Odmark

Hello all! Im going to replace my electric motor for the clamshell tailgate since the one i have is completley busted.

Im just wondering, where is this motor supposed to be located? Mine was removed when i got the car.

Appreciate help

jaunty75

It is located behind the left side rear trim panel. This is the one directly opposite the spare tire well and cover.

Here's a photo of that side with the cover removed, and you can see the motor just above the center of the photo. It's held on by those three large, black, hex-head bolts.

I have a '73 Custom Cruiser myself, and this photo is of my car.

Odmark

Perfect, exactly what i was looking for! Thank you very much

Odmark

Is there some place where you can buy these new?

Odmark

This part seems impossible to find, new ones dont seem to exist at all. And used ones are impossible to come by as well. Damn it, i want my clamshell to work!!

jaunty75

If you haven't yet done so, go over to stationwagonforums.com, sign up, and post your need in the Parts Wanted section. I know there were some people over there who had some spares of these motors. I don't know if they still do, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I think the motor is the same for all makes of the clamshells (Chevy, Buick, Pontiac, Olds) for all six model years ('71 through '76), so this ought to widen the possibilities for sources.

hullinger

Don't forget that these motors can be rebuilt. There are many shops doing the rebuilds here in the U.S. and I am betting there some in your part of the world too. Also, you may want to open up a door panel to see if the side window motors are the same as the tailgate window motor. From a quick glance they appear to be identical, and if they are than Rockauto has what you need for about $100.

Chris

jaunty75

I wondered about this. They do look similar, and it makes sense that GM wouldn't make an altogether different motor if a motor they had already been making for many years and were still making would work, but I wasn't prepared to say they are exactly the same. It would be nice to know the part numbers.

One thing that would concern me is the motor's power. The tailgate is heavier than a window, and I'm wondering if the tailgate motor is heavier-duty than the window motors of that era.

lemoldsnut

Per Hollander 39th eddition it is their number 115 and GM part number 9815882 and is the same all GM big car tailgate motors 71-73 I believe this manual is from 73 so it may also fit newer. I don't have a later edition that covers 73 and newer. Hope this helps.
Larry

jaunty75

Thanks. This is half of what we need, and it's not surprising that it would be the same power tailgate motor for all years and all makes of the clamshells. The question of the hour is, what's the part number for the window motors for cars of those same years? The overall question is, is it the same motor, because new power window motors for these cars are available from your local auto parts store, and, if they do interchange, then the problem of getting a new power tailgate motor is solved.

Yellowstatue

If they do interchange then it is just a matter of changing the nylon drive gear to match your application. I installed a tailgate window motor on a door window and it moved a lot quicker than the original. It had more torque.

jaunty75

I just discovered something interesting. If Rockauto knows what its talking about, they carry remanufactured tailgate lift motors.

Go to rockauto.com, and drill down through Oldsmobile -> 1973 -> Custom Cruiser -> 7.5-liter engine (although it shouldn't matter) -> Body Interior -> Power Window Motor, and the second entry, part number 4213, is shown as "Reman. Tailgate Lift Motor". $71.79 plus a $30 core charge.

Note that this motor is also shown as applicable to the rear left or front right power window, which suggests that the power window motors and the tailgate motor are the same.


If you go to autozone's website and search for power window motors for a '73 Custom Cruiser (they call them "window lift motors"), you get this page:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par.../N-ivvxdZ9ck77


It doesn't show applicability to the tailgate, but note the part numbers: 42-13 and 42-14. rockauto calls it 4213 while autozone puts in a hyphen, 42-13. I'm guessing they're the same motor as they're same brand, Cardone.


My guess is you could go to Autozone, have them order the part, and in a day or two you'd have a working tailgate lift motor. For someone overseas, it looks like rockauto would be the way to go as they ship internationally, I believe.

Fullsizelover

+1 Cardone has a lot of window & tailgate motors for the clamshells
http://www.cardone.com/find-parts/ve...iser&year=1976

Odmark

Apparently, I seem to be missing a lot more then the motor itself....

jaunty75

Yes, you seem to be missing the mounting holes for the motor among other things. Are you sure your car originally had a power tailgate? It was an extra-cost option. Standard equipment was a manually-operated tailgate.

What does your tailgate look like? What does the key switch on the right side look like? If the key switch has ears, then the car has a manual tailgate. If the tailgate has a handle in the middle at the top, then it is a manual tailgate.


I couldn't fine an online image of an Oldsmobile with a manual tailgate, but here's a comparable Chevy. In the first photo, note the "ears" at the top and bottom of the key switch. A power rear window was standard in all clamshells, and you turned the key to the first "stop" in either direction to raise or lower the window. On a manually-operated tailgate, you turned the "ears" to unlock the tailgate, and then you raised or lowered it by hand. You can see the handle on the tailgate as the slightly raised (lighter-colored) portion just above the bumper where the license plate is. On a car with a power-operated tailgate, there were no ears on the key switch.





In this image, from a Chevy brochure, note the slightly raised portion at the top center of the tailgate just above the grilles. That's the handle you would grab to raise or lower the tailgate. Cars with power-operated tailgates did not have this handle.





So, again, the question is, what's on your car? If it has the features of a manual tailgate, then you have a manual tailgate, and I suspect you will have to live with that unless you want to make extra modifications. If the tailgate IS manual and works ok, I would leave well enough alone and don't try to convert it to power. You'll just end up with another piece of electrical equipment that can fail down the road. One thing that owners of clamshells with manual tailgates never have to worry about is their tailgate motor failing or having to find another one.

Odmark

Seems like i have a manual tailgate then! I have both the ears and the handle.

That was a little bit dissapointing, but still now i might be able to open the trunk and not load stuff from the front.

The electric window still doesent work though, because i tried to use the key in the back.

What kind of motor is that?

jaunty75

So you have never tried to raise or lower the tailgate by hand?

Assuming everything is working properly, yes, lowering the tailgate should be a snap. However, I think you have to get the window out of the way first, and if your rear window motor doesn't work, you obviously won't be able to move it to allow lowering the tailgate.

You say the key switch in the back doesn't move the window. There should be a switch in the dash, too. Have you tried that?


The rear window motor is mounted to a mounting plate which in turn is bolted to the inner surface of the right-side back body pillar behind the spare tire cover. You'll obviously have to remove the spare tire cover and spare tire to get at it.

If you don't already have one, you should get yourself a 1973 Fisher Body manual. It covers this subject in detail. I don't know how accessible ebay and what's sold on there is in your part of the world, but these are readily available for not much money on ebay.

Here's just one, and this seller claims to ship to the U.S. "and many other countries":

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-197...b9ed52&vxp=mtr

jaunty75

By the way, while it seems obvious to suspect a bad motor as the reason your window won't move, you should verify that it doesn't work before trying to find another one. I had a problem with the power tailgate on my '73, and it turned out to be a wiring problem.

If it's of any use to you, here is an image out of the Fisher Body Manual showing the mounting of the rear key switch. You can't see it easily, but you can reach around behind the panel through an access way you can get at when you remove the spare tire, and, if your arm bends in enough places, you can get at this switch.



You'll want to check that power is getting to the switch. You can reach behind there, pull of the power connector (attaches to item #2 in the diagram), and bring it out into the light where you can get at it. Then with a volt meter or test light, you can check that power is getting to the terminals on that plug.

Before you do this, though, you probably want to check that power is getting to the motor itself, and that looks to be easier to get at than this switch. Pull the power connector off of the window motor and check the terminals in the plug with the key or dash switch in the ON position to make sure power is getting to the motor. If it is, then yes, the motor is suspect. But if power is not getting to the motor, then you need to check the rear switch to make sure that power is at least getting to that. If it is, then the problem is apparently that switch. If power is not getting to the switch, then you have a wiring problem between there and the front of the car.

Odmark

I have tried it, but i just thought i had done something wrong.
But if the window needs to go up first, thats the problem.

It just came to me, is the window wire operated? In that case it is the window motor thats broken.
Kind of looks like a regular power window motor without the "round" part right?

Damn... where can i get ahold of one of these?

jaunty75

As I said above, before you go about looking for and replacing the rear window motor, you need to verify that the motor is actually getting power.

Actually, I've come into contact with a fair number of clamshell wagon owners in the 4+ years I've owned mine, and, while many of them have had issues with their power tailgate, not a one has complained of a non-working window motor. I'm not saying that a failed motor isn't the problem in your case, but my experience leads to me to suspect that the problem you're experiencing might not with the motor but with something else.

Odmark

No no, the i know the motor is toast. Because i dissasembled it.

When i bought the car the previous owner said the motor for the clamshell was done for and in the backseat of the car.

Its just ive been looking for the wrong motor all this time.

But i just remembered, today when i took the picture that i posted earlier, i saw a cable/wire laying loose in the spare tire compartment.

jaunty75

I'm sorry. I thought you were asking where the window motor is located.

jaunty75

If it turns out you need a new rear window motor, they are apparently available. Cardone is manufacturer of many aftermarket parts, and they show availability of a rear window motor for the clamshell wagons.

http://www.cardone.com/Products/Prod...%2fo+Regulator


But Cardone apparently does not sell directly to consumer. You have to find a vendor that sells their products. If you click on their "Where to Buy" link, they give a list of online vendors who carry their product. Rockauto.com is one of them, and that's a very reputable seller. You can probably buy one through them if you need one.


Actually, the Cardone site is a bit confusing. This page:

http://www.cardone.com/find-parts/ve...iser&year=1973

shows "Window Lift Motors" for 1973 Custom Cruisers. But when you click on the + symbol next to "Tailgate window lift motor," it says "lower gate," which suggests that this is actually the tailgate motor. Perhaps the motors are the same. I don't know. Maybe you can compare your window motor with the images on the Cardone site.

Odmark

I cant see any pics on there anymore :S

Was going to check ny broken motor for some part number or something but cant find that either now, sigh...

http://cdn.classicpartsusa.com/images/products/PWM78_T1_Main.jpg well it looks like this. Although this is from a chevy blazer, i wonder if they are interchangeable

jaunty75

That's a small photo and difficult to tell much from.






This is one photo from the cardone site under "tailgate lift motor."





You may, in the end, have to bite the bullet and order something from somewhere that looks like it's a match and hope it's what you need. Get it from someplace with good return policies.