In my last post, I mentioned that the convertible top was stuck in the down position. For this era Lincoln Continental, that means it was locked in the trunk (“trunk” is probably the wrong word since there is no room for anything but the top in the huge cavern at the rear of the car), which is hinged at the rear so the top can easily retract into it. In my attempt to try and get things going, I first checked for a standard mechanical lock thinking I’d just open the trunk and see what was going on. I then looked for remote mechanical and electrical releases around the dashboard. Unfortunately, such logical accommodations don’t exist.
After scouring the shop manual for some guidance, I found a page that briefly described how to unlock the trunk lid and get the top moving. In a process best described as ridiculous one has to place a complex jumper on the contacts of the Deck Unlock Relay then the Deck Open Relay (see below). The page also described how to make the jumper cable required, but did very little to point out the exact location of the relays themselves.
How to Make the Jumper Cable
The cursory description pointed to the trunk as the location, but that made no sense since the truck was, well, locked. Scouring the manual once again, I found another image of the location of the relays. Unfortunately, it was as confusing as the first one (note the Deck Open Relay and Deck Unlock Relay labeled below).
Location of the Trunk Lock and Opening Relays
The only other way in that I could think of was through the back seat which I removed. Hint: you need to remove the seat base first by just pulling up on the front of it then the entire frame will slide out. The back is held with a few bolts that are located at the bottom of the seat back, hidden by the seat base. There is no need to remove any of the trim at the top of the seat. As it turned out, removing the seat was rather easy since, now unsurprisingly, it was missing about half of its fasteners.
This exposes the two relays in question (see the labels in blue masking tape in the upper left corner of the photo).
I jumped the Deck Unlock Relay first, heard a loud click and saw the deck lid move a bit. I tried to wedge my fingers underneath the deck to lift it, but by the time I could get there, the deck was re-locked. This was also the case when I tried to jumper the Deck Open Relay immediately after putting the jumper on the Deck Unlock Relay. The deck remained locked because the deck was sliding back into its locked position as soon as I removed the jumper for the Deck Unlock Relay. By the way, the jumper overheated and what I mean by overheated is that it it got hot enough to burn my fingers. Remember to make the jumper out of the appropriate gauge wire. The manual says 12 gauge, I’d probably use 10 gauge wire the next time.
I got it to work by having someone else man the switch for the top at the dashboard. As soon as I heard the deck unlock after jumping the Deck Unlock Relay, I told my assistant to start closing the top. That did it. The top started doing its complicated closing dance.
Why was the deck locked in the first place and why didn’t the switch at the dash unlock it? I have no idea, but I’m sure I’ll have to come back to it. In the mean time, I’m making sure that the top isn’t quite closed all the way, avoiding it getting into that locked position again.
Another thing I’ll have to come back to is the gurgling in the hydraulic lines. Hopefully, the hydraulic pump that operates the rams that raise/lower the top just needs some fluid. My fear is that it needs fluid because it’s leaking. Put it on the list.
A bigger item for the list is that the top will not close all the way. The front edge of the top stops when it’s near the header of the windshield. Everything stops working just inches away from completing the cycle. This is getting depressing.
Finally for today, I realize that the weatherstripping around the trunk and, in fact, everywhere on the car, totally sucks. There is not a reasonable seal anywhere on the vehicle. A quick internet search shows that weatherstripping is incredibly expensive, when it can even be found. Custom molds probably have to be made. Grrrr.
Hey brother. Do you still happen to have the car? Id like to ask yo ua couple of quick wuestions. Please teach out to me. Thank you!
Yes, I still have it. Unfortunately, it’s not on the road. Still working on it. Happy to try and answer questions.
Mine keeps showing overheated on the dash but no water leaks and I changed the thermostat and hoses and everything else seems in great conditio. Do u think it coukd be the dash thats not working or what? The other day it lost power and all and the needle was all thhe way up. Someone told me to change the gas pump to an electric one. I am so lost. Please help out
Well, could be many things. Are you sure the water pump is working and belts are tight? How about the fan? I had problems with the fan clutch with mine. Also, is it the original radiator? Could the radiator be clogged? My coolant system was a mess. I replaced the original radiator with a bigger aluminum one, added an electric fan and had the pump rebuilt. That all said, it could totally be your gauge, although it’s probably the last thing I’d suspect. You can get a super cheap one from the auto parts store to eliminate that as a problem. It won’t fit in the dash, but you’ll isolate it as a problem.
The crazy thing is that the gauge sometimes is up sometime sis down. I was told that it wasnt overheating and that what I needed wad to replace my mechanical gar pump for an electric one. That, that wad the reason why I lost strenght while driving. That I never overheated. What do u think!?
Alex, I can’t imagine why your fuel pump would be causing the problem. Is the idea that it’s creating so much drag on the engine that it’s causing it to overheat? That doesn’t make sense. And, if you weren’t getting fuel, the car wouldn’t run. I stick by my previous diagnoses. Clogged radiator, problem with the water pump or problem with the fan.
They say that its not iverheating. Thats it getting vapor locked. To get that mechanical pump out and put an electrical one and that shall do it. No overheating bc no boiling or leak or anything. Just a crazy gauge. What do you think!?
Radiator was recore 2 yrs ago
Fan turns on nicely
Just today after comong out of the store, the car’s temp needle was all the way up as soon as I turned it on it went down. I think it may be a bit crazy
I have been holding on seeking a mechanic but ive got to I guess
If you had vapor lock the car would stall or at least sputter. Are you experiencing that? Even with that, I don’t get the overheating. It sounds like you’re having a classic problem with a car with engine driven fans. The car gets hot, you turn it off, the fan shuts off, the car gets even hotter. Perhaps the water pump isn’t working efficiently. If the above problem – too much heat when the car stops running – is the primary symptom, I’d be thinking of an electric fan with a delay. At least check if your water pump is working well. I don’t get how a fuel pump will help.
How can I see if water pump is working fine?
I pulled my water pump and could see that the impeller was trash. Sometimes, it’s not so easy. There are many YouTube videos on how to determine if your water pump is bad. Those will be more helpful than anything I can write. BTW, do you get hot air when the heater is on? If not, that’s also a sign of a bad water pump.
New question, please help: I inherited a 64 Lincoln Convert. from my grandpa. It sat for 15+ years. The only part of the roof system that works is the trunk unlocks. I think the hydraulics are dry because I can hear the pump. So the trunk deck lifts 2 inches and that’s it. I don’t want to force the trunk lid up, something will break. Is there a manual way to release the pistons and raise the trunk so I can begin to sort it out?
Hey Jeff, there is a procedure in the manual for such things. If you don’t have a shop manual, I highly encourage you to get one. For now, here’s what it says:
The cylinder you’re looking for is on the back passenger side of the car.
You can also go into the trunk through the back seat. Might be a bit destructive, but you can get to everything directly in the trunk that way.
Tell me how it goes! Good luck.
So back to your original comment regarding the top, mine does the same thing, did you ever resolve it so it worked from the switch consistantly?
Michael, unfortunately, no. But to be fair, I haven’t worked on it. I can get the top to fully cycle (there will be a post on how the hydraulic rams had failed seals and how every solenoid had to be adjusted), but I’ve disengaged the locking mechanism. The lid doesn’t fly open, but it’s not seated either. I’m fairly confident that I’ll get it to work, but for now, it’s still on the list.
How do you adjust the solenoids?
Hey Vincent, mostly, it was all the serial switches that had to be adjusted physically. Several solenoid valves were not getting power though or, even worse, some were getting too little power. These had to be rewired. Hope that helps.
Hi there is a part for the top that I am looking for I was wondering if you could help me find it or find a solution for it.
What part? There are a couple of Facebook groups that are good for looking for parts. Do a search for “Slab Side” and “Lincoln Continental” on Facebook. There are several great communities.