Roof Stuck Help!

[jaymanek]

Hi All,

Just aquired a Boxster - 1998 model

The roof was working fine yesterday, but today i put the roof up and i dont think i waited until the light went out in the dash..

So it stayed on whilst driving...

now when trying to operate the roof all im getting is a clicking sound from the motor as if its trying but stuck!

What have i done? Help guys!!

Great forum by the way..

Cheers

Jay

[1schoir]

Hi All,

Just aquired a Boxster - 1998 model

The roof was working fine yesterday, but today i put the roof up and i dont think i waited until the light went out in the dash..

So it stayed on whilst driving...

now when trying to operate the roof all im getting is a clicking sound from the motor as if its trying but stuck!

What have i done? Help guys!!

Great forum by the way..

Cheers

Jay

Jay:

Is the clicking sound coming from the motor (which is in the center of the car, directly in front of the third brake light), or is it coming from one, or both, of the convertible top transmissions (which are located just aft of the top rear of the doors, when the doors are closed)?

Regards, Maurice.

[White987S]

Loren should move this to the "986" section...as you may get more assistance.

[jaymanek]

Jay:

Is the clicking sound coming from the motor (which is in the center of the car, directly in front of the third brake light), or is it coming from one, or both, of the convertible top transmissions (which are located just aft of the top rear of the doors, when the doors are closed)?

Regards, Maurice.

Hi Mate,

Im pretty sure its coming from the back not the doors... I have tried removing the battery but no joy.. it seems its jammed?

[1schoir]

Jay:

Is the clicking sound coming from the motor (which is in the center of the car, directly in front of the third brake light), or is it coming from one, or both, of the convertible top transmissions (which are located just aft of the top rear of the doors, when the doors are closed)?

Regards, Maurice.

Hi Mate,

Im pretty sure its coming from the back not the doors... I have tried removing the battery but no joy.. it seems its jammed?

Jay:

AFT of the top rear of the doors when the doors are closed. The convertible top transmissions (one left side and one right side) are located inboard of the rear quarter panels, about 1 foot behind where the rear of the doors meet the rear quarter panels.

When the motor runs, it spins the cables, which drive the transmissions, which rotate the V-levers, which in turn operate the clamshell from one end of the V-levers and the convertible top from the other end of the V-levers. In the 97 to 99 Boxsters, there is a half-moon gear inside the transmissions which can go past its last tooth. It then gets pulled back by the black hydraulic pushrods, and does this over and over again. That is what usually causes the clicking or snapping noise that one hears when pressing the dash switch when the half-moon gear has travelled past its last tooth.

If that is the case (clicking from one or both transmissions), you will have to disconnect the cables that run from the transmissions to the electric motor, and then spin the transmissions in the opposite direction (with a drill) and reconnect the cables.

If you do a search on this forum, perhaps using the terms "half-moon gear" or "top transmission" you will find this topic discussed and some solutions.

Regards, Maurice.

[morrita]

Jay:

Is the clicking sound coming from the motor (which is in the center of the car, directly in front of the third brake light), or is it coming from one, or both, of the convertible top transmissions (which are located just aft of the top rear of the doors, when the doors are closed)?

Regards, Maurice.

Hi Mate,

Im pretty sure its coming from the back not the doors... I have tried removing the battery but no joy.. it seems its jammed?

Jay:

AFT of the top rear of the doors when the doors are closed. The convertible top transmissions (one left side and one right side) are located inboard of the rear quarter panels, about 1 foot behind where the rear of the doors meet the rear quarter panels.

When the motor runs, it spins the cables, which drive the transmissions, which rotate the V-levers, which in turn operate the clamshell from one end of the V-levers and the convertible top from the other end of the V-levers. In the 97 to 99 Boxsters, there is a half-moon gear inside the transmissions which can go past its last tooth. It then gets pulled back by the black hydraulic pushrods, and does this over and over again. That is what usually causes the clicking or snapping noise that one hears when pressing the dash switch when the half-moon gear has travelled past its last tooth.

If that is the case (clicking from one or both transmissions), you will have to disconnect the cables that run from the transmissions to the electric motor, and then spin the transmissions in the opposite direction (with a drill) and reconnect the cables.

If you do a search on this forum, perhaps using the terms "half-moon gear" or "top transmission" you will find this topic discussed and some solutions.

Regards, Maurice.

Maurice and Jay,

I have a very similar problem. I had trouble getting my top down - it got jammed, but I got it back up. Now the roof is stuck in the up position with the light on the dash indicating the top is open, and the air spoiler light is on. The motor clicks when I hit the button to put the top down. It sounds like the clicking sound is from the motor - I followed this thread to troubleshoot, and the sound is coming from right in front of the 3rd brake light. ANy ideas for next steps or trouble shooting? The transmission cables don't seem to be moving at all.

Thanks a lot. Morrita

[1schoir]

Jay:

Is the clicking sound coming from the motor (which is in the center of the car, directly in front of the third brake light), or is it coming from one, or both, of the convertible top transmissions (which are located just aft of the top rear of the doors, when the doors are closed)?

Regards, Maurice.

Hi Mate,

Im pretty sure its coming from the back not the doors... I have tried removing the battery but no joy.. it seems its jammed?

Jay:

AFT of the top rear of the doors when the doors are closed. The convertible top transmissions (one left side and one right side) are located inboard of the rear quarter panels, about 1 foot behind where the rear of the doors meet the rear quarter panels.

When the motor runs, it spins the cables, which drive the transmissions, which rotate the V-levers, which in turn operate the clamshell from one end of the V-levers and the convertible top from the other end of the V-levers. In the 97 to 99 Boxsters, there is a half-moon gear inside the transmissions which can go past its last tooth. It then gets pulled back by the black hydraulic pushrods, and does this over and over again. That is what usually causes the clicking or snapping noise that one hears when pressing the dash switch when the half-moon gear has travelled past its last tooth.

If that is the case (clicking from one or both transmissions), you will have to disconnect the cables that run from the transmissions to the electric motor, and then spin the transmissions in the opposite direction (with a drill) and reconnect the cables.

If you do a search on this forum, perhaps using the terms "half-moon gear" or "top transmission" you will find this topic discussed and some solutions.

Regards, Maurice.

Maurice and Jay,

I have a very similar problem. I had trouble getting my top down - it got jammed, but I got it back up. Now the roof is stuck in the up position with the light on the dash indicating the top is open, and the air spoiler light is on. The motor clicks when I hit the button to put the top down. It sounds like the clicking sound is from the motor - I followed this thread to troubleshoot, and the sound is coming from right in front of the 3rd brake light. ANy ideas for next steps or trouble shooting? The transmission cables don't seem to be moving at all.

Thanks a lot. Morrita

Morrita:

If the sound is definitely coming from the vicinity of the motor, it sounds as though your transmission cables must have retracted such that they are no longer being steadily driven by the motor. What actually happens is that the outer black vinyl cable sheath stretches so that the overall effect is to cause a "retraction" of the inner speedometer type cable. This is most common in the early Boxsters MY97-99 that have the smooth sided cables (no cross-hatch pattern). These are more prone to stretching.

A definitive diagnosis requires that you remove each cable from the sides of the motor and make sure that you have about 3/4 of an inch of the inner cable protruding from the end of the cable sheath's metal ferrule.

Put the clamshell in its rearmost position (at a 45 degree angle) and pull off the upside down U-circlip that holds each cable to side of the motor and let us know what you find.

If you find that there is less than 3/4 of an inch protruding, look for a post by "Tool Pants" where he describes the fix, which involves cutting away some of the outer vinyl sheath before re-inserting the cables into the sides of the electric motor.

Regards, Maurice.