Well then, I will search the renntech threads on the top to see if it can be brought down manually. So keep me guessing... it's good for me I guess.
Good news on my top.
The cables appear to be the reinforced kind with the criss-cross reinforcement seen bulging out a bit from under the plastic tubing covering them.
The push rod assemblies have WHITE ball ends... which means they're the newer ones released last year and not the red ones that were original to the car.
I think I've determined what's causing that intermittent cracking sound as the top comes down. The nut that holds the white ball joint in place on the push rod is fell off.
:dance: :dance:
Just went out to take some pictures of the upgraded cable for you guys to see and there she was... the nut was lying right there on the rubber mat! I just have to run to the store to get some lock tight stuff to goop on the threads before I tighten it.
This really eases my mind... I was freaked out I would be somewhere in Nevada on my trip and the top get all torqued up and the clamshell bent and no dealership in sight... or I get it to a dealership and they want to charge me $$$.
BTW, my mechanic, who works at a dealership during the day, says they replace the upgraded, reinforced cables all the time without doing the transmissions. So, if you have the originals on your 97-99 boxster, it can be done at the dealership if you are not handy.
If you haven't had a good look at the top raising and lowering mechanism on your boxster, it's a good thing to learn about. It's actually quite ingenius, and learning about it and seeing if those nuts are on there will ease your mind as well.