Roof Problems 986

[andyc]

I have a 986 Boxster 1999 and have been having intermittent problems with getting the roof up over the last couple of days and now it is stuck in the down position.

I have read through the other posts and my brake warning light works ok. I have also removed the relay and given it a gentle tap. Any ideas ? does this sound like the relay has died ?

Thanks

Andy

[1schoir]

I have a 986 Boxster 1999 and have been having intermittent problems with getting the roof up over the last couple of days and now it is stuck in the down position.

I have read through the other posts and my brake warning light works ok. I have also removed the relay and given it a gentle tap. Any ideas ? does this sound like the relay has died ?

Thanks

Andy

Andy:

Give the relay a few harder raps. Also, push and pull the relay on and off its receptacle prongs in the relay carrier. That may clean off any corrosion that may be causing a bad or intermittent connection with the relay spades.

Also, be sure to check fuses B6, which is the fuse for the convertible top relay, and D3, which is the fuse for the convertible top electric drive motor.

(B6 is second row from the top, 6th fuse from the left, and D3 is fourth row from the top and 3rd fuse from the left). They are located behind the fuse panel cover in the left kick panel.

If those things check out and yield not results, there is a procedure for testing the electric motor which you should go through before trying a new relay. I'll see if I can locate it and post it here.

Regards, Maurice.

[ronbonner]

Andy,

I think what maurice is looking for is this touble shooting guide I put together some years back. Its a way to test the operation of the microswitches that sequentially operate when you press the button to put the top up or down. The idea is you test each circuit until you find the switch that is not operating. Favorites to give problems are the parking brake switch or the switch in the roof hook recepticle.

Anyway try this link to the guide but you will need a voltmeter but don't worry if you never used one as I have a diagram showing where things go and when.

Hope you find the problem

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...st&id=11249

Edited May 12, 2008 by ronbonner

[1schoir]

Andy,

I think what maurice is looking for is this touble shooting guide I put together some years back. Its a way to test the operation of the microswitches that sequentially operate when you press the button to put the top up or down. The idea is you test each circuit until you find the switch that is not operating. Favorites to give problems are the parking brake switch or the switch in the roof hook recepticle.

Anyway try this link to the guide but you will need a voltmeter but don't worry if you never used one as I have a diagram showing where things go and when.

Hope you find the problem

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...st&id=11249

Ron:

That's the one. Steps 9, 10, and 11 are the ones to test the convertible top electric motor.

Regards, Maurice.

[andyc]

Thanks guys,

I have checked the fuses and they are ok, also taken out relay and given it a tap or two.

I have a multimeter and will test the micro switches tomorrow.

Thanks again for your help

[andyc]

I followed your advice and gave the relay another good few taps on a flat surface and tested the voltage and got a positive reading. I plugged the relay back in and tested the motor and It started working.

Now I am wondering how I connect back the rods that I prised off to get the hood up in the first place. Also the hood warning light is now on. Probably because it thinks its open maybe ?

Thanks again.

Andy

[1schoir]

I followed your advice and gave the relay another good few taps on a flat surface and tested the voltage and got a positive reading. I plugged the relay back in and tested the motor and It started working.

Now I am wondering how I connect back the rods that I prised off to get the hood up in the first place. Also the hood warning light is now on. Probably because it thinks its open maybe ?

Thanks again.

Andy

Andy:

Whether you are referring to the black hydraulic pushrods (that operate the clamshell) or the push rods that terminate in the white (or red) plastic cups (that operated the canvas part of the top), they are just pressed back on. With a little force, they will just "pop" back in. I would coat the metal balls that they press onto with a little white lithium grease as well.

The only other requirement is that the V-levers have to be at the correct degree of rotation relative to the position of the clamshell and of the canvas top frame.

The "top open" warning light on the dashboard should go out once the top and the clamshell have gone through their arc to the "completely open" or "completely closed" position. In both instances the clamshell will be all the way down onto the body of the car.

Regards, Maurice.

[andyc]

Hi Maurice,

I have removed both the red and black push rods. The red ones looks easy enough to re-attach. This may sound like a daft question but how do I postition the black hydraulic rods correctly with clam shell? Are there any markings to allign to?

Regards

Andy

[andyc]

Hi,

I am still having problems trying to re-attach the black hydraulic rods to the V-levers. I cannot seem to rotate the v-levers far enough round to reach the rods. Is there a technique to this ? or am i just being thick here... ;)

Thanks

Andy

[JohnGG]

Hi,

I am still having problems trying to re-attach the black hydraulic rods to the V-levers. I cannot seem to rotate the v-levers far enough round to reach the rods. Is there a technique to this ? or am i just being thick here... ;)

Thanks

Andy

[1schoir]

Hi,

I am still having problems trying to re-attach the black hydraulic rods to the V-levers. I cannot seem to rotate the v-levers far enough round to reach the rods. Is there a technique to this ? or am i just being thick here... ;)

Thanks

Andy

Andy:

Sorry for the delay, I've been away for a couple of days.

The black hydraulic pus rods just press back onto the steel balls on the ends of the metal arms (body paint colored) that support the clamshell, but only if they are lined up properly. If the clamshell is all the way down (closed), the hydraulic pushrods won't reach the steel balls because at that point, the hydraulic push rods are normally under tension (when they are already attached) and they are pulling down on the clamshell to keep it from flapping around.

Make sure that you are rotating the V-levers correctly. One relatively easy position to get the black hydraulic push rods on is to manually pick up the clamshell and pull it back as far as it will go (the 45 degree position) and then let it slide forward slightly until one of the hollowed out cup at the end of one hydraulic push rod lines up with one steel ball and then press it on.

At that point, the other side's black hydraulic push rod should also be lined up (or very, very close to it). If it isn't, then you will have to spin that side's drive cable with a drill until it lines up exactly. If you run into that issue, let me know and I'll go over the procedure again, although that is covered by a lot of other posts in the archives.

I also just want to make sure that you haven't removed the V-levers completely at some point (19mm bolt at their center), because IT IS possible to install those V-Levers 180 degrees off.

Regards, Maurice.

[andyc]

Thanks for the reply Maurice,

No, I havent removed the v-levers. I can manually rotate the v-levers to a certain point, and then it just stops but it is not far enough to attach the hydraulic rod. Looks like i will have to spin the drive cable as described in the other posts.

Thanks

Andy

[1schoir]

Thanks for the reply Maurice,

No, I havent removed the v-levers. I can manually rotate the v-levers to a certain point, and then it just stops but it is not far enough to attach the hydraulic rod. Looks like i will have to spin the drive cable as described in the other posts.

Thanks

Andy

Andy:

Just remember to spin them an equal amount (i.e., rotational travel of the V-lever or length of time [and RPM speed] that drill is pressed on) so that both sides of the clamshell (left and right) look even when viewed from about 10 feet behind the center of the rear of the car.

Again, the reason that you can't fit the hydraulic push rods on with the clamshell all the way down is because they are under pressure, pulling the clamshell tightly down so it doesn't flap around.

Regards, Maurice.

[andyc]

Hi Maurice,

Still having problems here. I ran through the microswitch checklist and it failed on 9, 10 and 11. It Passed on all the other tests. Any advice on what to do next.

Thanks

Andy