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manually operate convertible top on 2002 GT - ?

just wondering, how would you raise the convertible top on an `02 GT if the battery went dead? is there a trick for manually raising the top somehow? is there something that can be unhooked so that the top can be raised by hand? think about it, if you are far from home or civilization and the battery dies or the convertible top motor decides to die, you need to be able to get that top up somehow, i'd say this is a pretty important thing to know. either that or convertible owners should consider carrying large tarps and some duct tape around for such emergencies, thanx

Reply to
TJ
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Stand in the back seat and pull it up evenly, slow and steady. The hardest part is getting it to the half-way point, it's a breeze after that. It isn't easy, but it works.

Reply to
John C.

If your car is properly maintained, the chance of having a dead battery while the top is down during a rainstorm should be somewhere between slim and nil..... Many DIYers can get rather cavalier about electrical repairs and modifications. ScotchLoks and "twist 'n' tape" are not accepted procedures and can come back to haunt someone later on.

I have seen more charging system troubles resulting from lack of proper maintenance than than from faulty assemblies (the nifty "gotcha" here is from substandard or inappropriate electrical practices that can kill an alternator..... a new alternator "fixing" the problem 'for now').

I earned my steering papers in circa 1966.... I live in what you could call a "severe climate" zone. In all those years, I have needed a boost less than a handful of times.

FWIW, while a battery may not have what it takes to start the car, the top motor requires far less current than the starter motor.... this means that the car might not start but it will probably have enough onion to raise the top.

Reply to
Jim Warman

Yeah, my favorite is when someone complains about battery or starting problems, and you open the hood to see what looks like two big chunks of califlower on the battery cables !

Gee, I *think * maybe I found part of your problem :)

Reply to
Chief_Wiggum

Gotta love those little felt pads, along with a nice coat of petroleum jelly. No more corrosion!

I think I mentioned here, but I was having problems with my battery dying *very* quickly several years back.

Seems that my grandma's mechanic had replaced the battery with one that was just *slightly* too small to be clamped down tightly, and thus it eventually shifted itself backwards... right into the alternator fan. It's amazing how weak a battery gets with a gaping hole in the side and one dry cell! :)

Reply to
Garth Almgren

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