1991 Park Avenue.. just received & looks like new..BUT

[NCBRIJEN]

Hey All!

The <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">1991 Park Avenue</st1:address></st1:Street> with 26000 miles arrived today finally by transport and I can't be more pleasantly surprised. The vehicle is the most "like new" automobile I have come across... there are only three marks on the vehicle that can be erased with a good polishing and the interior still smells new. Since the transport company delivered door to door I parked the Buick in the driveway to check it over with a fine tooth comb and found almost NO issues in or out yet BUT I had to check out the trunk... I might have been the first one to open the trunk in years or just my bad luck but it opened perfectly with the key fob however when I went to latch it to the electric trunk mechanism it does not hold on... needless to say the Park Ave is now in the garage until I figure out how to fix the latch or get a new one. Anyone have a suggestion to fix it or the part number so I can order a new one. I will not be driving the Buick until I flush out all the 20 year old fluids so I have plenty of time. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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Thanks, I will be posting pictures soon as I clean and polish it up. <o:p></o:p>

[Booreatta]

If it is like my Riv pull the fuse on the pull down and just close. Worked for me

[Reatta Man]

Or check the fuse to see if it is blown? If you are right, and it hasn't been opened in a LONG time, it may have moisture (condensation) in the electric switch.

[Guest my3buicks]

Is the latch working freely? Possibly the latch part in the trunk lid needs a shot of WD 40 to allow it to freely move, it could be gummed up from sitting and not swinging back into place to be ready to accept the bottom hook.

[NCBRIJEN]

Yes, the latch is moving freely and will move to the closed position but the issue seems to be that the latch does not lock closed to hold the pull down. Do you think I need a new latch since it does not hold closed?

Thanks

[NTX5467]

There should be a spring wrapped around the pivot point for the "catch" on the latch, what the striker on the deck lid indexes with and "closes" to keep the latch returned to the closed position. With the deck lid open, the catch should be aligned with the slot in the latch where the striker comes into it, but as it latches, should pivot to keep the striker secured in the "latched" position. You can probably trouble-shoot that with somebody working the power lock solenoid (separate from the pull-down mechanism) as you use a long screwdriver to simulate the striker bolt.

In some cases, there were lots of issues with the plastic housing for the pull-down mechanism cracking or breaking to render the pull-down mechanism inoperative. Perhaps that happened and somebody forced it closed.

In the case of the spring I mentioned, there are two right-angle tabs on it. One might have broken to render the pull-back part inoperative. That'll need a new latch, though, to fix.

I would think that latch should be common enough that it's probably still around in some norther GM parts warehouse, or on some GM dealer's shelf somewhere--get your local GM parts operatives to check their OEMConnection D2DLink or (what used to be) GM DealerWorld inquiry capabilities to verify the stocking situation. Once they find the correct part number.

Those were BEAUTIFUL CARS! Sounds like you got a great one, too!

Keep us posted, please.

NTX5467

[Sweepspear]

The trunk pull down on the '94 Park Ave I recently sold would not work on occasion.

My best guess was some electrical contacts were dirty.

[NCBRIJEN]

Thanks, I just spoke with the seller and he mentioned that he experienced the same situation with the latch before not locking into position for the pull down. His solution was to keep knocking on the back of the metal latch and then it would work and the latch would lock into position....... well as simple as it sounds that was all it took? boy I feel slow. There must be an inside spring that is getting stuck or something that is not allowing the latch to lock into position, I will spray it with some WD40 as see if it happens again. Since it has happened before it might be worth finding a new latch to avoid this happening somewhere else in the rain or something and the knocking not working.

Thanks again.

Depending on the weather this weekend I will see about cleaning the Buick up and snaping a few pictures, if not this weekend maybe next.