Top won't open

[mckinlay]

2000 Boxster with original top. Has been working fine until yesterday. When I opened and then closed it, the top cycled fine and appeared to fully open and then fully close but the "top light" did not go off when top was open or closed. It did this for two cycles and now top is closed and will not open. When I open the Latch, the windows go down as they should. I can hear the motor try to work for perhaps a second but nothing moves and then there is silence. If I then push to close, again there is a brief sound from the motor and then nothing. I guess I shoud be glad it "died" while closed. Need some suggestions on where to start. Also, I am not sure how to reach anything with the top up. Is there someway to release the top to work on it? Everything I have found seems to start with the top down. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

[Halo]

happend to me too recently.

this is where I started.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=24146

Kind regards,

Halo

[1schoir]

2000 Boxster with original top. Has been working fine until yesterday. When I opened and then closed it, the top cycled fine and appeared to fully open and then fully close but the "top light" did not go off when top was open or closed. It did this for two cycles and now top is closed and will not open. When I open the Latch, the windows go down as they should. I can hear the motor try to work for perhaps a second but nothing moves and then there is silence. If I then push to close, again there is a brief sound from the motor and then nothing. I guess I shoud be glad it "died" while closed. Need some suggestions on where to start. Also, I am not sure how to reach anything with the top up. Is there someway to release the top to work on it? Everything I have found seems to start with the top down. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Mckinlay:

The least painful way to get the top down enough manually so that you can access everything is to reach over/under through the rollbar and to then unhook the plastic bar that holds the black vinyl apron onto the rear firewall. That apron is held up by two small brackets, and you have to pull down and rotate the bar slightly (rear of bar rotates downwards and towards you as you access it with your arm through the roll bar).

Once you have the apron unhooked, you can get a good look at the two black vinyl outer cables that enter the electric motor on each side of the motor.

You can then feel and reach the point at which each cable is inserted and you must then pull up the upside-down U-shaped brass-colored clip and remove it. Once you have removed each one of the clips (one from the left, one from the right side of the motor) then you can pull each cable housing outboard.

Now insert the end of the inner (speedometer type) cable on one side into a cordless drill (on the LOWEST torque setting) and spin that inner cable until you see the clamshell BEGIN TO move up. Then switch the drill over to the other cable and repeat until that side begins to move up and go a little past where the level of the other side of the clamshell stopped. Repeat as necessary and finish off at whatever level you want by making both sides even and level.

There is a good possibility that this will allow your top to operate with the button at this point.

If not, you will have access to anything that you might have to work on.

There are a couple of other methods to get the top to move manually once it's stuck in the completely open position, but this one works well if you are not really BIG and TALL. If you are, or if you want to try the other methods, do a search here and you'll find the details.

Regards, Maurice.

[mckinlay]

Just wanted to add a wrap up on this. I finally had the time free to devote to diagnosing and tearing into this problem. I checked the fuses and I replaced the original top relay (I had replaced it with a Smart Top). None of this worked. I could hear the motor try to work but it did not turn. Thanks to Maurice, I used his technique to crawl through my roll bar and disconnect the drive cables from the motor. (Fortunately I think my rib only cracked not broke). Never the less, once the cables were loose, I tried the drive motor and it ran fine. I then used an electric drill to spin the cables but the passenger side cable would not turn. However, I was able to raise the clam shell using only the driver side cable and it rose easily and evenly. To make a long story short, the main drive gear in the passenger side transmission had split and bound up the worm gear that the cable drives. I checked the driver side transmission and the same gear has a crack developing and will undoubtably fail soon. So now I have two transmissions and two drive cables on order from Sunset.

I had been ready to take my car to the dealer (shudder,shudder) due to my frustration in even trying to access the parts to check them. Thanks Maurice for saving me a bundle in labor costs.

Brian

[1schoir]

Just wanted to add a wrap up on this. I finally had the time free to devote to diagnosing and tearing into this problem. I checked the fuses and I replaced the original top relay (I had replaced it with a Smart Top). None of this worked. I could hear the motor try to work but it did not turn. Thanks to Maurice, I used his technique to crawl through my roll bar and disconnect the drive cables from the motor. (Fortunately I think my rib only cracked not broke). Never the less, once the cables were loose, I tried the drive motor and it ran fine. I then used an electric drill to spin the cables but the passenger side cable would not turn. However, I was able to raise the clam shell using only the driver side cable and it rose easily and evenly. To make a long story short, the main drive gear in the passenger side transmission had split and bound up the worm gear that the cable drives. I checked the driver side transmission and the same gear has a crack developing and will undoubtably fail soon. So now I have two transmissions and two drive cables on order from Sunset.

I had been ready to take my car to the dealer (shudder,shudder) due to my frustration in even trying to access the parts to check them. Thanks Maurice for saving me a bundle in labor costs.

Brian

Brian:

Way to go! Glad I was able to help.

You should pat yourself on the pat for sticking with it and being able to diagnose the problem! :clapping: :clapping:

Installing the new transmissions (now that you have been able to remove the old ones, etc.) will be a comparative piece of cake.

Once you receive them from Sunset, if you have any difficulty post here again, or send me a PM, and I'll help you get them synched.

Regards, Maurice.