Problem with convertible roof

[schoir]

Originally Posted by Paulsingh

Brilliant thanks Maurice,

Finally got the roof to function, there was a hair line crack which I managed to solder.

Bear in mind, the roof had been disconnected from the rear hinges to manually close it, but when I reconnected these and put the roof down, there were some rather large 'snapping noises'!! completely cheesed off. From what I can see below the rear panel, the arms have come off the hinges - but why would this happen??

It also only rocks back and forward when I push the up/down button - but I think this could be due to a flat battery!

Would appreciate your feedback.

Paul

Paul:

Good work finding that hairline crack!

Since you have a '99, I am reasonably certain that it still has the original "A Version" transmissions installed. Those have a half-moon gear inside of them (as opposed to a 360 degree round gear in the B Version-after MY 2000) and what you are hearing is the sound of each half-moon gear being rotated past its respective 50th tooth and then being pulled sharply back by the black "hydraulic" pushrods.

Please be more specific about what you mean by "arms" and "hinges" so that we can diagnose it properly and devise a fix. Posting a couple of photos would help.

At some point, you will have to re-synchronize the transmissions by spinning each of the V-levers with a cordless drill which you will use to drive the V-levers to the correct position.

The rocking back and forth, if it's occurring when the top is near the completely closed collection, is not caused by a weak or discharged battery. The most likely cause is a result of the B-Pillar microswitch being triggered on and off as the top approaches the completely closed position. That switch can be adjusted by bending the small silver metal arm protruding from it so that it gets depressed/released by the B-Pillar part of the convertible top frame at the correct moment in the sequence.

Your first step is to synchronize the transmissions and then you can try to adjust the B-pillar microswitch to see if you can get it to the optimal position.

Regards, Maurice.

[Paulsingh]

Thanks Maurice, weathers a little bad here right now so I'll be looking at this again when the weather looks up. :-)

Originally Posted by schoir

Paul:

Good work finding that hairline crack!

Since you have a '99, I am reasonably certain that it still has the original "A Version" transmissions installed. Those have a half-moon gear inside of them (as opposed to a 360 degree round gear in the B Version-after MY 2000) and what you are hearing is the sound of each half-moon gear being rotated past its respective 50th tooth and then being pulled sharply back by the black "hydraulic" pushrods.

Please be more specific about what you mean by "arms" and "hinges" so that we can diagnose it properly and devise a fix. Posting a couple of photos would help.

At some point, you will have to re-synchronize the transmissions by spinning each of the V-levers with a cordless drill which you will use to drive the V-levers to the correct position.

The rocking back and forth, if it's occurring when the top is near the completely closed collection, is not caused by a weak or discharged battery. The most likely cause is a result of the B-Pillar microswitch being triggered on and off as the top approaches the completely closed position. That switch can be adjusted by bending the small silver metal arm protruding from it so that it gets depressed/released by the B-Pillar part of the convertible top frame at the correct moment in the sequence.

Your first step is to synchronize the transmissions and then you can try to adjust the B-pillar microswitch to see if you can get it to the optimal position.

Regards, Maurice.

[schoir]

Originally Posted by Paulsingh

Thanks Maurice, weathers a little bad here right now so I'll be looking at this again when the weather looks up. :-)

Paul:

We on the east coast feel your pain, in spades this winter!

We've had so much sn*w that I'm looking for Al Gore so I can put it in the right place! LOL!!!

Regards, Maurice.

[Paulsingh]

Right, I'm going to try and have another look at this today.

I've checked and it seems the two load noises were the two spool arms on either side of the top.

The red plastic screw on female ball joints have broken on the spool arms. I'm assuming the top was out of line?

Anyone had this problem?

Any advice on a fix would be great.

Thanks in advance

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by Paulsingh

Right, I'm going to try and have another look at this today.

I've checked and it seems the two load noises were the two spool arms on either side of the top.

The red plastic screw on female ball joints have broken on the spool arms. I'm assuming the top was out of line?

Anyone had this problem?

Any advice on a fix would be great.

Thanks in advance

Lots of cars had this issue. The top cables have ball clips made of plastic to specifically break to prevent damage to the frame and the clamshell if the top goes out of alignment. This is a Fail-Safe mechanism.

The top can go out of alignment several ways. The most common is that the plastic shielding on the top transmission cables will shrink from age causing the cable inside to pull away from, or disengage the transmission. Meanwhile, you operate the top and the transmission 'skips' past the now slightly retracted cable and one side of the frame gets skewed slightly out of sync. The cable sets back into place and the top seems to work, but it is out of sync, causing the cable ball ends to break.

The fix is to replace the top cables and the transmission cables. The trick is to get everything synchronized again. This involves running the motor to it's stop (fully lowered, or raised) and then attaching each new transmission cable in the exact same orientation so both sides now operate in unison and perfect sync.

The procedure is well described in the Bentley Manual, which is an absolute must if you own one of these cars.

Cheers!

[RandallNeighbour]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

The procedure is well described in the Bentley Manual, which is an absolute must if you own one of these cars.

Truer words have never been uttered. Buy one ASAP.

[Fastass986]

Will the top not go back down w/right side sensor as well??? Or do u think its the electric motor????

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by schoir

...We've had so much sn*w that I'm looking for Al Gore so I can put it in the right place! LOL!!!

Regards, Maurice.

You mean in the Lockbox...???

Cheers!

[Fastass986]

Can u tell me where to get. A new sensor Maurice since u know alot about conv tops my windows do not go down when I release the latch but they do go down when I open and shut the doors and my light does come on when i pull the ebrake can someone help me please I need help bad my top won't go down mint Carrera white 99 boxster

[schoir]

Originally Posted by Fastass986

Can u tell me where to get. A new sensor Maurice since u know alot about conv tops my windows do not go down when I release the latch but they do go down when I open and shut the doors and my light does come on when i pull the ebrake can someone help me please I need help bad my top won't go down mint Carrera white 99 boxster

Fast:

There are two microswitches in the latch receptacle assembly. There is one on the left side of the assembly (has a large plunger that juts out when the latch is open). That one controls the 4" window drop that occurs immediately when you pull down the latch to open the top. There is another one on the right side of the assembly, and that is the one that activates the convertible top double relay.

You can get a replacement microswitch from either ****************************************************.com, ****************************************************.com or Pelicanparts.com. You could also get it from your local dealer, but it will be more expensive.

You may also be able to take apart the microswitch and repair it.

To gain access to the microswitch you have to remove the latch plate at the center of the windshield frame. Pop out the two little black plastic "eyes" by carefully prying them off with a very small flat blade screwdriver or borrow one of those "orange sticks" that women use on their fingernails to pry them out. Remove the small torx bolt that you will find under each one of the two eyes. Remove them and then pull down the latch plate carefully until you can see and access the wires for the switch and for the light. Unplug the wires and the latch plate will come off. You will find two fragile retaining clips that attach the switch to the underside of the latch plate. These are easy to break, so use a pair of small needle nose pliers to pull them off, very gently. You can reuse these if you are careful by squeezing the cross sections that are located at the center of the clips until they are flattened.

Regards, Maurice.

[Fastass986]

YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!!