Trunk won't open. 88 w power release. Jumped the switch, won't open (Page 3/5)
Patrick NOV 05, 02:48 PM

quote
Originally posted by Green Magic Man:

I did not know it went in vertical and knowing to turn CC is priceless info.



???

The orientation of the screwdriver is horizontal... and you've been told three times now that the screwdriver needs to be turned clockwise!


quote
Originally posted by Green Magic Man:

I was merely waving a 8" or 10" wand back and forth like a magician - that would never have worked.



Did you miss this or what?


quote
Originally posted by Patrick Here:

Sounds to me like a long screwdriver can be used to twist the lock open in the same manner (without the pounding) that I described in this thread's second post.



Please don't work on your brakes!

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-05-2024).]

Green Magic Man NOV 05, 07:12 PM
Typo. I know you wrote clockwise and read that.
Mistype as I’m tired out after 27 days of work in October and five doubles, travel out of state, taxes return filed and real estate deal gone sideways.
Last thing I really need is four 2 hour trips to this car to get it out of a temporary garage and to not be able to get it charged, started and running before snow and salt goes flying all over Vermont.

I re read again. Looks like the blade of screwdriver goes vertical 12 and 6 - that means vertical to me and turn CW. At least I didn’t write CCW.
Thanks for assistances across the board here.
I don’t have great personal pictures of the car yet as I did a single four hour drive home from purchase and half that driving was at night.

[This message has been edited by Green Magic Man (edited 11-05-2024).]

Green Magic Man NOV 05, 10:16 PM
Found these two pics online. Posting it here in case can help someone else reading this thread and to help me when I get there and look this up on my phone.
This helps clarify how that latch is mounted and it's approximate distance in on the trunk lid.

What exactly the Fejer / Mera clone bodies did here I don't know but I'm just going to now guess they preserved this latch and orientation rather than reinvent the wheel.
Plus that conversation with my co-driver on Saturday gives me confidence there is a way to do this with the screwdriver method and it's probably the same as what normal Fiero's do.
Green Magic Man NOV 05, 10:29 PM
Here's an even better picture off an '85
One can see that metal extension that goes to the latch.
Green Magic Man NOV 05, 11:10 PM
Here's pics I found on BaT of an actual Mera for sale.
Notice how the lock is quite different - looks to be a much longer enclosed tunnel to get to that latch.
You can also see the small half moon cutout of the lower vertical fiberglass body.
Patrick NOV 05, 11:24 PM

quote
Originally posted by Green Magic Man:

...looks to be a much longer enclosed tunnel to get to that latch.



...due to the fact that the trailing edge of that Mera's rear decklid is about a foot further back than on a regular Fiero.
cliffw NOV 06, 11:50 AM

quote
Originally posted by Green Magic Man:




When you get it open, you can test the unlock solenoid by applying a 12v ground to the latch assemblies body, and 12v positive to the wire.
IMSA GT NOV 06, 05:42 PM
Last resort.......jigsaw to the bottom of the trunk and shove your upper body in there to get a close look. Then repair the trunk bottom.
Sage NOV 07, 07:40 AM
My Stinger body has a hole drilled under the license plate area, where using a long flat head screwdriver in a "strategic" manner, will allow opening the latch with no power involved.

The Stinger body is a little different in several areas than the Fejer bodies or any other knockoff, but the license plate area should be nearly identical, so the same procedure should be possible on your replica body.

I can get measurements for you, and/or take pics of the location of the hole if you think it might help you. When I first got the car, I wasn't sure what that hole was, briefly considered the possibility someone just drilled a hole for mounting the plate in the wrong spot, but after closer inspection, I discovered that it is for exactly the situation you are faced with, and tested it out, and that's how I know the true purpose of that hole now.

If you want/need pics, measurements, just let me know.

HAGO!

[This message has been edited by Sage (edited 11-07-2024).]

Green Magic Man NOV 07, 09:40 PM
Yes, pictures would be terrific if that's not too difficult of an ask.
I am going to try to fish in that area where that little arc / half moon is in the fiberglass. The only opening I have on my car it's right under the flat wide trunk lid.
I have removed the license plates (see below) and there is no hole or cutout there. The only spot I can see viable to pop that latch would be that half circle cutout in the vertical fiberglass body.

On the pictured above car there is clearly a key lock cutout and lock installed in the lid vertical small area along with that tunnel.
My car unfortunately doesn't have that.

I do have the seller's constant info. I'm a little pissed off at him as he owes me money for a deposit made on license plates I borrowed to get the car into this country.
I mailed them back to him when I was working in Canada about 2 months later and he's refusing to return the deposit money.
So I have not been in touch with him because ... I'm likely to go off on him about the situation.

I may have to do a combo or arguing with him and asking him how the hell I screwdriver my way into the car.
All I can recall is he said it had to be a very long screwdriver.
Maybe that indicated that tunnel length in the Mera above, but if there is no key lock and therefore access is only below that area... I would think the latch mechanism would be blocked by the trunk deck lid underside profile the way that latch mounts to it.
So that's what I'm very concerned about. I should be driving back up there this weekend (t's 2+ hours from where I live and work).

[This message has been edited by Green Magic Man (edited 11-08-2024).]