Heres what happened. I replaced my actuator with a used one and once again my trunk latche opened the hatch. Days later i finally go to open the trunk and its not working. No motor sound or anything at all. Yesterday i decided to look into it, put power to the connector on the actuator and the motor turns nice and strong so it still works. I thought maybe theres loose wiring where the switch is but it doesnt seem to be. Im not sure how its all wired up cuz its a blue/white and blue/red wire running from that to the body of the car which i didnt have time to trace. I need help trying to figure out where the wires lead to from the latch and the actuator so i can find out where theres a short if there is one.

 

MM&Y of car would help, or is it the 99 GS-R? 94

 

Yes my 99 gsr. Sorry i figured talking about the actuator and latch would imply it wasnt any of the years that had the latch by the gas cap lever. Unless different years/makes had different wiring in some cases.

 

I think the wiring is the same, I have a complete wiring harness /relay/switch for the hatch release for a 2000, [thought I could use it on my 94, not].
I will pull it and lay it out and let you know what I can find, I have not been able to find a wiring daigram for it yet, I will let you know tonight. 94

 

Well it is a complicated circuit for something as simple as a trunk/hatch release.

The first thing you need to do is find the "Hatch Opener Relay" it's on the left side of trunk/hatch, it will have a 4pin plug with...

White/green, [#30 of relay] from fuse 1 - 20A, [hot at all times] in under dash fuse box.
The white/green should be 12V+ at all times.

Orange, [#85 of relay] from fuse 1 - 20A, through hatch "Latch Switch" only hot, [live] when hatch is unlocked, the orange changes to a blue/red at the "LS" and the input to the "LS" changes from the white/green, [same as the relay] to a blue/white at the "LS".

Blue/white, [#86 of relay] relays control lead, ground from "Hatch Opener Switch", [when pressed].
The blue/white changes to a black at the "HOS" and the input to the "HOS" is blue, that changes to a blue/red and then changes again to a black that is grounded at G407, [center rear of cargo area].

Yellow/red, [#87 of relay] relays 12V+ output, to "Hatch Opener Actuator".
The yellow/red changes to a white/red at the "HOA", the yellow/red off the "HOA" changes to a black and is grounded at the same point as the "HOS".

Told you it was a complicated circuit

Access the "Hatch Opener Relay and check for power inputs, [white/green hot at all times and orange hot when latch is unlocked].

If the above is good, make sure relay is working when "Hatch Opener Switch" is pressed, or supply a ground directly to the blue/white lead/terminal at relay plug, if relay "clicks" either when switch is pressed or when a ground is supplied directly test to make sure you have 12V+ output from the relay, [yellow/red].

Last but not least, [maybe first thing to check] check the ground, [actuator and switch ground].

This is from OnDemand5 on our shop computer, so I can not copy and paste the wiring diagram and I do not have a scanner, if you have questions feel free to IM me, 94

 

Thanks fcm, thats gonna help a lot for starters. Some of those colors already match ones im seeing so i just need to see if i can identify where they connect to without taking out panels to trace them. Im capable of connecting wires but testing them and understanding fully is not something ive learned.

When you first mention the latch switch, presumably this is the lever on the trunk hatch but after that im not sure what "HS" refers too. The green/white wire is the only one i havent seen when looking around the actuator and the latch switch so im guessing thats the wiring thats connected near the fuse box or behind body panels.

I havent been able to work on this more since posting but i'll get around to it soon and reply back what i can find.

 

Sorry, my mistake, should have been "LS" for the "Latch Switch"

The, [I'm guessing you mean] white/green does run from the under dash fuse box, [fuse 1 - 20A] to the "Hatch Opener Relay", [most likely behind left rear panel] and to the "Latch Switch" but although it is still a white/green at the relay it changes to a blue/white before it gets to the "Latch Switch, I would assume there is a 2pin plug off the "Latch Switch" with the blue/white and blue/red.

Unfortunately you are going to have to pull the left "Rear Side Lining" and it is a bit of a pain, but not too bad, I have pulled mine so many times I can have it out of my car in about 15 min. all you need is a Phillips screw driver, a 10mm socket and some sort of pry tool, [plastic is best] the only part that is a pain is the clips along the top of the panel, they must be carfully unclipped. 94

 

Yea ive done it a few times myself i just wanted to avoid doing it just for tracing if i could locate the other end of the wire where it connects to something else. I took it off half way last week to see if the drain tubes had come out.

I already got a visual on the blue/red and blue/white wire where the latch is the first day i tried to troubleshoot. I wasnt sure if it was a ground type system but from the looks of how it worked i suspected it and your description seems to match that idea.

The actuator has the 2 pin plug with the yellow/red wire and black ground. Once i identify the other wire at the fuse i can start some testing. May not get to it til after the holiday though. Is there any testing i can do at the actuator (yellow/red//black) and latch end (blue/white//blue/red)? I have a craftsman voltmeter but ive only used it per instructions via trouble shooting articles with voltage and continuity.

 

The first test I would do is check the actuators ground, [black] should have full continuity to ground.

The blue/white at the latch switch should be 12V+ and the blue/red should be 12V+ when hatch is open and "nothing" when hatch is closed but will have continuity to ground when hatch opener switch is pressed, that would at least confirm latch switch and hatch opener switch are working. 94

 

To complete this mystery relay, following is the YouTube video

It shares the same fuse as the power door lock (under dash fuse #1 20A). If power door can lock and unlock, then the problem should be with the relay wiring (in mine), relay, or the most common hatch motor