Do squarebody suburbans with the power back window have a tailgate closed switch?

[G-NUT]

Do squarebody suburbans with the power back window have a tailgate closed switch? The 1984 GM CK Light Duty Trucks wiring manual from GM Heritage shows one on pdf page 15 but I cannot find one, nor the wiring for one on my 1984 Suburban.
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[Corts60]

Do you mean to operate the dome light?

[kwmech]

Yes they do. I assures that the gate is shut tight and the glass is aligned with the upper track. That's why I like the barn doors

[James Lamb]

If you mean a safety switch that prevents the glass from being able to be raised or lowered without the tailgate being shut the answer is yes. It plugs in behind the tailgate latch on the passenger side. At least that is where it is on my '89. For the longest time I would have to slam the tailgate several times before I could get the glass to move. Last year the tracks that hold the glass completely rusted out, I had to fabricate new ones, and I took everything apart. I found out the plug on the safety switch had cracked, hence the required slamming to get it to make contact. Since I am the sole operator of my truck, and I'm not dumb enough to try and raise the glass with the tailgate open, I cut the plug off and tied the wires together. No more slamming.

[G-NUT]

Originally Posted by James Lamb

If you mean a safety switch that prevents the glass from being able to be raised or lowered without the tailgate being shut the answer is yes. It plugs in behind the tailgate latch on the passenger side. At least that is where it is on my '89. For the longest time I would have to slam the tailgate several times before I could get the glass to move. Last year the tracks that hold the glass completely rusted out, I had to fabricate new ones, and I took everything apart. I found out the plug on the safety switch had cracked, hence the required slamming to get it to make contact. Since I am the sole operator of my truck, and I'm not dumb enough to try and raise the glass with the tailgate open, I cut the plug off and tied the wires together. No more slamming.

Thanks for the info. I just now read this. (2 yrs later).
Man! Its been nearly 2 years since I posted this question and that long since I've really addressed this.

I troubleshot this circuit last night using a wiring schematic pdf I found on another squarebody forum a long while back. I found the tailgate closed switch, as listed on this factory schematic. After troubleshooting the issue is here at the switch. I didn't pull the switch out so I'm not certain if its the switch or the connection at the switch. I will push on in the near future when I have time.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to find a new replacement switch just in case. Otherwise just like your statement James, I'll be wiring the wires in the connector together.

[James Lamb]

I'm glad to see someone else who has other things going on their life aside from dealing with old cars. I had a bunch of issues with mine that similarly took a long time for me to address.

My experience with the rear power window has been: useful, but kind of a pain in the ass when something goes wrong. No one makes the window tracks anymore, so if you have to get in there, living in rainy AL as we do, I recommend going to the trouble of removing the window and tracks and coating the tracks with your favorite anti-rust solution. I was never able to even find used ones in good shape without needing to buy an entire tailgate, and if it doesn't come from a truck in Arizona or another dry state the tracks will just be rusted as badly anyway.

GM really left just about zero clearance of any kind in the tailgate assembly. When I made up my new window tracks, I reused the track brackets, and even the head of a pop rivet on each side was too much for the window to slide back in. I had to take it all apart and hammer the rivet head down some for it to clear. Recently, I replaced a couple of screws that hold on the inner decorative cover of the tailgate. Next time I went to open the tailgate I discovered the new screws were 1/8 inch longer than the old ones, and the tips were embedded in the window track sticking the window in the up position. Taking that apart with the window stuck like that is no fun. Really, it's like aerospace tolerances in there.

At some point, the ground wire for the window had ripped off the glass. Fixing that was fun. The rear window motor is self-grounded, and can quit working if the ground is iffy. I added a dedicated new ground wire to mine to fix that issue. The switch inside the tailgate key can get dirty and although a ridiculously simple design, and fixable with a simple disassembly and cleaning, is ridiculous to get to in the first place. And, despite my replacement door keys all working without issue on the other doors, only the original now 34 -year-old key works on the rear window.

One thing I did discover that has been a vast help is that the door latches and rear tailgate latches originally had plastic sleeves over the latch posts, and they have been worn out and gone so long I did not even realize they were supposed to be there. I bought two sizes of pex tubing, cut new ones, and no longer have to slam the doors and tailgate to get them to latch correctly. That's also the source I think of the door/hinge sag issue with these trucks.

So for my money, anything that decomplicates that setup, like doing away with the tailgate switch that is just going to break again was a no-brainer.