Re: Idea: Using an additional Trunk Latch solenoid for tailgate lock/unlock?
Can't find anything on the trunk but there is info on the tailgate.
2017 Ridgeline Black AT | Tailgate
And their electrical section shows 8 wire hardnesses..take your pick..etc.
2017 Ridgeline Black 6-Speed Automatic Honda Parts Diagram List
Does this works for your quest ? :wink: 0
It is a definitely a start, thanks.
So per your information, the two primary trunk lid related parts I see being involved are first two listed below:
Part Name: LOCK ASSY., CARGO LID
Part Number: 74850-SJC-A02
Honda Code: 8970352
Replaces Part: 74850-SJC-A01
$53.14 (per HondaPartsNetwork.com price list)
Part Name: OPENER ASSY., CARGO LID
Part Number: 74880-T6Z-A01
Honda Code: 9725564
$57.32 (per HondaPartsNetwork.com price list)
The OPENER ASSY. seems to also include the following part:
Part Name: CABLE, CARGO LID LOCK
Part Number: 74830-T6Z-A00
Honda Code: 9725555
So... the 'Cargo Inner Lid Cover' panel is held on to the inside of the Cargo (trunk) lid via 7 plastic plug clips... easy enough to remove with a panel tool or flat head screwdriver (see first picture)...
Once the Cargo Inner Lid Cover is removed, you can see the 'Cargo Lid Lock Assembly' (see second picture)...
This Lock Assembly is attached to the underside of the trunk lid via 2 phillips bolts and is the piece that actually performs the latching/unlatching. The latch itself has a small arm/pivot and can be actuated by several different methods:
The arm/pivot connects to the 'Cargo Lid Lock Cable' (the cable with two yellow tape markings in the second picture) which is routed through the cargo lid (along with other wires) over to the Cargo Lid Opener Assembly, which contains the 'button' we typically use to open the trunk (shown in the third picture). The cable allows you to 'manually' actuate the latch by rotating a physical key in the key cylinder of the Opener Assembly... turning the key pulls the cable and unlatches the lid. You can see my key stuck in the lock cylinder at the bottom right of the third picture, and the cable connected at the back of that key cylinder. The electronics for the 'button' that triggers electric actuation of latch is on the left side of the third picture. All of the electronics for the button itself (the teal-colored box in the picture) are in the Opener Assembly which is sealed against the weather via a rubber cover, shown pulled back in the picture.
Back to the Lock Assembly... it also incorporates the glow-in-the-dark emergency unlatch lever (required by law, I assume) which directly actuates the latch (without need for a cable) to allow a way out for someone trapped inside the trunk.
So then the 'normal' method of triggering of the latch is via an electric signal (specifics unknown) sent from the button on the Opener Assembly which actuates the solenoid/actuator contained within the Lock Assembly. The actuator itself is contained in a small compartment that is a part of the Opener Assembly, the lid to which is held on by 3 small phillips screws and has a small rubber seal (see the forth picture). I've measured it, and the turning of the actuator gears actually only moves the latch arm mechanism (shown at the 1" mark on the tape measure in the forth picture) about 1/2 inch, which then returns to it's previous position via a spring. I assume the various wires and wiring harness connectors, aside from providing 12 volt (assumed) power to trigger the actuator, are used to provide the necessary signals from the proximity sensor and the 'latch bypass' switch in the glove box. But hey... I'm not electrical engineer... I'm just a guy poking around...
I believe that work already done and pictures provided by others in the ROC related to opening up the tailgate panel (I think it was to resolve 'sticking tailgate latch' issues early on) will provide insight as to the inner workings of the tailgate latch mechanism and how to fabricate an interface with it. Based so far only on poor resolution parts diagrams, I expect interfacing (somehow) with the following part within the tailgate will be the key:
Part Name: SYNCHRONIZER ASSY., TAILGATE
Part Number: 74870-T6Z-A01
Honda Code: 9725562
So... my idea here is to:
1) Purchase another complete Cargo Lid Lock Assembly (which is a fairly self-contained $53 unit); 2) Find a fairly obstruction-free and appropriate place (i.e. close enough to the tailgate latching components) somewhere inside the tailgate to anchor the newly purchased Lock Assembly;
3) Fabricate an appropriate solution (tbd, depending upon what is inside the tailgate) to somehow attach the arm/pivot (or possibly the related short cable that is part of the assembly) of the newly purchased Lock Assembly to the existing tailgate latch mechanism(s) (internal to the tailgate)... likely connecting in some way to the aforementioned 'Tailgate Synchronizer Assembly', since my (total) guess is that it somehow 'synchronizes' the two different latch releases (swing and drop-down).
4) Experiment to figure out which and how many of the wires that run between the Cargo Lid Opener Assembly and the Cargo Lid Lock Assembly (and possibly/probably the other wiring harnesses involved) are actually used to trigger the Lock Assembly actuator (to move the arm/pivot). This would mean playing around with a volt meter and some alligator clip jumper wires to connect the original (in place) Lock Assembly connections ALSO to the new Lock Assembly connections to determine if you can make BOTH solenoids actuate at the same time by pressing the Opener Assembly button (without popping any fuses or making the OEM lock stop functioning correctly.
5) Once we know which wires do what, fabricate some extensions of whatever turns out to be the appropriate wires, and connect those new wire extensions from the original Lock Assembly connection locations... on to the tailgate and to the NEW Lock Assembly inside the tailgate. These newly required wires would need to be added to or run alongside the existing wiring harness that enters the tailgate at the driver's side bottom of the tailgate pivot point... and then run those wires on to the newly added Lock Assembly installed inside the tailgate.
If all that is workable, fabricated, and connected (a big 'IF', perhaps), then it seems to me that triggering the trunk latch button (BTW, you CAN reach it... if you stretch your fingers a bit... even with the tailgate CLOSED) it would then ALSO trigger the NEW Lock Assembly actuator installed inside the tailgate, and thereby move the appropriate newly fabricated connection bits to allow the tailgate to be unlatched ALONG WITH unlatching the trunk (which as I've said previously, I can accept). One additional 'benefit', if this arrangement works, is this should also mean that the 'trunk latch bypass' switch in the glove box would then ALSO now be a 'tailgate lock bypass' switch... allowing anyone with a locked bed cover to keep what is inside from being accessed by a valet if the bypass is engaged... which is also fine with me.
One major difficulty will be that since the tailgate is currently 'always unlocked', triggering the latch currently can be performed via either the lower (for swing out) or upper (for drop down) handle at any time. So the 'interface' will need to somehow 'intercept' or disable those connections (i.e. 'disconnect' latch rods and/or cable(s) to the tailgate latch(es), EXCEPT when triggered by NEW Lock Assembly. Another thing that you would have to accept (at least with THIS arrangement) is that the tailgate - like the trunk currently - would then ALWAYS BE LOCKED... UNLESS you press the trunk latch button to unlock it... EVERY TIME. It might be that the easiest (well, 'easy' is relative) way to make this work would be that you press the trunk latch button to 'engage' the new interface pieces in the tailgate, and THEN (requiring an additional hand), WHILE STILL HOLDING THE TRUNK LATCH BUTTON, engage the normal tailgate latch (top or bottom).
...OR maybe, the 'bits' that are used in the tailgate latch can be altered to make the tailgate 'always locked'... except when the trunk latch button engages the new interface pieces in the tailgate. Man... I should have taken fewer software engineering classes... and more regular engineering classes...
So... anybody up for digging further into these ideas? Sound crazy? Sound do-able? Other ideas? Better ideas? No guts, no glory... I'm open to other ideas or thoughts... Obviously if some vendor had this kind of (integrated with the OEM key fob / locks / proximity sensor) solution that I could just purchase and install for $200, I'd get in line. Until then, the idea of buying a separate lock, and especially if it has a separate key or if it does not integrate with the RL door locks, that does not have much appeal for me, personally.
