alanfdawson

Paul: I'm having trouble keeping your scenario and that of Alan's straight! LOL!!! Now that you have the two sides synchronized (evident by a completely level clamshell, easiest to measure when the clamshell is only one or two inches from completely down), try to get the light to go out only at the end of the completely open cycle. To do that, you have to add the shims, but the B-Pillar microswitch has to be connected and installed in its place. The distinct "pop", if it sounded like a loud metal thunk, is probably the half-moon gear going past its 50th tooth and being pulled sharply back by the force of the black "hydraulic" pushrod (either one side or, if you are 100% synched, possibly both). If you break just the plastic ball cups, I can PM you a source that will sell just the plastic ball cups, without having to buy the entire pushrod assembly from Porsche. Looking forward to see what you discover. Regards, Maurice. Hi Maurice Just one question at the moment ! If the screw-in steel balls have undone them selves and now longer are in position in the V levers (as is my case disappeared) The threaded receiver (of the balls ) in one end of the V lever requires replacement screw in balls . Yes ? So could you source them for purchase easily ? or am I still taiking gibberish ?

Thanks Maurice Worst case scenario Is this a "big" job to rectify ? Regards Alan Alan: The fact that the motor is spinning both ways but there is no movement under the clamshell can have two sets of causes: one involves the drive cables, the other involves the V-levers. 1. a. The inner speedometer-type drive cables have either frayed or broken apart inside their outer black vinyl sheaths. b. The inner speedometer-type drive cables have either become disengaged from the worm gear at the rear of the transmissions. c. The worm gear at the rear of the transmissions are no longer being held down firmly by the outer housing (black plastic cover). 2. The connection between the rear of the V-Lever (as viewed when in the service position) and the black "hydraulic" pushrod is broken. Remember that it's the black hydraulic pushrod that acts on the clamshell, just as it is the front pushrod and plastic ball cup that acts on the frame of the canvas top (the latter through the steel ball under the base of the B-Pillar). In your case, since your V-levers have broken, you must repair or replace the V-lever or whichever parts have failed at the connection to the V-lever so as to cause the black "hydraulic" pushrod to no longer be driven by the V-lever. If you take a look at your V-levers (even while they are broken) while you spin each inner cable with your drill (at the LOWEST torque setting), you should still be able to see that V-lever rotating slowly. If either of the V-levers are not rotating, see the causes enumerated in #1 above. Let us know if you are making any progress. Regards, Maurice.

Alan: The parts that look like "small gas struts" are commonly referred to as black hydraulic struts, but they actually just have a very large spring inside of them. One end of those struts is supposed to be connected to the body-colored support arm coming from the underside of the clamshell and the other end has a metal ball cup which is supposed to be pressed onto the steel ball at one end of the V-levers. The "hydraulic" pushrods are the parts that act on the clamshell and move it up and back and down and forward as the V-lever goes through its rotation. If the front edge of your convertible top was cycling back and forth as it was in a position near the horizontal top part of the windshield frame, it's possible that your B-pillar microswitch has to be adjusted. If the lever on that microswitch contacts the base of the B-pillar frame at the wrong time (as measured by the cycle of the top travel) then it will go back and forth in very small movements. At what point in the cycle did you get that "juddering back and forth"? Are both black "hydraulic" pushrods disconnected from the V-levers? Are your V-levers still intact (i.e., not broken apart and the steel balls still firmly bolted in)? Regards, Maurice. Hi Maurice The juddering took place when the front edge of the soft top was vertical (sticking up in the air ) . i stopped depressing the switch . got out of the car and lift the clam shell manually upwards. I was surprised it could be lifted like that . Then started the switch operation again and the soft top fully retracted down . During that action there was two load expensive sounding clunks but the top still went down . The motor then did not operate from the dash board switch . On inspection after manually lifting the clam up I noticed that both struts were detached at the ball socket end and no sign of the protruding balls. I suspect they have sheared off. but there is no sign of debris. Your advice would be very much appreciated , because booking this into a main dealer (knowing them) could prove expensive . Thanks Alan Alan: Was the top fully operational before this event, i.e., did it go up and down through its entire cycle normally, including the clamshell going up and back and then coming forward and down? How long have you had the car? Again, the only reason you were able to pick up the clamshell was because the black "hydraulic" pushrods were either disconnected or broken apart. The juddering your top experienced may have been caused by one of the front pushrods being disconnected or broken off. The canvas and frame part of the top will still work with only one of the front pushrods connected, but one side of the top will lag behind or lurch forward during operation. Check to make sure that your front pushrods are intact, that they are still attached to the front end of the V-levers and the plastic ball cups at the end of the front pushrods are not cracked apart or exploded. The plastic ball cups will be red in color if they are original, or white if they have been replaced. What is a little puzzling is why you heard two loud clunks if the black pushrods were already disconnected from the V-Lever, unless they were dangling and got jammed against another part as the V-lever was rotating and they then let go suddenly. Here is a photo of what the V-lever and black "hydraulic" pushrod is supposed to look like when the clamshell is in the rearmost (45 degree) position: The only place that any broken pieces may end up would be in the foam drain tray, or if the pieces are small enough, they may end up in the drain hole almost directly below the V-lever on the horizontal surface of the drain tray. If your clamshell was operating normally before this event, you should be able to find the steel balls in those areas or, they might still be pressed in to the black hydraulic pushrods. Here is a photo of the front pushrod with the red plastic ball cup at the end. That red plastic ball cup is supposed to be pressed onto a steel ball under the base of the B-Pillar: Also, after you have determined what pieces may be broken or missing, you will have to establish whether your electric motor is spinning when you depress the switch on the dashboard and then determine whether your inner cables (inside the black vinyl sheaths) are still intact and turning the worm gear at the rear of each transmission. I'll try to help you along the way. If you can post some photos of your V-levers, black hydraulic pushrods, front pushrods, and black vinyl sheathed cables, they may answer some questions. Regards, Maurice. Thanks Maurice Really appreciate your help I'll take some photos today and attach them with more comments on my further invetigation Regards Alan Hi Maurice I tried the dashboard switch and the motor is spinning both ways but there is no movement under the clam which is as previously stated able to be lifed into the service position manually. so does that mean the cables have broken or become detached ? The cable and sheaths externally appear normal Regards Alan

Alan: The photos did not post. Perhaps you could post them again. You can get a good photo of the cables where they first exit the sides of the electric motor. With the top in the service position, it gives you good access to the convertible top well and good access to the V-levers, etc... Regards, Maurice.

Alan: The parts that look like "small gas struts" are commonly referred to as black hydraulic struts, but they actually just have a very large spring inside of them. One end of those struts is supposed to be connected to the body-colored support arm coming from the underside of the clamshell and the other end has a metal ball cup which is supposed to be pressed onto the steel ball at one end of the V-levers. The "hydraulic" pushrods are the parts that act on the clamshell and move it up and back and down and forward as the V-lever goes through its rotation. If the front edge of your convertible top was cycling back and forth as it was in a position near the horizontal top part of the windshield frame, it's possible that your B-pillar microswitch has to be adjusted. If the lever on that microswitch contacts the base of the B-pillar frame at the wrong time (as measured by the cycle of the top travel) then it will go back and forth in very small movements. At what point in the cycle did you get that "juddering back and forth"? Are both black "hydraulic" pushrods disconnected from the V-levers? Are your V-levers still intact (i.e., not broken apart and the steel balls still firmly bolted in)? Regards, Maurice. Hi Maurice The juddering took place when the front edge of the soft top was vertical (sticking up in the air ) . i stopped depressing the switch . got out of the car and lift the clam shell manually upwards. I was surprised it could be lifted like that . Then started the switch operation again and the soft top fully retracted down . During that action there was two load expensive sounding clunks but the top still went down . The motor then did not operate from the dash board switch . On inspection after manually lifting the clam up I noticed that both struts were detached at the ball socket end and no sign of the protruding balls. I suspect they have sheared off. but there is no sign of debris. Your advice would be very much appreciated , because booking this into a main dealer (knowing them) could prove expensive . Thanks Alan Alan: Was the top fully operational before this event, i.e., did it go up and down through its entire cycle normally, including the clamshell going up and back and then coming forward and down? How long have you had the car? Again, the only reason you were able to pick up the clamshell was because the black "hydraulic" pushrods were either disconnected or broken apart. The juddering your top experienced may have been caused by one of the front pushrods being disconnected or broken off. The canvas and frame part of the top will still work with only one of the front pushrods connected, but one side of the top will lag behind or lurch forward during operation. Check to make sure that your front pushrods are intact, that they are still attached to the front end of the V-levers and the plastic ball cups at the end of the front pushrods are not cracked apart or exploded. The plastic ball cups will be red in color if they are original, or white if they have been replaced. What is a little puzzling is why you heard two loud clunks if the black pushrods were already disconnected from the V-Lever, unless they were dangling and got jammed against another part as the V-lever was rotating and they then let go suddenly. Here is a photo of what the V-lever and black "hydraulic" pushrod is supposed to look like when the clamshell is in the rearmost (45 degree) position: The only place that any broken pieces may end up would be in the foam drain tray, or if the pieces are small enough, they may end up in the drain hole almost directly below the V-lever on the horizontal surface of the drain tray. If your clamshell was operating normally before this event, you should be able to find the steel balls in those areas or, they might still be pressed in to the black hydraulic pushrods. Here is a photo of the front pushrod with the red plastic ball cup at the end. That red plastic ball cup is supposed to be pressed onto a steel ball under the base of the B-Pillar: Also, after you have determined what pieces may be broken or missing, you will have to establish whether your electric motor is spinning when you depress the switch on the dashboard and then determine whether your inner cables (inside the black vinyl sheaths) are still intact and turning the worm gear at the rear of each transmission. I'll try to help you along the way. If you can post some photos of your V-levers, black hydraulic pushrods, front pushrods, and black vinyl sheathed cables, they may answer some questions. Regards, Maurice. Thanks Maurice Really appreciate your help I'll take some photos today and attach them with more comments on my further invetigation Regards Alan Hi Maurice I took these photos - it shows the spring struts have clearly parted company with the v lever where I guess it is supposed to connect to the ball which screws into the v lever. There is a threaded bolt hole in one end of the v lever where the ball screws in - is that right ? The balls are nowhere to be seen (yet) Haven't been able to take photos of cables yet cause I cant find them , the canvas of the hood seems to restrict the camera positions Thanks Alan Alan

Alan: The parts that look like "small gas struts" are commonly referred to as black hydraulic struts, but they actually just have a very large spring inside of them. One end of those struts is supposed to be connected to the body-colored support arm coming from the underside of the clamshell and the other end has a metal ball cup which is supposed to be pressed onto the steel ball at one end of the V-levers. The "hydraulic" pushrods are the parts that act on the clamshell and move it up and back and down and forward as the V-lever goes through its rotation. If the front edge of your convertible top was cycling back and forth as it was in a position near the horizontal top part of the windshield frame, it's possible that your B-pillar microswitch has to be adjusted. If the lever on that microswitch contacts the base of the B-pillar frame at the wrong time (as measured by the cycle of the top travel) then it will go back and forth in very small movements. At what point in the cycle did you get that "juddering back and forth"? Are both black "hydraulic" pushrods disconnected from the V-levers? Are your V-levers still intact (i.e., not broken apart and the steel balls still firmly bolted in)? Regards, Maurice. Hi Maurice The juddering took place when the front edge of the soft top was vertical (sticking up in the air ) . i stopped depressing the switch . got out of the car and lift the clam shell manually upwards. I was surprised it could be lifted like that . Then started the switch operation again and the soft top fully retracted down . During that action there was two load expensive sounding clunks but the top still went down . The motor then did not operate from the dash board switch . On inspection after manually lifting the clam up I noticed that both struts were detached at the ball socket end and no sign of the protruding balls. I suspect they have sheared off. but there is no sign of debris. Your advice would be very much appreciated , because booking this into a main dealer (knowing them) could prove expensive . Thanks Alan Alan: Was the top fully operational before this event, i.e., did it go up and down through its entire cycle normally, including the clamshell going up and back and then coming forward and down? How long have you had the car? Again, the only reason you were able to pick up the clamshell was because the black "hydraulic" pushrods were either disconnected or broken apart. The juddering your top experienced may have been caused by one of the front pushrods being disconnected or broken off. The canvas and frame part of the top will still work with only one of the front pushrods connected, but one side of the top will lag behind or lurch forward during operation. Check to make sure that your front pushrods are intact, that they are still attached to the front end of the V-levers and the plastic ball cups at the end of the front pushrods are not cracked apart or exploded. The plastic ball cups will be red in color if they are original, or white if they have been replaced. What is a little puzzling is why you heard two loud clunks if the black pushrods were already disconnected from the V-Lever, unless they were dangling and got jammed against another part as the V-lever was rotating and they then let go suddenly. Here is a photo of what the V-lever and black "hydraulic" pushrod is supposed to look like when the clamshell is in the rearmost (45 degree) position: The only place that any broken pieces may end up would be in the foam drain tray, or if the pieces are small enough, they may end up in the drain hole almost directly below the V-lever on the horizontal surface of the drain tray. If your clamshell was operating normally before this event, you should be able to find the steel balls in those areas or, they might still be pressed in to the black hydraulic pushrods. Here is a photo of the front pushrod with the red plastic ball cup at the end. That red plastic ball cup is supposed to be pressed onto a steel ball under the base of the B-Pillar: Also, after you have determined what pieces may be broken or missing, you will have to establish whether your electric motor is spinning when you depress the switch on the dashboard and then determine whether your inner cables (inside the black vinyl sheaths) are still intact and turning the worm gear at the rear of each transmission. I'll try to help you along the way. If you can post some photos of your V-levers, black hydraulic pushrods, front pushrods, and black vinyl sheathed cables, they may answer some questions. Regards, Maurice. Thanks Maurice Really appreciate your help I'll take some photos today and attach them with more comments on my further invetigation Regards Alan

Alan: The parts that look like "small gas struts" are commonly referred to as black hydraulic struts, but they actually just have a very large spring inside of them. One end of those struts is supposed to be connected to the body-colored support arm coming from the underside of the clamshell and the other end has a metal ball cup which is supposed to be pressed onto the steel ball at one end of the V-levers. The "hydraulic" pushrods are the parts that act on the clamshell and move it up and back and down and forward as the V-lever goes through its rotation. If the front edge of your convertible top was cycling back and forth as it was in a position near the horizontal top part of the windshield frame, it's possible that your B-pillar microswitch has to be adjusted. If the lever on that microswitch contacts the base of the B-pillar frame at the wrong time (as measured by the cycle of the top travel) then it will go back and forth in very small movements. At what point in the cycle did you get that "juddering back and forth"? Are both black "hydraulic" pushrods disconnected from the V-levers? Are your V-levers still intact (i.e., not broken apart and the steel balls still firmly bolted in)? Regards, Maurice. Hi Maurice The juddering took place when the front edge of the soft top was vertical (sticking up in the air ) . i stopped depressing the switch . got out of the car and lift the clam shell manually upwards. I was surprised it could be lifted like that . Then started the switch operation again and the soft top fully retracted down . During that action there was two load expensive sounding clunks but the top still went down . The motor then did not operate from the dash board switch . On inspection after manually lifting the clam up I noticed that both struts were detached at the ball socket end and no sign of the protruding balls. I suspect they have sheared off. but there is no sign of debris. Your advice would be very much appreciated , because booking this into a main dealer (knowing them) could prove expensive . Thanks Alan

Hi I'm a poor english guy with a 986 boxster (1999 ) 2.5 My hood went down half way and stopped . The motor was stopping and starting and the hood was juddering back and forth but stuck. I manually lifted the clam cover and the hood lowered by revisiting the dashboard switch-, there was a nasty clunk just as the hood settled into the down position. Now the hood won't open and the motor is dead. I can still lift the the clam which exposes the mechanism and I noticed that some type of strut (on either side) has become detached from the mechanism .These look like small gas struts but I don't think they are. They look as if they should connect like a ball and socket to the mechanism. Any ideas ?? Thanks Alan