'59 top troubleshooting, deck lid & tray

[heikkisky]

My 59's roof works well 90% of the time but sometimes when closing the deck lid when the roof is fully erected and locked to it's place the deck lid tray doesn't start to fold and the whole process stops leaving the deck lid wide open.

This problem is solved as the process still works to another way (retract cycle). Reversing the process once or twice from the point where it stops will help the erect cycle go all the way through. When the deck lid is raised up until the roof starts to unscrew and then reversed back to erect cycle it usually goes through all the way and the tray folds and deck lid closes.

I browsed through the 1959 shop manual but didn't really understood where I should start looking for the solution for this trouble. I hope someone could point me to the right area if there is something to adjust or some switches to replace or parts to be lubed.

[Ford Only]

Someone that knows more about that problem may drum in on this but have you had someone push on the deck lid a little to see if it would start the flipper panel cycle, it may be that when your deck lid opens and shuts off it drops back just enough to where the switch is no longer closed.

[Dave Owens]

Check the roof erect and delay switch. This is the switch behind the door on the passenger side. It may be out of adjustment or just sticky. With the roof retracted use a small screwdriver and work the switch. A drop of very light oil may be needed if the switch is not working freely. The contacts closest to the plunger start the tray fold cycle.

[heikkisky]

Thanks for the advice. The roof erect switch on the passenger side was kinda sticky when I worked it gently with a screwdriver. Let's see if the problem still occurs or did that help.

There seems to be a swicth also on the driver's side? Which switch is that?

[heikkisky]

Now it seems like the flipper panel works fine but the trouble seems to have moved forward to the trunk lid closing. When the flipper panel folds under the trunk lid, the trunk lid comes down an inch and stops. Then with a little reverse and unfolding the flipper panel a bit the second try usually goes all the way thru.

[Dave Owens]

When the deck lid stops check to see that the flipper is still firmly folded. Sometimes wear in the gear box allows the flipper to open slightly causing the flipper switch contacts to open thus stopping the decklid movement.

[heikkisky]

When the deck lid stops check to see that the flipper is still firmly folded. Sometimes wear in the gear box allows the flipper to open slightly causing the flipper switch contacts to open thus stopping the decklid movement.

This was exactly the case. The gear box is a bit loose so the flipper doesn't fold deep enough every time to engage the limit switch and the cycle stops.

I guess there are no new gearboxes available so what would be the best solution for this problem?

Could the limit switch button be made a bit longer or have some extra padding on the flipper to the point which should hit the limit switch? It's not much what's missing, about 6 millimeters (0.24") that causes the problem.

[heikkisky]

Still the same problem with deck lid flipper's gear box - the flipper doesn't always fold deep enough.

As the limit switch is already adjusted as high as it can go, I added some spacers to the flipper to the point that should push the limit switch but it would require at least 1/3". Is there some other way to fix this problem instead of adding spacers?

[pto]

You may have a bad limit switch. Can't remember the actual one that you are having issues with, but they can be opened up and the small contact points moved. Yours may have been opened and not put back together in the correct way.