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Have you checked the wires running through the pipe serving as the passenger side trunk hinge? You must remove some of the trunk lining to expose the wires. The wires tend to fray and break due to the continuous bending and unbending.
No, I have not done that. Was hoping I could do something via the ohmmeter vs undoing all the wire wrapping, etc. I may try to pick up continuity along lengths of each wire (test at trunk pipe and at connector, etc.).
When I hold the trunk release switch on the trunk lid, I can here an intermittent buzz from the latch. Sounds like a busy-signal, but very faint. I took a sound clip of it:
Probably because there is no power to the latch. Apparently a spring keeps it in the open (unlatched) position and an electric selenoid keeps it closed. I had almost exactly the same symptoms and it turned out to be the wires to the latch.
The latch is mechanical and when tripped to latch, there is a hook that holds it closed. The solenoid pulls the latch and the opening is done with a spring. My money's on no power to the solenoid (but it could be a bad solenoid (rare)).
The latch is mechanical and when tripped to latch, there is a hook that holds it closed. The solenoid pulls the latch and the opening is done with a spring. My money's on no power to the solenoid (but it could be a bad solenoid (rare)).
So essentially it is also"power to open" and not just "power to close". Either way, if there is no power to the solenoid (which is what I suspect also)
the trunk won't open nor close. .
The E60 does't have a "power close" latch like my E53 does. Just power un-latch.
So why doesn't it latch when there is no power to the latch? Mine wouldn't work (couldn't/wouldn't) latch until power was restored to the mechanism. Mechanically there wasn't anything wrong with the latch. I am not being argumentative here, just curious.
No idea. Maybe if the OP pulls the latch off we can see. I'm not going to pull my functioning one apart just to see. That said, if the latch relied on power being applied to close, would it also need power to stay closed? Sounds sketchy to me.
Broken wires at hinging area.
Soldered back together, heat shrinked.
Others had cracks in insulation so I liquid electrical taped them before they could cause problems in the future.