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Originally Posted by greenerob
Update.
I just undid the latch. I pushed the button and nothing worked. I manually pushed the top as far back as I could. The motor engaged and the body raised and the top went all the way down.
Then I wanted to raise the top when I parked it. This time, only the body raised and the top didn't move.
Are there to separate motors working together?
I have searched and found that it might be a broken cable.
Any suggestions?
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Rob:
The fact that you were getting a slight dimming of the lights means that the various conditions necessary for getting electrical power to the top are all there (parking brake pulled up with idiot light for parking brake illuminated, fuses B6 and D3 okay, one of two microswitches in the latch receptacle okay). The dimming is the result of the motor trying to spin the cables and the two transmissions, but running into greater than normal resistance. In answer to your question, there is only one electric motor, but two top transmissions.
The fact that the clamshell raised by itself the second time, with no matching movement from the canvas part of the top means that the rear, black "hydraulic" pushrods are connected to the V-levers and are intact, and that the front pushrods have either both popped off their respective steel balls, that the plastic ball cups on the ends of those pushrods have broken apart, or that the front pushrods have separated at the bolted joint, or that the steel ball on the end of each V-lever has loosened off or broken off the V-lever.
The most likely scenario (especially if your plastic ball cups are original and red) is that the ball cups have popped off or broken apart.
The loud pop that you heard needs a better description from you:
If it was a "pop", that's the plastic ball cup popping off or breaking apart;
If it was a loud "thwack" or metallic noise, it was the half-moon gear inside one (or both) of the transmissions going past the 50th tooth and being pulled sharply back by the "hydraulic" pushrod on that side. This only applies if you have a '97 to '99 and still have the "A Version" transmissions installed.
If you can move the canvas top manually, your front pushrods are disconnected or broken apart as described above.
The fact that the clamshell operates normally means that the cables are probably okay and that they are being properly driven by the electric motor (just in front of the third brake light, in the convertible top well on the rear firewall).
Take a look at Mike Focke's pages for a general idea of what the parts look like, where they are located, and how they operate, here: http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/installinga'03-'04glasstopandframeona'97
Specifically take a look at the photos at pages 17, 19 and 31 of the Part II PDF.
Regards, Maurice.