Convertible top transmission arms bent?

[mrcheeseman]

Can anyone give me a picture of the convertible tops transmission arm. This is the arm connected to the transmission with the two ball ends. I believe mine are bent. All pictures I have seen are from a top view of the arm on the transmission and I can not tell if they have a bend in them.. I need a side view. thanks

[Tool Pants]

How about this. The V-lever is flat.

[mrcheeseman]

How about this. The V-lever is flat.

thanks. that's what i was afraid of. Mine did not break. Maybe I can heat them and straighten them out. Looks like they may me cast iron.

[mrcheeseman]

How about this. The V-lever is flat.

thanks. that's what i was afraid of. Mine did not break. Maybe I can heat them and straighten them out. Looks like they may me cast iron.

I believe mine was damaged by the tops release lever not being fully released. It was released enough to release the switch, but about a 1/8 inch caught the lip. The motor tried to open the top but it wasn't released so it broke the red/white ball caps and bent the v arms.

[Tool Pants]

In this picture both V-levers are bent.

Like you said, I think they are made of cast iron.

In my original picture is a V-lever that snapped due to the use of a pry bar being used to disconnect the clamshell push rod ball joint. If you are goint to try to straighten them I think heat would be wise, or they could snap.

[pk2]

In this picture both V-levers are bent.

Like you said, I think they are made of cast iron.

In my original picture is a V-lever that snapped due to the use of a pry bar being used to disconnect the clamshell push rod ball joint. If you are goint to try to straighten them I think heat would be wise, or they could snap.

Hi, I’ having similar problems (See above http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=15743)

My arms seem to have a slight bend in them, does it matter? Should the be completely flat?

How on earth did you knot that one up…unsynchronized from side to side like mine?

Thanks, Peter

[Tool Pants]

The pictures are not my car. They are local cars we have worked on over the years. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1666

[pk2]

The pictures are not my car. They are local cars we have worked on over the years. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1666

Hell, Those are quite dramartic. My v arms are just not flat...slight bend. do I need to bother? I'm going to say I'm off 3/16 or so of being completly flat. I don't even know if they are not supposed to be off a bit/

Thanks Peter

[1schoir]

The pictures are not my car. They are local cars we have worked on over the years. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1666

Hell, Those are quite dramartic. My v arms are just not flat...slight bend. do I need to bother? I'm going to say I'm off 3/16 or so of being completly flat. I don't even know if they are not supposed to be off a bit/

Thanks Peter

Peter:

The V-Levers are not supposed to have any bend in them at all. They are supposed to be completely flat and true. A bend, depending on the severity, could contribute (in conjunction with too much pressure either pulling or pushing) to the white plastic ball cups popping off.

Best to heat them up and hammer them straight.

Regards, Maurice.

[pk2]

Peter:

The V-Levers are not supposed to have any bend in them at all. They are supposed to be completely flat and true. A bend, depending on the severity, could contribute (in conjunction with too much pressure either pulling or pushing) to the white plastic ball cups popping off.

Best to heat them up and hammer them straight.

Regards, Maurice.

Hey Marice,

Discovered something else that dosn't look so great. The transmisions, when cinched down are not really horizontal from the ground. That is if you look straight down into the convertable top comaptment they appear to be tweaked, the bottom bumped out. I guess the eastest way to describe it is tha the exsposed faces of the transmisions are in no way parralell to each other in any direction, allong any axis.

If I didn't know better, I would say the transmision had been tugged weird by unsychronization and pulled the sheet metal they mount to katty-wampus. Should they be fairly straight looking (front to back, top to bottom)?

Thanks as always

Peter

Edited September 10, 2007 by pk2

[1schoir]

Peter:

The V-Levers are not supposed to have any bend in them at all. They are supposed to be completely flat and true. A bend, depending on the severity, could contribute (in conjunction with too much pressure either pulling or pushing) to the white plastic ball cups popping off.

Best to heat them up and hammer them straight.

Regards, Maurice.

Hey Marice,

Discovered something else that dosn't look so great. The transmisions, when cinched down are not really horizontal from the ground. That is if you look straight down into the convertable top comaptment they appear to be tweaked, the bottom bumped out. I guess the eastest way to describe it is tha the exsposed faces of the transmisions are in no way parralell to each other in any direction, allong any axis.

If I didn't know better, I would say the transmision had been tugged weird by unsychronization and pulled the sheet metal they mount to katty-wampus. Should they be fairly straight looking (front to back, top to bottom)?

Thanks as always

Peter

Peter:

It looks like you have run into a similar problem recently discovered by another member of this forum (Azzar0). After much wrangling with his top problem, he got most of it resolved by replacing the Version A transmissions with Version B transmissions and associated parts that he bought on eBay. He remained with a persistent problem which manifested itself by the white plastic ball cup popping off at the very end of the cycle after the top reached its "closed" position. He noticed that at that point the transmissions would move with what appeared to be a "flexing" of the sides where the transmissions were mounted.

So, in answer to your question, they should be straight front to back and top to bottom. See if they move or if the sides flex.

If they do, you may have to go down the same road as Azzar0. He was able to remove the air intake covers on the side of the car and pull some material back in order to have a look at the backs of the transmissions. He discovered that that area had tears and holes in the sheet metal that were the cause of his transmissions ending up in a less than vertical position.

The last time I posted back and forth with him, he had contacted a body shop that was going to devise a solution by welding additional support pieces behind the transmissions to keep them rock steady and aligned. I asked if he could try to post photos of the job so that it might help others on this forum in the future, but I had no idea someone would run into this so soon. I know he is in the process, so you may have to wait to see how he works it out. To his credit, he has been very diligent and I am sure he will have his top completely fixed at the end of all of this.

I guess this may become a more common occurence as the early (MY 97-99) boxsters get older.

I will also try to answer some of the questions in your other "new" thread on the "Convertible Top Woes" saga.

Regards, Maurice.

[azzar0]

I am still searching for a shop that won't charge me an arm and a leg to do the repairs, but as Maurice noted, I think I found the root of my problem. Was your car in an accident? Have you checked the sheet metal behind the transmissions for cracks? Are the transmissions flexing when the top is moving?

To look behind the transmissions take the side vents down and pull the rubber cover down. You will then have a clear look. I can take the vents off again and post pictures, if needed.

I will keep updating my thread as soon as I make any progress, but for the time being I am looking for a reasonable shop. Until I find one I will continue to operate the top in semi-automatic mode (clamshell opens / closes OK, but I put the top up / down manually).

[1schoir]

I am still searching for a shop that won't charge me an arm and a leg to do the repairs, but as Maurice noted, I think I found the root of my problem. Was your car in an accident? Have you checked the sheet metal behind the transmissions for cracks? Are the transmissions flexing when the top is moving?

To look behind the transmissions take the side vents down and pull the rubber cover down. You will then have a clear look. I can take the vents off again and post pictures, if needed.

I will keep updating my thread as soon as I make any progress, but for the time being I am looking for a reasonable shop. Until I find one I will continue to operate the top in semi-automatic mode (clamshell opens / closes OK, but I put the top up / down manually).

Julian:

Not surprised at your experience with the body shop(s). Usually, they see Porsche and, if you look in their eyes, you will see the $$ signs there, like in the cartoons. LOL.

Maybe you should try to have a shop that does welding (look in the yellow pages or try to get a recommendation for a local shop) give you an estimate. One thing you can generally be sure of is that the guys who have been doing welding for a number of years will be able to come up with a solid solution. The job should be based on their hours of labor, not the fact that you brought in a Porsche.

Regards, Maurice.

[azzar0]

Not surprised at your experience with the body shop(s). Usually, they see Porsche and, if you look in their eyes, you will see the $$ signs there, like in the cartoons. LOL.

That's exactly right! As soon as they see a Porsche all pricing methods fly out the window and the 'custom' (read EXPENSIVE) quote is given...

The job should be based on their hours of labor, not the fact that you brought in a Porsche.

Yup, I am still hoping I can find a small shop with a reasonable, experienced welder. They're out there, but it takes a while to find the right place. It's even harder to find someone since it is such a custom job. Phone conversations lead nowhere, I have to be there in person and show them what I mean most of the time.

[1schoir]

Not surprised at your experience with the body shop(s). Usually, they see Porsche and, if you look in their eyes, you will see the $$ signs there, like in the cartoons. LOL.

That's exactly right! As soon as they see a Porsche all pricing methods fly out the window and the 'custom' (read EXPENSIVE) quote is given...

The job should be based on their hours of labor, not the fact that you brought in a Porsche.

Yup, I am still hoping I can find a small shop with a reasonable, experienced welder. They're out there, but it takes a while to find the right place. It's even harder to find someone since it is such a custom job. Phone conversations lead nowhere, I have to be there in person and show them what I mean most of the time.

Julian:

It's worthwhile to wait for the right shop. You only want to do this job once.

Regards, Maurice.