Deck lift damage

Technical Area Body, Interior & Styling
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  1. My model of MX-5 is: __NC1 2.0 PRHT
  2. I’m based near: __Heathfield
  3. I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: __PRHT

When I got the car last month there was a problem with the rear deck. Turned out the driver side silver allen bolt wasn’t tight.

Looking at the teeth on the rack of the drivers side deck there is obvious wear/damage to the teeth on the quadrant. It works OK now the silver bolt is tight (and threadlocked) but is noisy and judders on the way down. I assume it should be slick smooth and relatively quiet. An annoying fault on an otherwise near perfect car.

How complex a job is swapping out the deck lifting mechanism ie the deck rack/hinge and the motor on each side? (as I assume the cog on the motor will be damaged too.) Assuming I can find less damaged parts from a breaking NC. Can it be done from above without removing the interior behind the seats? NB The hood operation is as smooth as silk.

Also what does the cable on the passenger side do?

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Does this help ?

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Not hugely, tbh, but thanks for sharing it.

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You can change the deck lift mechanisms quite easily without disturbing much else. The cable is to pull the latch down in between the seats that holds the roof top panel when it’s open.