Suburban tailgate glass

[shanegtr]

Hi guys, just a quick question regarding the operation of the tailgate glass on the suburbans. I can lower the glass with the key but I cannot raise it with the key. Only way I can raise the glass is with the ignition on and via the dash rocker switch. Previous owner said that its always been that way since he owned it. Should I be able to raise the tailgate glass with the key from the tailgate?

 

[Blue Ox]

Yes.

 

[Snoots]

Someone posted on here how to rebuild the rear switch and safety lockout on the drivers side latch.

 

[bucket]

If it goes up with the dash switch then the safeys switch is fine. Key switch or a broken wire.

 

[Snoots]

You must be registered for see images attach

BTW: If you find one in the boneyard, GRAB IT! GM discontinued the switch in '09 and you will be damn lucky to find one at any GM dealer.
They are simple to rebuild if you are slow and careful.

Your problem may likely be with the switch connector (corrosion, broken wire). Clean off the corrosion, add some dielectric grease and reassemble and you're good to go.

 

[shanegtr]

thanks guys, very helpful

 

[rpcraft]

I can't speak for the suburban version but when I rebuilt my k5 tailgate I noticed that there were some broken pieces of the wire insulation on and around the safety switch area so I would highly recommend Replacing the wiring in there (does not have to be color coded but it is nice if you can find it) and make sure it is sized appropriately. There is no guarantee it will contact or short but after taking a close look at mine I could tell that it would deteriorate further and it's just a downhill battle from there. I also dissected and removed the mechanism that forces you to roll the window down all the way before you can unlatch the tailgate. I understand its a safety device but it sure makes working on the tailgate so much easier. Just a tip in case the Burb has that same type of device. I also found that the key switch was operating erratically so I took it and sprayed electrical contact cleaner on it and it performed much better. I also took the motor grounds and cleaned all the contact points on it and the chassis with a wire cup on my grinder and then remounted the motor and it works much better now. The surfaces were pretty rusty from previous work being done and leaving it exposed. Once I had it all reassembled I put some CRC sp-350 on the naked stuff rather than paint. It will withstand any moisture but not force me to have to strip any paint for the next round of work I need to do in there.