pull solenoid
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Security and Convenience
Forum Discription: Car Alarms, Keyless Entries, Remote Starters, Immobilizer Bypasses, Sensors, Door Locks, Window Modules, Heated Mirrors, Heated Seats, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=115872
Printed Date: July 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Topic: pull solenoid
Posted By: number2
Subject: pull solenoid
Date Posted: August 24, 2009 at 11:08 AM
I bought a cheap power trunk kit to put in my Camry and use with my alarm. With the size of the pull solenoid I thought that it would pull so hard it would break apart the locking mechanism. But its so weak that I cant even route the cable around more than a 30 degree angle or it wont move at all. I can engage it and with it on pull the cable out with little effort.
Are they usually this weak? I have it hooked up with a relay controlled by the aux output and a pos wire ran back to the solenoid and neg to a ground point in the trunk.
Replies:
Posted By: KarTuneMan
Date Posted: August 24, 2009 at 12:43 PM
SPAL makes a door popper with 40lbs. of pull. Then your sure to break something! I wanna say they have 11 to 15lbs. of pull, wich in most cases in plenty! Maybe get rid of the "cheap" one, and get a "better" one! ALSO... cut the cable, as to have a shorter run. In my civic it's 3 inches. (it's an LX without factory trunk pop)
Posted By: number2
Date Posted: August 24, 2009 at 1:03 PM
I have it mounted in almost a directly in line and the cable is maybe 3" also but it only pops open abut 30% of the time. Do you think a door lock actuator attached to the bar that pulls on lock from key cylinder would work??
Posted By: Mark Mizenko
Date Posted: August 24, 2009 at 1:43 PM
Are you getting enough power to the solenoid? You cant run 20' of 24Ga to it, Most all of the trunk pop solenoids are "cheap" ones. But still all work fine.
Posted By: number2
Date Posted: August 24, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Mark Mizenko wrote:
Are you getting enough power to the solenoid? You cant run 20' of 24Ga to it, Most all of the trunk pop solenoids are "cheap" ones. But still all work fine.
I think I used 18 gauge with 2 splice points between the solenoid and relay. Do you I need thicker? Every trunk pop kit I looked at looked like the exact same thing so I just went with the cheapest.
Posted By: howie ll
Date Posted: August 24, 2009 at 5:49 PM
Door actuator has about 1/3 power of a pull solenoid, also it has to return, but NO BENDS, use "p" connectors to Tie down the cable, minimum play, adjust the solenoid's body and position, I run a mile from fitting therm, 1 plus to wire up, whole day to get it to work right!
Posted By: Mark Mizenko
Date Posted: August 25, 2009 at 11:42 AM
Try powering the solenoid up right at the battery, does it have a "wack" to it now? Or run another power cable out to it and see if more power takes care of it. Also, you need a little slack in the cable, dont make it so it's tight when it's at rest.
Posted By: number2
Date Posted: August 25, 2009 at 2:06 PM
Mark Mizenko wrote:
Try powering the solenoid up right at the battery, does it have a "wack" to it now? Or run another power cable out to it and see if more power takes care of it.
Also, you need a little slack in the cable, dont make it so it's tight when it's at rest.
I was screwing around with it last night I think a big part of the problem is the length of the amount of pull is way too short for the locking mechanism. Its less than 1/2 inch. I had it rigged up to pop right at the slightest tug but still worked sometimes and the rest of the time I had to push down on the trunk lid to get it open.
Im in the process right now of rigging it up to the bar that pops the lock from the key cylinder. It seems to have less resistance and a shorter pull. Its been working 3 out of 4 tries so far so it might just need some adjusting.
Or maybe the power to it is inconstant. If this doesn't work Ill pull it back out and try it connected right to the battery.
Posted By: Mark Mizenko
Date Posted: August 25, 2009 at 2:38 PM
You need that slack in there, so it kinda "snaps" the cable, not so much of a pull, like tug of war. And you need to provide it with a good amount of current.
Posted By: number2
Date Posted: August 25, 2009 at 4:10 PM
Mark Mizenko wrote:
You need that slack in there, so it kinda "snaps" the cable, not so much of a pull, like tug of war.
And you need to provide it with a good amount of current.
That Makes sense. But how much pull do they usually have? This one gives about 0.4 inches from top to bottom. Not any room for slack where the cable coming from the lever inside the car gives well over 1" of pull.
Posted By: number2
Date Posted: September 02, 2009 at 4:43 PM
Playing with it for a couple hours I think its working now.
I see how giving it slack will make it snap or pull hard but the problem I ran into was if I gave it the slack then there was no more room to pull the lock open. Moving it to the key cylinder lever allowed it to open with less torque.
So either Toyota put locks on there trunks that requires a long excessive amount of pull and torque to open the lock or Electric Life manufacturers POS trunk pop kits.
Posted By: howie ll
Date Posted: September 02, 2009 at 5:15 PM
Could it be you're doing something wrong? Electric Life make the best window kits etc. It's ALL in your positioning. I personally will never aftermarket install trunk releases, 2 hours to wire and fit it, 6 hours to get it working. Open your trunk lid, flip the lock catch over, sit back, half a cup of tea or coffee, then work it and see what's happening. Bet you have to adjust or shorten the cable. Hell I've even made them work with a cable tie (tiewrap) as the linkage. Look at the angle of attack. Just like a door lock solenoid, it has to work at the MINIMAL angle away from the release mechanism's line of travel.
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