Convertible Deck lid not opening or closing

[Emanueljay]

Hello! I'm a first time owner and dealing with a 1964 Convertible thunderbird top which worked for about a month but no longer works properly. I've read everything I can find but my limited knowledge is getting in the way. From what I can tell my deck lid does unlock when pressing the top switch on the console, I then get a clunking which sounds like I need to adjust the "Deck Closed Limit Switch" - tried this didn't work. I can open the Deck lid using a jumper wire. if I use the jumper wire to raise the Deck Lid 6" and then plug the limit switch back in - I can then use the the top switch (console) and the deck lid will to continue to open along with then lowering the top. The process will stop working again at the point when the deck lid should drop. Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[Mark Kesner]

You have relays and limit switches which pass the electric current through to the motor for the deck lid. I'm assuming your jumper wire was used to bypass a limit switch. As you've already suspected the limit switch could be out of adjustment, but you said you tried adjusting. There's a deck open relay and a deck close relay. Since you stated that the deck lid does not close when it's open during the Top-Down Cycle once the top is retracted to me that would eliminate faulty relays as it's not likely for both relays to be faulty. That said, the fault centers with a common point that's depended on by both deck lid relays.
20 years ago when I owned a 66 convertible I did a lot of troubleshooting, a lot with jumpers and trial and error. My experience frequently revealed a trouble location with the upper back panel (flipper) limit switch. If memory serves me correct much of the top operation is dependent on that limit switch position be read as open or closed in order to pass the current on to the relay that starts the next cycle. I adjusted that limit switch many times with success but eventually had to replace it.
Questions:
1. Is that the limit switch you bypassed and tried adjusting?
2. When the deck lid was open during the Top-Down cycle was the upper back panel (flipper) up or retracted under the deck lid?
That panel would need to be up for the deck lid close relay to be energized. If that panel was up and the deck lid did not start the close cycle it is possible that limit switch is not being read as the panel in the Up position. That would be resolved with adjustment or replacement. Just to be clear I'm talking about a black plastic cylinder shape switch that has a screw to allow a rotation adjustment. It is attached under the upper back flipper panel with a short wire harness and plug. It seemed to me that every step of all the top cycles went through that switch because no cycle should be started without confirmation of the position of that panel.
This troubleshooting link might be helpful. It's titled for Squarebirds but it also contains info for 64-66 birds.

https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/TroubleShootingConvertibleTop60-66Tbirds.pdf