Replaced soft top..gear stripping noise!!! Wont go down! - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

anti-bling · 07-30-2011, 09:16 AM

Well, i purchased a new to me top for my boxster recently...i finally had the time to install it and all went VERY well. Its on the car and looks like it should work perfectly....i pushed the top up button and it moved very smooth and lined up perfectly-like the old top. But- now when i hit the top down button, it doesnt move and makes a horrible gear stripping sound (so i dont push the button). Its as if its jammed in the up position and cant go down.

I took it to my Porsche mechanic and he said he doesnt deal with the soft tops...said he's "lost a lot of money for the business in trying to get them to work". So, he gave me a local convertible shop to go to. I went and they quoted me over 1k to get it working correctly!? All parts are in and work perfectly, so 1k in labor sounds CRAZY! I had them take out the rods, so i could use the top manually, until i can figure out what to do to get it working correctly. Any input? Im a wrencher...can i do it myself? Is it just me or is 1k redic.?

Peter Serbanica · 07-30-2011, 02:11 PM

That is a lot of money. There are many posts to guide you thru this. I have repaired many, including replacing plastic windows and tos!

MN 986 · 07-31-2011, 07:26 AM

Anti-bling:
I am very sorry to hear about problems with the top operation. Since you say the top works manually and the other components are all good, I cannot imagine how anyone could charge $1000 in labor to fix your roof.
Like Peter said, there are many good posts and also check out Wayne's '101 Projects' book or guides/posts at Pelican for help.
I am not an expert but (as you know) I have also replaced a top assembly and, before that, one of the cables from the motor to one of the transmissions, and I don't think it would be too hard to figure out where the problem is. If the motor is running, I would start at the beginning (with the rods disconnected) by making sure the cables are good and that they are turning the transmissions, then check the condition of the rods and arms coming off of the transmissions. Alignment from side to side is also very important. When one of my cables failed I was out of town and the top would not operate. It made some scary noises until I realized the problem and changed it to manual operation by disconnecting the rods until I could fix it. I was lucky because others had posted about bending or breaking other parts while trying to operate the top with only one side working. I was able to get a new cable for about $30 at the dealer, then I carefully aligned the sides using cordless drill on the cables, and reconnected the rods and everything has worked great since then.
I sure wouldn't spend that much money without knowing exactly what they think the problem is, and I bet you can solve it yourself.
Good luck!

anti-bling · 07-31-2011, 09:17 AM

Thanks guys!

MN 986: Really appreciate the help. I've never looked at the design of the mechanics of the top, so i'm a little scared going into this blind. To help paint a picture in my minds eye- with the rods disconnected, the transmissions should turn in unison "up" and "down", correct...wont hurt anything, right? This makes me think that if they do perform correctly that the issue could be the rods, binding? Or possibly that when i installed the new top, the transmissions were not lined up perfectly, making the moving of the top (unaligned) bind in the "up" position...this would then mean that i need to adjust the cables? Thanks for your input.

MN 986 · 07-31-2011, 04:35 PM

If I read your 1st post correctly, the top works fine manually. Is this right?
If it is, then I would think the problem has to be with the motor, cables, transmissions, rods or alignment. Assuming the motor runs and everything worked with your old top, I would check the alignment. If it is off, it can cause problems. I measured from an arm on the transmission to a point I chose on the body and made sure they were the same on both sides. If you need to move one of them, disconnect the cable(s) from the motor and use a drill (slowly) to turn it/them until they are lined up. I hope this helps!

DenverSteve · 07-31-2011, 09:26 PM

I don't see in your posts that you took it to the Porsche dealership for an evaluation. Why not start there?

anti-bling · 08-01-2011, 09:48 AM

I dont have a Porsche dealership within 100 miles. I took it to my local independent porsche mechanic. Plus, it seems pretty straight forward as to what is wrong with the top. Everything works, so it must be the alignment. Getting a diagnosis from the stealership wont save me any time or work as i will have to drive a few hours, wait for them to look at it, and still do the work myself.

MN 986 · 08-01-2011, 03:03 PM

I just sent you an email with a link that should help you out. It shows how to check and align the top.
Good luck!

DenverSteve · 08-12-2011, 05:56 AM

What was your outcome with the top?