I've been hacking away at this problem on and off for some time now. I bought my '04 with the top non-functioning in the closed position with hopes of fixing it. I've found my problem but I am uncertain where to go. To start, my 5th bow motor is bad, as the 5th bow unlatches but won't raise. That's one issue that I need to resolve. However, I can't get to that issue until I can open my storage lid. With the 5th bow fully opened manually I can trigger the storage lid unlock actuator and the right side pops, however the left side actuator is jammed. What I did not notice when I bought the car is someone tried to manually open the left side actuator and pulled so hard on the release cable in the trunk and pulled all of its plastic guides out of place. The end result is the manual cable release is now routed incorrectly and being pulled from the wrong direction. The cable connects to the left side of the actuator and needs to be pulled in that direction to open it, now it's being pulled from the right which won't do anything. Also, given someone tried so hard to pull this thing open, I'm assuming it's badly jammed.

What I am trying to do is gain access to the latch while the lid is shut. Either to remove the two bolts holding the latch to the body or rerouting the release cable so I can pull it from the correct direction (hopefully it's not jammed in this case). I've also tried removing the rear glove box and reaching into the storage cavity. I believe the actuator itself is inside a storage bag as I can get to the bag. I'm blind though at that point and there's very limited maneuverability. I have the shop manual and have gone through the RF section fairly extensively. It makes assumptions that you can use those emergency releases to gain access. So, I'm uncertain how to get to to the storage lid actuator at this point. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

 

The only way I can think of is to remove all of the interior plastics behind the seats. There might be enough room for you to "feel around".

 

So I ended up going this route, thanks. After removing the roll bar pieces and the back piece covering the speakers there was enough of an opening to get my hand in there. What I found was interesting. Someone disconnected all the electrical connectors and the manual pull wire from the latch. I was able to get my fingers on where the manual release connects and open it. This was purposely done.



This really makes me wonder what the history of this car is. I bought it just over a year ago knowing the top wasn't working right but never expected it to be purposely disabled. Repo? Perhaps a salvage auction scam? As I manually opened the storage lid I was really nervous regarding what I was going to find under that lid. Luckily, it was just the mildewy storage bag.

Anyway, there are other issues with the top still. Like I have no idea what this is sticking out by where the 5th bow motor is. However, at least I can get to everything now and continue with repairing this.

 

It's hard to tell, but that might be the lock cable

 

I also have an 04 with similar issues. I got the too down and I can get the storage lid to move up and done if I give it a little bit of help to open initially. But now I can't get the top to seat in the storage lid actuator. It sits half way up and locks. I will post a pic. Any help would be appreciated

 

I have this exact same issue, have you fixed this?