1schoir

Sorry for the delay, but the Virus has made things upside down everywhere around New York. Hope it's not too bad in Cleveland.:) I think I found some initial pics that can help you get started in solving the problem with your top... Here is a series of photos on my '97 Boxster when it still had the original "A Version", all metal housing transmissions. I think that if you put your clamshell manually to this exact position, and then duplicate the position of the V-levers and other parts, you will have an excellent starting point. Forgot to mention what the red arrow and the yellow arrow are pointing to in the last photo posted(367.38 kB)..Red is pointing to the "fat washer" under the 10mm bolt which in turn holds down the small flat bushing/sleeve (Yellow arrow pointing to joint) that keeps the overall length of the pushrod in its set position. Of course that has a major effect on the position/attitude that the leading edge of the convertible top will have when it is in its pre-latching (or immediately post-latching) position. A relatively tiny difference in overall length will also have a relatively drastic effect on whether that "final" position ends up correctly aligned or whether the leading edge of the top goes past its forwardmost position and then starts to retract...then making it impossible to latch the top securely. To achieve a finer adjustment, don't loosen the 10mm with fat washer, use each 360 degree turn or rotation of the plastic ball cup on the forward end of the pushrod to change the overall length of the pushrod. Let me know if that works, otherwise I can look for some more. Regards, Maurice.

I believe that I may have the photograph(s) that you are looking for but I have to find the old thumb drive where I had originally been storing them before discarding the excess files. When I get back to my office I will search and post what I find. Just to verify, by "Original All Metal Transmissions", you are referring to the "A Version" transmissions that used the original B-Pillar microswitch as a method to sense the position of the descending convertible top frame member (and, at the same time had the smooth surfaced drive cables (i.e., NOT the cross-hatched, less prone-to-stretch cables). Regardless, I will post photos ASAP. Regards, Maurice.

That's excellent work! Very predictable of Porsche to force owners to buy complete units, instead of just protecting their patents and making the parts available at a reasonable profit. Perhaps you might find used motors from junkyards in the UK or here in the U.S., with the caveat that they should be of very recent vintage or low mileage. I guess the valuable lesson here is to include cleaning and re-lubricating the gears inside these motors with the proper lubricant to minimize wear. Add another one to the list! If you ever succeed in your quest, keep us updated. I'll supply the peanuts! :) Regards, Maurice.

Glad that you are making progress in diagnosing the problem. Are the electric motors needed part # 99662422100 at about $750 each? If that's the case, you can either buy new motors or have those rebuilt. There are shops which can just replace the defective toothed gear(s). Regardless of the approach (new or rebuilding) you have to make sure that the electric motors are not laboring unduly (because of lack of lubrication or misalignment of any of the parts) or they will wear out prematurely again. Your 997.2 is probably not old enough to justify thinking that the teeth wore out from overuse. Let us know if you make any further progress. Regards, Maurice.

From your update, it sounds like you have to identify the rails, channels or other surfaces on which rollers or plastic pads slide and clean and lubricate those surfaces. I'm not intimately familiar with Targa roof mechanisms, but some general rules apply. As an example, the 986 Boxster (as well as other Boxsters) have a clamshell that is supported from underneath by two arms (left and right). Those support arms are attached to the underside of the clamshell and the other end of the support arms terminate in a steel ball that is installed at a 90 degree angle to the arms. Each steel ball (one left and one right) is pressed into a plastic rectangular "shoe" which is inserted into, and which literally slides back and forth in, a horizontal metal channel as the clamshell goes to the up or the stowed position. If that channel or the plastic "shoe" is not lubricated or gets contaminated with dirt, it will manifest itself reliably with a judder and a slowing down of the thus struggling mechanism. As soon as you clean that channel and the plastic shoe and lubricate those parts, the difference is shocking. I cannot overemphasize the effects of dirty and/or non lubricated parts on these mechanisms and, if you are able to locate the equivalent channels on your Targa and clean and lubricate them, I am reasonably confident that you will be pleasantly surprised at the effects. At the very least if lubrication does not ameliorate the situation at all you will have narrowed it down to a mechanical or component part failure. Here is a photo of the type of channel and parts I was describing, this one from a 986 Boxster. Regards, Maurice.

You can at least buy some time, and maybe even get a pleasant surprise by following the recommendations above regarding using Krytox and/or White Lithium Grease. The judder you refer to is almost always caused by lack or absence of lubrication or dirt contamination of the old existing lubricant. The "slow" aspect you describe may possibly be caused by the increased resistance the mechanism and the gears are struggling against due to lack of proper lubrication. The photos generously provided by "Fixxxer" can guide you to get started, along with the instructions provided by "jay04v6". If it works, you can educate the dealer. :) Regards, Maurice.

Please post the VW part number and the year/model/series of the Touareg for the benefit of those who will have the same issue.

Very excellent story with a very excellent outcome! Hard to believe that was from more than ten years ago, but thanks for confirming one of the two methods for getting the clamshell up. Good luck with the rest of the install. Regards, Maurice.

A few possibilities and things to check come to mind from your description... Have you tested the B-Pillar microswitch to see if it is shaped (bent) correctly and for continuity? Have you tried to apply 12 volts directly to the convertible top electric motor (located under the center of the clamshell). Since you have a '99, have you checked the black lever microswitch that is located above the electric motor under the center of the clamshell? What, exactly did you do to check the fuses and the relay, and which fuses did you test? Did you pull out the latch assembly and test the TWO different microswitches there? It seems that one of them is working for sure (the one that allows the windows to drop down when you pull the latch), but the other one may be warped or otherwise faulty. Regards, Maurice.

Glad to be of help. Curious to know if your Boxster had the Phillips screws. Regards, Maurice.

There are three (13mm, IIRC) bolts on each side of the convertible top frame base that must be loosened before you can pull the top back. You must really apply a lot of pressure pulling back the frame after the bolts are loosened and don't expect a lot of movement, usually just a few millimeters but that is enough to have a magnified effect at the latch by the time it "crosses over" the windscreen. First loosen all six bolts, then work on one side by pulling back on the base frame and simultaneously tightening one of the three bolts on that side (preferably with a buddy doing the pulling and you doing the tightening). Then do the same on the other side. Finally tighten the remaining two bolts on each side. Note that some Boxsters came with additional Phillips head screws installed to locate the base frame properly, and those, if any, must be removed as well. Here are two photos of the bolts (and screws, if any) and their location. These two photos are of the left (driver's) side of the base frame. The relevant bolts are circled in red, and blue arrows are pointing to the Phillips screws. The second photo additionally shows the lower of the three bolts (not circled) and part of the rearmost bolt of the three. Same (mirror image) set up on the right side. Regards, Maurice.

If your issue was one of a stretched cable or a missing/broken piece of the plastic bushing part of the window regulator, the window would NOT drop down the 1/2 inch under any circumstance. Your issue is elsewhere, most probably as described by Ahsai.

Very nice, clean looking upgrade. The red grill echoes the red in the lens of the interior light on the right side. The red leather trim is a very nice touch and makes it pop!

Thanks for the clarification. Regards, Maurice.

I am reasonably certain that the relay for a 987 is in the same vicinity as that for a 986. Take a look in the kick panel to the left of your left calf when you are sitting in the driver's seat (If your steering wheel is on the right because it is a British version of the 987, take a look in the kick panel to the right of your right calf as you are sitting in the driver's seat). Once you remove the small carpeted panel, you will see all of the fuses in the fuse panel. Directly ABOVE the fuse panel is the relay tray. The convertible top relay is the only double relay in that tray. Regards, Maurice.

Here is what the two-part plastic part looks like... As you can clearly see from the markings, the further to the left (i.e., towards the front) that you slide the part on top, the thicker the overall assembly will be and thus the higher up the front prong of the clamshell will sit. And here is where the driver's side adjuster sits in the clamshell rain channel: Regards, Maurice.

There is a small, black, two-piece plastic part located a few inches back from the very front of each "arm" of the clamshell. It is located under the clamshell, in the rain channel and it can be used to adjust the height of the final position of the front of each arm. If you look at it closely, you will see that it is just a matter of pulling the two pieces apart (lowers it) or pushing the two pieces towards each other (raises it.). If the driver's side front of the clamshell is sitting closer to the proper height as you describe, try to adjust the passenger side to the same configuration as a starting point and go from there. Then you can go back to the driver's side and make perfect. Regards, Maurice.

That is indeed all there is to it, with no heavy lifting (literal or otherwise) involved, no need to contort your body to get under the dash, and no surprises. Thanks for explaining the absence of heater core valves in modern cars. Regards, Maurice.

There are the two adjustments that can be made by screwing the torx bolts clockwise or counterclockwise. That will have the window ending up lower or higher in its final position. However, I think your problem is probably with the regulator itself, even though it's new. One thing you can do to narrow down the problem is to measure the actual length of the drop when you pull on the cable. You can get that spec from the Bentley manual or just compare it with your window on the other side. If the length of the drop is the same, you can adjust the height by using the torx screws. If the length of the drop is not quite enough, it's the slack in the cable. It's easy to determine whether your cable has too much slack to start with. Since you have the door panel off, you can observe what happens to the cable (and the window) when you pull on the handle. If you see the cable "tightening up" a split second before the window starts to move down that required 1/2 inch, that's your problem. There should be no slack in the cable, meaning that when you pull on the door handle, it should instantly move the window down, without first having to take up the slack. If that is what you observe, you can definitely fix it with the bicycle brake adjuster fix. Regards, Maurice.

wiz: I couldn't find the link to the thread on 986forum, so I wrote this up a couple of years ago on this site and I just found that thread. Here is a link to that discussion, with photos: http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/45244-window-drop-passenger-side/?hl=%2Bwindow+%2Bregulator Good luck. Let us know how you make out. Regards, Maurice.

... The adjustments on the bottom of the door only change the angle of the glass relative to the frame. ... There are additional adjustments on the windows that allow you to position the window not only up and down, but also inward and outward (besides the "angle of the glass relative to the frame". Some of these adjustments require that the door panel be removed for access. Regards, Maurice.

If the window is not dropping enough AND it's the original regulator, it may be possible to repair the regulator by taking up some of the slack with a bicycle brake adjuster. One of the posters on 986forum.com came up with this ingenious solution and it works perfectly as a permanent repair. I used his repair method and it's been good for over three years. Regards, Maurice.

Dave: It makes perfect sense. Take a look at the article entitled "Replacing the Top and Frame" in Mike Focke's Boxster pages, here: https://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/thetop-itsmaintaince%26replacement That will explain the difference between the "A Version" and the "B Version" convertible top systems and the advantages and disadvantages of each kind of top. You will also see there that the OEM glass tops have a slightly larger rear glass window than the aftermarket tops and they also have "PORSCHE" printed near the bottom edge of the glass in large letters. That can help in identifying them. The bolt that he adjusted in one of the pushrods is used to make grosser adjustments than screwing in or unscrewing the plastic ball cup provides. The overall length of the pushrod affects the extended length of the top when it almost reaches the top of the windshield. Since yours is a '99, it is a good thing that you ended up with an aftermarket top on a three-bow frame as going over to the other system takes a lot more work and electrical wiring. Glad you got it all sorted out. Regards, Maurice.

I found the link to the window adjustment thread: http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/41273-passenger-door-sticking-window-alignment-issue-not-regulator/?hl=%2Bwindow+%2Band+%2Bleg+%2Band+%2Btorx+%2Band+%2Bhole#entry219547 Take a look specifically at posts #6 and 7. Regards, Maurice.

This is helpful information. It may be different on 996's than on early 986's. I don't remember a torx screw in those positions, but I'll have to check the next time I take off a door panel. Regards, Maurice.