[Hayden]

Hi Maurice,

Thanks for the pictures. All I was able to find locally without ordering and waiting a week were some sunken box set wrenches at Autozone, but they don't want to bite on that v-lever bolt. I think it's just too bulky and the bolt is recessed too far. I figure by leaving the v-levers on, it will help me get this all hooked back up later much more easily, so I'm still more focused on the ball connectors.

So, an update: I was able to successfully pop off both ball joints on the drivers side, and the red convertible top one on the passenger side. Then it came to the last pushrod, and it won't come loose at all. The amount of force I've exerted on that piece is insane. Enough to visibly bend a large screw driver and crow bar while prying. WD40ed the connection too. Nothing. The other side required force, but it let go just fine.

Here's the real kicker. So, as I'm in the middle of trying to get the last pushrod disconnected (remember, this is from the closed-top postion) I've used up so much energy, I needed a late night snack, so I hop in the car to go grab something and just for kicks, I hit the top up button right before exiting the garage, and for about a half second and I hear the motor run, then let go of the button because I was not expecting that, and didn't want to do any damage. I should have just taken the opportunity and delayed dinner, but nope.. ugh.

Sugarplums in my head about how the motor is fixed and as soon as I get back home, I'm going to hold the button down and get it into service position, so I can do what I may to the parts iI can now access more freely.

Get home, and the button does nothing again. My only theory is that when I popped the driver's joint off, the tension that released created a vibration that effected the motor. That, or all the hammering I've done on the end of things to get stuff wedged into places. Driving must have undone whatever was done.

Now I've got a closed clamshell with slightly (very slightly) less pressure holding it down, and a dash light saying it's open. The good news: the system CAN work. Probably not a dreaded wiring issues. The bad news: Top still stuck down, and one frustrating connector left. Intermittent motor function. Interesting, the relay clicks when hitting either up or down button down, now because the car knows the top is in limbo. Prior, I only heard a click in the up direction. This may help someone in the future diagnosing a relay. It's obvious the microswitch the cable transmission for the top is working, as well as all the other ones.

My last hope today is to get a dremel and use a cutting wheel to chop of a piece of something, but I don't know which would be the most economical piece to replace. I could go through the thin part of the "hydraulic" push rod, or, more likely, shear off the ball connector from the v-lever. It is threaded into the v-lever, and I've already tried backing out the bolt until it's now stripped. Can that ball joint be purchased separate from the V-lever? Cheaper than shearing off the shaft of the pushrod?

So, this has turned out to be quite the confusing case. Both microswitches, relay, fuses and switch work because the motor started working. Surely this is something to do with the motor, and/or connections to it. If I could just get back there! I spent a solid two hours on the last connector, and a pool of sweat. I know there is a clip, or some such, that hold the other end onto the clamshell, which I might also look into, but with the pressure exerted on this thing I don't want it to pop off near my glove while my arms are up in there. It's quite a contorted reach up there.

Hope this helps someone out there, and any assistance regarding which part to cut off would be helpful. Thanks!