Convertible Push Rods
 

So I FINALLY figured out why my top doesn't close evenly -- disassembled the mechanism and found this:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330211364.jpg

However, after replacing it the OTHER push rod decides it won't stay attached, and keeps popping off -- the plastic cup is just worn, I guess... It's a bit bent, too, so I suppose I should have just bought a pair from the get-go.

BTW, Pelican's non OEM (Hamburg Technic) push rod is virtually indistinguishable from the Porsche part (other than being straight, and non-broken, in my case) & It's less than half price. I will soon have a matching pair...

Also, I learned that working on the top is MUCH easier if you remove the clamshell -- it only takes 5 minutes, and is well worth it.

Can also purchase the cups on ebay....under $50 for a pair.

Hey 2003S, your push rod isn't bent...that's the way it's made. Your top is very balanced and will go up and down with very little effort. The weak link is the plastic socket that Porsche uses as a "fuse" to keep from breaking something REALLY expensive in the mechanism in the event of a binding situation.

Just replace the plastic cup (get extras and put them in your glove box) and you'll be good-to-go.

I realize the rod is manufactured with 2 bends in it, however mine was bent along the other axis, actually. Pretty severely in fact. Seems like an awful lot of force would have had to been applied to do that... You can clearly see the difference if you line it up against a new one...

Where can you buy the plastic cups without the rod, BTW? (besides eBay--I don't do that anymore)

Email that same seller on eBay directly. He will sell you those caps outside of eBay too, but you will need a PayPal account.