Roof not going down

[cubbyno9]

Hi all, hopefully you can help.
A couple of months ago I bought a new roof Micro switch as any bump or undulation on the road was causing the driver and passenger windows to drop a couple of inches, as they should do if releasing roof catch.
This seemed to fix the problem but unfortunately it has returned. I took the switch out and inspected, all looked good. Reconnected and all looked good for a few days then back again to window dropping.
Firstly I again removed and reconnected, now when I release the roof lever the windows drop fine but when I press the button to retract roof there is nothing. No motor sound, no relay clicking (the one beside-above my right foot). I have checked fuses and all looks ok. Took relay out, inspected and again all looks ok.
Now...............once everything was reconnected, not even the windows are dropping when I pull the roof lever down.

Anything more basic I should be checking?

Thanks in advance.

Craig

[jrj3rd]

Is your parking brake light on?? Switch on parking brake lever will cause what you have now.

[cubbyno9]

Hi jrj3rd,

Yes the handbrake light comes on when I pull the handbrake on.

Craig

[schoir]

First, you should check to make sure you have not hit a "dead spot" on the armature of the convertible top drive electric motor. Apply 12 volts directly to the motor to test it and use a multimeter to check whether you are actually getting the 12 volts at the electric motor from the switch on the dashboard through the wiring harness.

Then, double check the two fuses that you checked visually by using a multimeter there as well, as one of them also provides power to the double relay. Those fuses should be B6 (supplies power to the convertible top double relay) and D3 (supplies power to the convertible top drive electric motor).

Also, make sure that you have cleaned any corrosion off the contacts of the fuses and of the double relay.


If the three above items (the two fuses and the electric motor) check out, then the most likely suspect is the other one of the two microswitches that are located in the latch receptacle in the windshield frame.

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.

My guess is that the latter switch is faulty/intermittent, even though it may appear to be intact when you visually inspect it, and sometimes even when you test it with a multimeter. Specifically, take a close look at the solder joints where the leads attach to the plug. This can be hard to detect, so check it with a magnifying glass for hairline cracks in the solder joint and for corrosion. If necessary, heat up the connections with a soldering iron and flow a tiny bit of solder onto the suspect joint(s).

Also, believe it or not, the temperature (sun light, A/C blowing on it, etc...) can affect it to the point where the connection is broken and then re-established.

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.

Please keep us posted.

Regards, Maurice.

[thstone]

Here is a link to what a bad top microswitch looks like...

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/27370-top-not-working-fixed.html

[cubbyno9]

Hi Maurice and thstone,

Thanks for the detailed reply Maurice, I will have a go at the advice when I get back from Holland on Friday. I have bought a roof relay (down at drivers footwell) and will change this over if once I have tried your tips.
I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks thstone, I will check.

Craig

[cubbyno9]

Hi all,

I replaced the relay (one down beside foot) and still not working. I was away with my wife and kids for the weekend so will have a go with the multimeter at the weekend and let you know how it goes......wish me luck.

Craig