65 RIV CLAMSHELLS WONT OPEN

[V10]

No issues until recently , lights come on however clamshells stuck closed position.

I noticed some issues a few weeks back where I had the opposite problem where they

would not shut or would only partially shut. Now the opposite , both in stuck closed position.

1) Any way to open them manually without doing any harm ?

Being it was turning dark and was a few miles from home I tried to gently lift up one side however when trying to lift open the other side would

then automatically close so no luck getting them to manually stay open.

Any suggestions for starters ? Does this sound like a possible Relay issue ?

Thanks

[bb1970]

You can open the doors manually by pulling the arms away from the motor. The motor is located near the center of the front bumper. It could be a relay issue. It's usually the motor. Start by taking a test light and see if you have power at the plug in at the motor with the headlights on. If you do. You headlight motor might be the problem. I had issues with mine. It was the motor. I had it cleaned up at a local automotive electric shop. They work great for three years. They stopped about two weeks ago. The clamshells are one of the things that makes these cars cool. But the are a real pain in the ass.

Edited August 26, 2012 by bb1970 (see edit history)

[Mr Riviera]

The arms come from the clamshells and snap onto the motor - it takes a little pulling to release them . After the rods are off you can tie them up out of the way with the shells in an open position so you can use the car at night . Run a test lead to the motor side of the plug in the splash pan to the positive side of the battery - one pin makes the motor go one way , the other pin makes it go the other way . If it does nothing - its the motor. If you have any questions - please email me direct - rivsrus1@cox.net I have every thing you will need to correct the problem - it may just be a relay ? Dick