How do you get your trunk to close when the electronic motor goes out on a 1990 Oldsmobile 98?

We took the electric unit out of the trunk, disassembled it and wound the screw jack to the position needed to keep the trunk closed. This took a couple of times to get it right. We left the unit unplugged and now it operates as a regular, non-self-closing trunk. The electric release still works fine.