top linkage adjustments

[palmtree907]

My top went down, but wouldn't go up. I removed the arms for the top and the service cover and manually closed for the night. I went to reinstall the arms today to start trouble shooting, and they are all too short to reach the ball that the sockets attach to. Did my motor travel too far? I rotated the end cup for the top arms one turn each and they reach the ball, but the sockets for the service cover are about a half inch too short, there's no way that I see them reaching.

And when I hit hte switch, btw, i get nothing. WIndows do drop and brake light is on.

[1schoir]

My top went down, but wouldn't go up. I removed the arms for the top and the service cover and manually closed for the night. I went to reinstall the arms today to start trouble shooting, and they are all too short to reach the ball that the sockets attach to. Did my motor travel too far? I rotated the end cup for the top arms one turn each and they reach the ball, but the sockets for the service cover are about a half inch too short, there's no way that I see them reaching.

And when I hit hte switch, btw, i get nothing. WIndows do drop and brake light is on.

The ball sockets on the black "hydraulic" pushrods are not reaching the steel balls that connect to the arms of the clamshell because they are under pressure and the black pushrods are fully retracted. That is what holds the clamshell down tight when the top is either completely open or completely closed.

You can get those to the position where they can be pressed on by moving the top to where the clamshell is in its rearmost (45 degree) position.

If you have rotated the plastic ball cups so that the overall front pusrod arm length has increased, it will affect the manner in which the leading edge of the convertible top mates up with the top edge of the windshield frame.

Do a search here and use the method described to rotate the V-levers with a cordless drill and then connect all four points back up. There is a possibility that you won't have to delve deeper into why your top motor is not operating at all now if you try the aforementioned method.

Need more details about your model year and whether the "top open" idiot light is illuminated when you are getting "nothing" ffrom the switch.

Regards, Maurice.

[palmtree907]

Maurice,

MY98. Top worked fine when I loaded onto trailer for cross counrty trip. Offloaded at destination and this happened.

I initially tried the 45 degree position and still come up short. The top "idiot" light does not illuminate.

Todd

[1schoir]

Maurice,

MY98. Top worked fine when I loaded onto trailer for cross counrty trip. Offloaded at destination and this happened.

I initially tried the 45 degree position and still come up short. The top "idiot" light does not illuminate.

Todd

Todd:

Your '98 has the half-moon gear transmissions, which are susceptible to the problem that you are describing.

1. If the "top open" idiot light is not illuminated (as well as the parking brake), and your top is not either completely open or completely closed, the dash switch will still "think" (through the top control module) that the top IS completely open or completely closed.

2. If you tried the 45 degree position and are still short, you must rotate the V-levers so that the steel ball on each side reaches the cup in the black pushrod.

For a solution to both 1 & 2 above, you should pull the left and right cable out of the sides of the electric motor and spin the inner speedometer type cable with a cordless drill on a LOW torque setting. Once you spin the cables, the V-levers should turn and you will then be able to connect the black pushrods and also get power to the electric motor.

Regards, Maurice.

[palmtree907]

Maurice,

I believe I am making progress.

My first step was to get the rods for the top and clamshell hooked up. I shortened the red rod ends back to where they were originally, disconnected the drive shafts and turned the cables until I could get the clamshell attached. That was at the 45 degree position as it should be.

The transmissions went way past.

Next, I replaced the fuses for the top motor and relay. No clicking heard or felt in the relay, so I pulled and tapped it. No joy there.

I checked the connections to the swith, all looked good.

I pulled the relay back out to try and open it to see if the contacts were sticking, and noticed pin 18 is missing( looks broken off). The relay cover says this is for the speedo input. My Bentley book is in storage since I just relocated across country, so I am surmising that: With no pin for the speedo, the relay is wired to act as if the car is moving, hence the top won't operate, the top "idiot" light will stay off, etc?

Todd

[1schoir]

Maurice,

I believe I am making progress.

My first step was to get the rods for the top and clamshell hooked up. I shortened the red rod ends back to where they were originally, disconnected the drive shafts and turned the cables until I could get the clamshell attached. That was at the 45 degree position as it should be.

The transmissions went way past.

Next, I replaced the fuses for the top motor and relay. No clicking heard or felt in the relay, so I pulled and tapped it. No joy there.

I checked the connections to the swith, all looked good.

I pulled the relay back out to try and open it to see if the contacts were sticking, and noticed pin 18 is missing( looks broken off). The relay cover says this is for the speedo input. My Bentley book is in storage since I just relocated across country, so I am surmising that: With no pin for the speedo, the relay is wired to act as if the car is moving, hence the top won't operate, the top "idiot" light will stay off, etc?

Todd

Todd:

You are making progress.

It sounds like the previous owner performed a well-known hack which is supposed to allow the top to be operated while the car is moving. That hack involves bending back that pin #18, which in your case the previous owner may have broken off (either intentionally or not).

Some owners also then ground pin #15, which then allows the top to be operated without having to pull up on the handbrake to light up the parking brake idiot light.

Unless you have the patience (and ability) to test all of the circuits with a voltmeter, it might be easier to try to swap out your relay with a known good relay from someone else's Boxster. Just make sure that it is a relay from a '97 to '99 and that the particular car that you are swapping from has not done a conversion to the "B Version" transmissions previously.

If you want to go the voltmeter route, there is a document that shows you the points to test and the readings that should be obtained to narrow down the cause of the malfunction. I don't have it handy, but I can locate it. I believe it may be posted in a thread here as well.

Regards, Maurice.

[jodyjaw]

Hello, I was able to time my transmission by disconnecting the opposite cable at the motor and operating the top switch until they were aligned. Then reconnected the cable and all worked well. Jody Jaworski 2004 Boxster