Adding a Physical Interior Liftgate Power Switch

[scott_77]

thanks @scott_77
I appreciate your help.

After an hour or so in that weird position by the passenger well on a small stool, I called it a day for now.

As I said in my last edit, pressing the button from a closed state does nothing.
If I open the trunk with the screen button, I can interrupt that with the PA button, and I can get it to close. Fully closed, pressing the PA button does nothing.

I feel that my wire tap is making some sort of contact, but perhaps not a full one. I stupidly didn't bother to test my cable for continuity to insure no cuts or nicks to it; it looks like it's in good condition, but you never truly know. The fact that I can interrupt the opening when using the screen button, tells me that I have a solid cable all the way through.

I shall continue with this some other day, and hopefully get @markboris 's thoughts. I predict that he will say that I should have used the positap, but I found what I bought cheap at Harbor Freight, and I only needed ONE. I won't be splicing many more wires.

Oh bummer. Hope you can get it going reliably. So i wonder if it is just a barely good connection then... make sure that the spliced metal is fully down (flush with plastic housing - and I trust your brown wire is centered on the open track and your spare wire was seated all the way to the back of the inner). that splice you used looks like what is used for 22 awg, which one would hope would be close enough but the wire in the car is 24 awg.

You are correct, when closing or opening w screen or button, pressing either again should stop it in place then pressing either yet again should move it in opposite direction.

Worse case is you end up cutting the wire and use a different approach to tie all three together.

You are confident in the switch side, yes?

Best of luck!

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[markboris]

Oh bummer. Hope you can get it going reliably. So i wonder if it is just a barely good connection then... make sure that the spliced metal is fully down (flush with plastic housing - and I trust your brown wire is centered on the open track and your spare wire was seated all the way to the back of the inner). that splice you used looks like what is used for 22 awg, which one would hope would be close enough but the wire in the car is 24 awg.

You are correct, when closing or opening w screen or button, pressing either again should stop it in place then pressing either yet again should move it in opposite direction.

Worse case is you end up cutting the wire and use a different approach to tie all three together.

You are confident in the switch side, yes?

Best of luck!

Hey Scott, I contacted Norman personally and going to work with him on this when he has time again instead of going back and forth here on this thread. We will get to the bottom of it. ?

 

[raffig]

I have been trying to find the brown wire, but I can’t seem to find it. Maybe the color is a little different for my 2023 Mach e . I think my car‘s brown wire is more of a purple like color, almost grayish. Does anyone have any advice?
thank you,

 

[HughJazzol]

I have been trying to find the brown wire, but I can’t seem to find it. Maybe the color is a little different for my 2023 Mach e . I think my car‘s brown wire is more of a purple like color, almost grayish. Does anyone have any advice?
thank you,

I think that someone in earlier posts mentioned that his was purple. Read most of the thread; it's long, I know.

 

[scott_77]

I have been trying to find the brown wire, but I can’t seem to find it. Maybe the color is a little different for my 2023 Mach e . I think my car‘s brown wire is more of a purple like color, almost grayish. Does anyone have any advice?
thank you,

It was this one for mine

 

[markboris]

It can also be tannish in color. There are only 6 wires that are solid colors. White, Black, Brown, Green, Gray and Yellow

 

[HughJazzol]

I have been trying to find the brown wire, but I can’t seem to find it. Maybe the color is a little different for my 2023 Mach e . I think my car‘s brown wire is more of a purple like color, almost grayish. Does anyone have any advice?
thank you,

Raffig
I attempted this 7 hours ago and add these tips:

1. Make sure you're looking for the wire in the bundle attached to the top white connector in that foot panel. You'll see upper white, smaller black, and lower white.

2. You can unplug that white connector to make this a lot easier. The car will make some clicks, but all will be fine. The white plug has a black lever ob top that can be moved by playing with a small plastic lock on the grabbing end.
Thanks @markboris for this tip.

3. Be careful when cutting the black sheath that wraps around since you obviously don't want to cut any wires.

4. Look with good light for that elusive brown or perhaps purple-esque wire. Mine in my 24 premium was dark chocolate brown. Look back a few posts to see it.

 

[kiowa1021]

I have a Job 1 ‘21 Premium, and my headlight control cluster looks like this:

I found a used model on eBay from a ‘22 GT that looks like this:

If I were to buy this, along with the required hatch switch, would it be a plug-and-play swap? I understand I’d have to run the wire from the BCM still and my plan would be to replace the traction control switch with the hatch button to keep the max defrost capability.

The price for the used module seems reasonable, but I wasn’t sure if I could just try to source that outer trim ring that gives me the traction control slot to work with. I appreciate any insight/recommendations!

 

[HughJazzol]

I have a Job 1 ‘21 Premium, and my headlight control cluster looks like this:

I found a used model on eBay from a ‘22 GT that looks like this:

If I were to buy this, along with the required hatch switch, would it be a plug-and-play swap? I understand I’d have to run the wire from the BCM still and my plan would be to replace the traction control switch with the hatch button to keep the max defrost capability.

The price for the used module seems reasonable, but I wasn’t sure if I could just try to source that outer trim ring that gives me the traction control slot to work with. I appreciate any insight/recommendations!

What you're suggesting to buy is IDENTICAL to what you have now, so why bother?

 

[kiowa1021]

What you're suggesting to buy is IDENTICAL to what you have now, so why bother?

With my current setup I’d have to get rid of the max defrost switch. I was hoping to keep that capability by using the GT module and sacrificing the traction control switch to gain the rear hatch button.

 

[HughJazzol]

With my current setup I’d have to get rid of the max defrost switch. I was hoping to keep that capability by using the GT module and sacrificing the traction control switch to gain the rear hatch button.

Why not use the park assist button, which is a very easy process to do?
Or does that button still work in your model year?

 

[kiowa1021]

Why not use the park assist button, which is a very easy process to do?
Or does that button still work in your model year?

The park assist still works in my model year. I don’t use it often, but would like to keep that functionality just in case.

 

[HughJazzol]

The park assist still works in my model year. I don’t use it often, but would like to keep that functionality just in case.

Ahhh, ok. That makes sense

 

[HughJazzol]

The park assist still works in my model year. I don’t use it often, but would like to keep that functionality just in case.

Based on previous posts of a similar hookup, you will have to splice into the brown bcm wire from this new switch, and you'll have to find a ground.

 

[HuntingPudel]

With my current setup I’d have to get rid of the max defrost switch. I was hoping to keep that capability by using the GT module and sacrificing the traction control switch to gain the rear hatch button.

Nope, can't do that. The liftgate switch mounts where the MME has the Max Defrost switch. The 2021 Job2 cars and newer have the traction control switch. This photo shows my replacement 2021 switch (the 2021 and Job1 2022 cars had a bug in the headlight switch so I bought a replacement after Ford fixed it) with the liftgate switch in the cluster, and the original 2024 switch that it replaced in my 2024 GT (I put the original switch back into my 2021 when I traded it in). ??

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