Rear Spoiler doesn’t Work -‘97 Boxster

[TNT79Bronco]

Spoiler doesn’t extend at speed, nor does it work with the switch. The spoiler light comes on in the dash at speed. Swapped in another spoiler mechanism, thinking it might be a bad mechanism, and no luck there. All fuses and relays have been replaced. 

 

HOWEVER, with the manual switch (by fuse box) unplugged, and I connect the rear wiring harness to the spoiler unit, I can hear the relay clock, and it will raise the spoiler about 1/2” and stop. If I unplug and plug back in, it will go up another 1/2”. I kept doing this (duh!!!)

 

Now I have a fully extended spoiler, with no way to retract. I have the wiring diagram from Bentley manual. 

 

Any troublemshooting advice?  What wires should I apply 12v power to, to retract?  Any and all advice is helpful. 

 

Also, I tried to make heads or tails of the wiring diagram. I’m more mechanical oriented than automotive electronics. I just got a headache!!

[TNT79Bronco]

Bump. Help

[JFP in PA]

6 hours ago, TNT79Bronco said:

Bump. Help

 

Please do not "bump", it is against forum rules.

[TNT79Bronco]

I guess nobody has any knowledge of how our rear spoiler works.......

 

I should of said something about the IMS bearing, that would have gotten a response. Lol. 

[Loren]

The spoiler should retract if you bring the Green/Red wire to ground.

If it does not then you either have a bad motor or relay. You can try swapping the relays and see if the failure follows the relay. 

[TNT79Bronco]

Hi Loren, thanks for responding. I figured out how to apply current to the motor leads to retract and extend, by swapping power/ground on the Yellow/Green and Blue/Green wires. Motor works fine. 

 

Also tested the relays and the switch by the fuse panel, all good. I can trace power from the fuse on D7 to the relays and to the spoiler motor. 

 

I see the switch is wired through the instrument cluster.

is the switch and instrument panel switching the ground?  

 

I think it might be a bad insturment cluster. 

[Loren]

1 hour ago, TNT79Bronco said:

Hi Loren, thanks for responding. I figured out how to apply current to the motor leads to retract and extend, by swapping power/ground on the Yellow/Green and Blue/Green wires. Motor works fine. 

 

Also tested the relays and the switch by the fuse panel, all good. I can trace power from the fuse on D7 to the relays and to the spoiler motor. 

 

I see the switch is wired through the instrument cluster.

is the switch and instrument panel switching the ground?  

 

I think it might be a bad insturment cluster. 

 

You really don't want it to be a bad cluster...  PST2 or PIWIS should be able to test the cluster.

Double check the wiring for corrosion or other damage.

[TNT79Bronco]

I agree about the cluster, although I have an extra one I can put in there.  That is why I was trying to figure out whether the switch by the fuses is switching the ground or the power.  From what the schematic looks like, it must be switching the ground.  If that is the case, then the instrument cluster must be sending out voltage to activate the control side of the relays.

 

I have pretty much everything figured out from there.  

 

Anybody's input would help.