1990 Testarossa Glove Box Stuck

I had a similar problem and it turned out that the leather adhesive had let loose a little and the springs were not able to overcome the leather that was now expanded keeping the door from opening. When you hit the switch or pull the cord, use your fingernails or some tool and gently pull on the glove box and see if it suddenly opens. If it does, try to figure out if any leather is catching and fix it.

Tom

 

If you hear the motor working when you press the glovebox switch, then Tom's correct. Be gentle if using fingernails or a tool. Sometimes just a slight knock/slap on the glovebox door with the palm of your hand (after pressing the switch) does the trick. You might want to try that first.

 

My glove box is temperamental. sometimes it works. If you don't hear the solenoid click, is it the switch on the console (dirty contacts)? or is there a relay somewhere else?


Ago

 

may be the lock is blocked somewhere with parts that has been in the glove box?

try to punch from under the box, may be your hear some loosen parts? and then just try again to pull the cable

 

This is a real problem. I would look up under the dash and see if the pull cord is wrapped around something as it should be able to pull the latch. It is hard to see and you may need to get on your back. When you pull it, you do not hear the same noise as you hear when the electric solenoid opens the glove box. I hope you have small arms and hands as well to reach up inside. Do you get any movement from the pull cord? If not, something is stuck as you should be able to pull it an inch or so to let the latch disengage. Once you pull it, there really should not be anything stopping it other than what has already been discussed. Even if you went through the pain of taking the glove box out, the latch is attached to the back of the dash and the glove box will not come out when the six fasteners are removed. Even trying to take that dash out can't be done unless the glove box is open. I have been wrong before so I'm open to others thoughts.

Tom

 

Eric, I would go for the easy / elimination fix first. The switch. These switches get gummed up / corroded over time to the point they wont make contact anymore. My old Mercedes has the same style of switch.

Here is a thread I made on the subject:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/boxers-tr-m/400349-tr-repairs-week-tach-window-switch.html

Use a butter knife or your fingers and pop put the glove box switch. Place a large towel on you kitchen table because thee are some small parts. Use TWO butter knives to pry off the top. Look down inside of the guts. There are contacts that have grease on them. Over time the grease gets gummy and cakes over the contacts. If the guts show any signs of gumming or the contacts are not shiny, use some 400 grit sand paper. Re assemble with fresh grease while holding the switch facing up so the parts can fall into place.


With that said, you have eliminated the switch as a variable. The motor has a tenancy to burn out if the switch gets stuck in the 'open position' form the internal switch return spring not doing its job (like getting gummed up from old grease.) My old TR had a dead glove box motor from the the above scenario. My new TR had a sticking glove box. It was a case of just jiggling the dash just the right way so the motor could free itself up. Once open, I cleaned and regressed the motor and latch. Works perfectly now.

Sorry if most of this remedial. Just trying to cover the basics. The latch is is at the top center. It looks like the letter D facing down. From the wear marks, it appears that the lock grabs the lowest portion of it. If the back up cable is in deed frozen, perhaps gently pry open the top portion so that you could get in a long thin screw driver top push sideways on the grabbing portion of the lock.

 

The latch lever is actuated by a small gear motor driving a lead screw with a nut (this thread has internal photos of the glovebox "actuator" and gear motor: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/boxers-tr-m/419010-need-help-finding-electric-motor-61523100-tr-glove-box-actuator.html) -- so when you pull the emergency cable, this lead screw + gear motor mechanism needs to be backdriven at very poor mechanical advantage (which is big trouble if the motor is fried/stuck). As lear60man described, my actuation switch got stuck "on", too, which melted the brush block in the motor. By reaching up with a bent rod with a flatten end (between the fiberglass carcass and the rear beauty panel that goes in the black clip in the photo), I was able to eventually "assist" the emergency cable and break things loose so that the lever moved enough to open the mechanism. Here's some photos that might help -- the gold lever with the extension return spring and the emergency cable attached needs to be moved in the direction that the emergency cable pulls:
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Today disassembled the glove box switch, cleaned the points and don't forget the pivot points. The glove box works flawless now. These cars are 25 years old and I find that cleaning the oxidation off switch points and taking an eraser to instrument dimmer has solved many minor problems.


Ago

 

David, what do you call the points?

 

Remove the switch , and carefully disassemble it.The switch has a set of contacts similar to ignition points, but smaller. Clean them with fine sandpaper to remove oxidation. Also the switch has a pivot that completes the switch. These switches are brass and after years they oxidize. Regarding the instrument light dimmer, there is a copper strip that oxidizes. Take a pencil eraser and rub the copper to remove surface oxidation.


Ago