DIYbanter - A story, not a question

A story, not so much a question

So, I drove a friend's friend to DC Friday so she could get a visa for
China, and on the way home, about 4:15 she made a cover for her nose,
because the top was down and she didn't want her nose to burn,
espcially before her trip the next Tuesday. Maybe I should have
offerred to put the top up then, but she didn't ask. Later she asked
if she was going to sunburn her nose. It was 4:45PM already, so I
didn't think so, but I offered to put the top up. Maybe I didn't
sound enthusiastic, because she didn't answer, and the second time I
asked, she said, We'll be home soon, right? And indeed, it was only
about 10 minutes away by then.

So I drop her off and go to my house, and my top won't go up! Poetic
justice?

I tried about 10 times, and 10 more times later that night. The relay
clicked in both directions, so I figured that meant the switch and the
relays were good in both directions, which just leaves the motor and
the wires.

Saturday heavy rains expected so I have to go buy a tarp, and put that
on. I try the top again a few more times. Doesn't work.

One junk yard wants 80 dollars, and another wants 50 if they have one,
but they don't even know what cars are in their yard.

Sunday, I think I might have a spare top motor in the basement so I
hunt for that and can't find it. I try the current motor again. It
doesn't work.

Monday, I look harder and find the motor. Hooray. Hard to get to the
motor with the top down, but I get it part way out, unplug the wires,
and measure the resistance from up to ground, down to ground, and up
to down. The only three wires. None are zero, none are infinite.
Measure the motor from the previous car, an '88 LeBaron -- the current
car is a '95 Lebaron -- and its numbers are worse than the broken
motor in the car now. (Up and Down numbers are similar but not as
close as the broken motor.)

But I plug the broken motor back in again, and it works fine. I meant
to call the woman on Friday, but I call her now and she says her nose
is barely burned if at all. Is that why my top motor works again?

Is it because I unplugged the two conductor connector and in doing so
cleaned it up? After working fine for 12 years, it needed a little
cleaning?

It was also going to be hard when working from the trunk to pull the
motor UP, to get the rubber plugs that attach it to the car to come
out. But it turns out the rubber plugs weren't plugged in at all.
The only things holding in place were two hydraulic hoses, and the
electric wires. And yet I never heard a noise out of the thing,
afaict. I think the plugs were broken off when they removed and
replaced the motor before I owned the car.