just wondering where the hood and trunk switches are located that the theft deterrant system uses to let the cpu know that they're shut and that the system is ready to arm once the the doors are locked and the driver's door is shut. are they built into the latch assemblies?

 

The switches are part of the latch assy. in both cases. Look for wires on the body portion of the latch.

 

any tips on what to clean for a better connection?

 

Dirt would't affect current very much unless the soldering has degraded over time so check that first.

 

True, but I'd still hit the contacts with some brake cleaner, inspect, and then dielectric grease.

 

if at all possible, i'm going to pull the switch, sand and clean the contacts, dielectric grease the contacts and reinstall.

 

if the dome light or hatch light comes on when you open the respective opening, and go off when you close the respective openings, then the switches that trigger the alarm are fine.

 

well, my next step will be to clean the hood switch. if that doesnt work, i'll have to inspect the alarm cpu. perhaps it has bad solder joints. seems pretty common to have a few bad solder joints here and there.

 

Year/model?

 

i apologize, the car is an 88 10AE