[peterbrown77]

Whatever you do, DON'T TRY TO POWER THE TOP DOWN. You will damage the linkages and possibly bend the tracks.

You need to disconnect the transmission links. First you need to be able to get at them. If you look between the outboard side of the seats and the body, you will see either red (original) or white (newer) ball sockets. You can pop these off with a screw driver. Next, you need to reach in by the fabric and find the plastic coated wire cables (one on each side) that hold the bottom edge of the convertible top in place. Follow them down and you will come to another small ball socket which you can pop off by hand. Now you should be able to move the top out of the way and get to the transmission links that hold the clamshell.

Whatever you do, DO NOT remove the screw that holds the metal link together on the slotted hole. This length is set at the factory and is a PITA to adjust correctly. Just remove it at the ends where it attaches to the transmission.

Once you've done this you should be able to raise the clamshell by hand and gain access to the motor.

I've read DIYs where you can fix the cable without replacing if it has broken at the motor end. It involves cutting the sheath shorter and exposing the un-unraveled end of the wire cable ( you will know what I mean when you see it ).