote in blue.

Last edited by rancor; Mar 14, 2016 at 07:40 AM.
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Old Mar 14, 2016 | 03:42 PM
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tjc6591, I think this is why you are experiencing problems releasing the hatch on your car. This is a thread you posted previously:

https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance...nother-wa.html

Jamming a screwdriver into the release mechanism and its wiring, and then bending parts using a pliers to crimp a metal connection typically causes problems.

You have damaged the mechanism and/or wiring controlling the rear tailgate actuator.
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Old Mar 15, 2016 | 05:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Spike100
tjc6591, I think this is why you are experiencing problems releasing the hatch on your car. This is a thread you posted previously:

https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance...nother-wa.html

Jamming a screwdriver into the release mechanism and its wiring, and then bending parts using a pliers to crimp a metal connection typically causes problems.

You have damaged the mechanism and/or wiring controlling the rear tailgate actuator.
No. The "mechanism" that I bent was the clasp that holds the end of the emergency release cable onto the trunk latch. It came out of the clasp so I put it back and re-bent the clasp to hold the end of that cable in. I figured out the problem friday, i removed the bumper and unplugged the button back near the license plate.

When I unlocked the car with the fob, the door switch, or thru manually inserting my key, the actuator would "actuate" or constantly trigger the latch to open. Only when I lock the doors, whether it be with the key fob, the door switch, or manually with the key, the actuator would quit. So I left the button unplugged and put my bumper back on and it's been working properly every since
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Old Mar 16, 2016 | 06:07 AM
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Originally Posted by tjc6591
No. The "mechanism" that I bent was the clasp that holds the end of the emergency release cable onto the trunk latch. It came out of the clasp so I put it back and re-bent the clasp to hold the end of that cable in. I figured out the problem friday, i removed the bumper and unplugged the button back near the license plate.

When I unlocked the car with the fob, the door switch, or thru manually inserting my key, the actuator would "actuate" or constantly trigger the latch to open. Only when I lock the doors, whether it be with the key fob, the door switch, or manually with the key, the actuator would quit. So I left the button unplugged and put my bumper back on and it's been working properly every since
Glad you got it fixed or at least figured out, and thanks for the update.
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Old Mar 16, 2016 | 09:56 AM
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Thanks for the update. I'm not sure that anyone here would have guided you to that solution.

Is the unlock mechanism fully functional now?
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Old Jul 13, 2016 | 06:21 PM
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Default Same issue

Originally Posted by tjc6591
When I unlock my door the trunk pops itself. Then continues to try and pop the trunk. Just replaced the actuator yesterday. When locked, the key fob pops the trunk flawlessly. I took the batteries out of the fob thinking it was sending bad codes to the bcm but it still does it.
So I unplugged the wire that I believe works the button near the license plate and the trunk still is popping by itself.
And I've took the negative off my car for half an hour and still no solution.

Any input ? Someone with the same problem ? Could I be unplugging the wrong wire feeding the plate button ?

When I hit the unlock button from inside the car the trunk also opens. It actuator keeps trying to open the truck till I hit the alarm to lock the car. How did you resolve this?
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Old Jul 14, 2016 | 06:01 AM
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Originally Posted by 350zsd
When I hit the unlock button from inside the car the trunk also opens. It actuator keeps trying to open the truck till I hit the alarm to lock the car. How did you resolve this?
Why did you post in three different threads, and did you even read this one? They gave an answer a few posts up.
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Old Aug 15, 2018 | 08:18 AM
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My 2008 350Z Touring Coupe hatch/tailgate kept popping open by itself while driving or stopped. It was not the actuator or the key fob, Using a thin flat bladed screw driver I levered out the rubber cover of the release button above the license plate. It was wet ! The white plastic mechanism and springs were then easily pried out.
No more problems. I guess you could cover the small square hole with tape to keep water out. I never used this button. The trunk/tailgate can be opened with the remote or manually with the release pull under the arch inside the car. Sure beats having to remove the rear bumper cover etc.
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Old May 20, 2021 | 12:06 PM
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Red face Don't pry out the white mechanism though!

Originally Posted by Pelicanpirate
My 2008 350Z Touring Coupe hatch/tailgate kept popping open by itself while driving or stopped. It was not the actuator or the key fob, Using a thin flat bladed screw driver I levered out the rubber cover of the release button above the license plate. It was wet ! The white plastic mechanism and springs were then easily pried out.
No more problems. I guess you could cover the small square hole with tape to keep water out. I never used this button. The trunk/tailgate can be opened with the remote or manually with the release pull under the arch inside the car. Sure beats having to remove the rear bumper cover etc.
So it's 2021 and I'm suffering from this same issue with my '08 - and what's funny is that I stopped short of prying out the white plastic mechanism and spring, and my problem was solved. Maybe somehow with the water being compressed into the socket from rainwater being kicked up into it, that the handle was being triggered. My handle even still works perfectly, I just don't have the little black cover over the white plastic part - and the random trunk convulsions have ceased!!!
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Old Jun 28, 2021 | 10:25 AM
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Default I am with you brother

Originally Posted by HTX_350z_96
So it's 2021 and I'm suffering from this same issue with my '08 - and what's funny is that I stopped short of prying out the white plastic mechanism and spring, and my problem was solved. Maybe somehow with the water being compressed into the socket from rainwater being kicked up into it, that the handle was being triggered. My handle even still works perfectly, I just don't have the little black cover over the white plastic part - and the random trunk convulsions have ceased!!!
Let me get this straight- I have replaced everything on the metal plate - the latch and the actuator and still had the hatch releasing while driving, while stopped, while in my driveway I could hear continuously cycling through releasing the hatch. So it was the button above license plate. I've never gotten a good look at that switch- what exactly did you do it?
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Old Jun 28, 2021 | 11:05 AM
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So the button i guess you would call it, has that soft black material that covers it - if you can get a good look at it from the bottom it makes a rectangle. I just got a screwdriver and made an incision along the edge of it and pried out the rectangle. I think the lever is sensitive, but yours sounds worse though because mine would only get triggered in the rain...
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Old Jun 28, 2021 | 11:07 AM
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Quick add - I have also read that some people had to take it a step further and pry the entire lever out from that incision, it's white and very visible - however I did not have to do that. not that it makes much of a difference, the trunk still opens with the remote anyway.
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Old Sep 22, 2022 | 03:01 AM
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...

Last edited by flavalava; Sep 22, 2022 at 03:03 AM.
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