I'm getting back into my '89GT by fixing my excessive current draw and odd alarm behavior.

The battery wouldn't last more than a week of sitting and when I locked the doors setting the alarm, it would go off without the car being disturbed.

I put a full charge on the battery and hooked up the amp meter between the battery ground strap and connection to chassis. I closed the rear lid and locked the door. The current draw was about 320mA, way too high. I leaned and put weight on the wing to get a closer look at the meter to make sure I was reading it correctly and the draw dropped to 23mA. Hmm, I backed off, the current went back up for a half a second, then the alarm went off.

Hmm, was the drop in current just a time out of something or did putting pressure on the rear hatch seat the switch properly. I did it again, waiting about a minute before putting pressure on the hatch. Sure enough, pressure on hatch, current dropped. Pressure off, current went up and alarm went off.

Now I'll figure out how the rear hatch switch affects the current draw and the alarm.

Cheers,
-j
'89GT

 

What I found was the switch in the lower part of the rear lid latch assembly was not opening because the white plunger (?) was not getting pushed down far enough. I made a temp fix until it is repaired properly. I used a 3/4" hose washer and a little contact cement (the stuff we used to make rubber ***** out of in grade school). This can be removed and cleaned up easily. It ain't pretty and won't last long, but it keeps my current consumption down while parked for the time being.

And, I can lock my car and walk into the store knowing the alarm won't go off just as I step in the door.

 

You can simply unplug the brown wire at the bottom of the hatch receiver ....no more interior lights red door lights coming on...which triggers the alarm. sometimes a strong wind is all it needs to rattle the hatch to trigger the lights and alarm.....usually in the middle of a stormy night

 

Hey Jim,

What, you don't like my hose gasket?

On those dark and stormy nights, the GT is tucked away. I do want to fix it properly so when I need those lights I have them. But if it does cause any more issues, I use your temp fix; it's easier.

What typically wears to the point where the white plunger isn't pushed far enough in to open the switch?

Thanks,
John Fagerlund
'89GT