Top not opening all the way
 

Gooood morning guys (and girls?),

I just took my 04 for a photo session and realized that my top isn't opening all the way anymore. The right side of the cover (?) is lifted about 3/4 inch (see photo). The left side is completely down.
When the top is up, the gap is no longer there (which tells me there is nothing obstructing the movement).
Seems like the mechanism stops half a second before completing, maybe? Is there a way of resetting the operating mechanism?

Has anyone seen this before? I searched around but couldn't find anything quite like this.


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/top1476888415.jpg



Here is one of my favorite pics of it:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1476888457.jpg

I have a seal gray base 03 that has pretty much this exact same problem. My clamshell cover is flat when roof is up too. However both sides on mine are a little raised (maybe a little less than the R side on yours) when the top is down. I am also interested if there is a fix floating around here or any advice.

most likely your top mechanism is out of alignment. this happens sometimes with wear and tear and the process to get it back is pretty straight forward and requires about 30 minutes of your time.

read this article and see the last section regarding the alignment of the top:

Porsche Boxster Convertible Top Repair - 986 / 987 (1997-08) - Pelican Parts Technical Article

i dont recommend the power drill method to spin the cables but rather just unplug one side at a time in the top motor otherwise you risk stripping the threads on the cable and then you have a new problem.

another reason could be that the nylon gears in the top transmissions (one on each side) are worn and the mechanism doesnt have the power to pull the clamshell all the way down. when you hear those final 2 seconds of the top operation (when opening) that's when it's tightening everything down. broken or worn gear teeth in the transmissions might keep the mechanism from closing it all the way down.

i suggest first trying to align it and if that doesnt do it open the transmissions up and see how the gears look like. it's a bit of a pain but not too hard and you can either buy used transmission replacements or buy aftermarket gears that are not made out of nylon.

mine was sitting too high on one side and simply aligning it did the trick!
i subscribed to this thread so if you guys need additional help with it let me know. you can also PM me.

good luck!

Cristian

Thank you Cris,

I will give it a shot this afternoon and post the results!



Update:

It was right on Cris, thank you very much. Took me about 5 minutes by disconnecting one side and pressing the button for about half a second.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1476902149.jpg