Adjusting Window Height

[BoxsterTaff]

Hi - I've just picked up a 1997 Boxster 2.5L as a weekend car / obession! First off I was really pleased to find this forum, there is so much great advice and collective expertise on here, even a newbie like me can see myslef doing some work on my Boxster.

I have been through all the 'Window' topics I could find, but my question is: The window works, (a little creaky but I'd don''t think the regulator is going to go immediatly), but stops 1/3 inch below the desired point at the top. I read that the 'stop limit' can be adjusted by bolts on the underside of the door, I removed the 4 plugs there, but only see 2 bolts that hold the mechanism to the frame. In the other 2 holes I can see the guides etc but no obvious bolts to adjust?

Does this ring a bell with anyone?

Pic of the window Gap attached.

Thanks for any help or Advice.

Any other Boxster lovers in Plano/Allen/Frisco in here who like to work on their cars?

[1schoir]

Hi - I've just picked up a 1997 Boxster 2.5L as a weekend car / obession! First off I was really pleased to find this forum, there is so much great advice and collective expertise on here, even a newbie like me can see myslef doing some work on my Boxster.

I have been through all the 'Window' topics I could find, but my question is: The window works, (a little creaky but I'd don''t think the regulator is going to go immediatly), but stops 1/3 inch below the desired point at the top. I read that the 'stop limit' can be adjusted by bolts on the underside of the door, I removed the 4 plugs there, but only see 2 bolts that hold the mechanism to the frame. In the other 2 holes I can see the guides etc but no obvious bolts to adjust?

Does this ring a bell with anyone?

Pic of the window Gap attached.

Thanks for any help or Advice.

Any other Boxster lovers in Plano/Allen/Frisco in here who like to work on their cars?

The only two plugs that you have to remove to be able to see the torx adjusting bolt are the two OUTBOARD ones.

Take a look at post #2 in the following thread for a photo of exactly what you are looking for through those two holes:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=16939&st=0&p=84996&hl=%20window%20%20torx%20%20outboard&fromsearch=1entry84996

Regards, Maurice.

[BoxsterTaff]

Hi - I've just picked up a 1997 Boxster 2.5L as a weekend car / obession! First off I was really pleased to find this forum, there is so much great advice and collective expertise on here, even a newbie like me can see myslef doing some work on my Boxster.

I have been through all the 'Window' topics I could find, but my question is: The window works, (a little creaky but I'd don''t think the regulator is going to go immediatly), but stops 1/3 inch below the desired point at the top. I read that the 'stop limit' can be adjusted by bolts on the underside of the door, I removed the 4 plugs there, but only see 2 bolts that hold the mechanism to the frame. In the other 2 holes I can see the guides etc but no obvious bolts to adjust?

Does this ring a bell with anyone?

Pic of the window Gap attached.

Thanks for any help or Advice.

Any other Boxster lovers in Plano/Allen/Frisco in here who like to work on their cars?

The only two plugs that you have to remove to be able to see the torx adjusting bolt are the two OUTBOARD ones.

Take a look at post #2 in the following thread for a photo of exactly what you are looking for through those two holes:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=16939&st=0&p=84996&hl=%20window%20%20torx%20%20outboard&fromsearch=1entry84996

Regards, Maurice.

Hey thanks Maurice! Forgive the simple newbie question!

I'll take a look at that tomrrow, I could see those screws when I looked in there today.

I have plenty more questions, some oil gunk under the engine (not dripping) and some roof problems (the right actuator(?) / V' bar the pullys attach to is broken, but at some point has been stressed so it bent the metal inner bodywork it bolts too, so it is not straight....I have pics, would be interested to learn wheather ou have seen this happen before?

[1schoir]

Hey thanks Maurice! Forgive the simple newbie question!

I'll take a look at that tomrrow, I could see those screws when I looked in there today.

I have plenty more questions, some oil gunk under the engine (not dripping) and some roof problems (the right actuator(?) / V' bar the pullys attach to is broken, but at some point has been stressed so it bent the metal inner bodywork it bolts too, so it is not straight....I have pics, would be interested to learn wheather ou have seen this happen before?

Taff:

IIRC, the '97's did not have a reinforced section of sheet metal onto which the transmissions were bolted via their three studs.

Post your pics here so that we can see what you are talking about.

In the meantime, take a look at posts #10, 11, and 12 and others in the following thread for some relevant information:

Regards, Maurice.

Edited March 22, 2010 by 1schoir

[BoxsterTaff]

Hey thanks, wow, sounds like just the smae issue.

I took the vent off yesterday to get a good look behind the transmission as it looked like the metal had been stressed. I have some pics of the transmission side but neglected to take any through the air intake (though taking it off is a 2 min job, i'll do some this evening).

The sheet metal has been twisted, you can see where it has 'folded' or creased. there is a Triangular 'frame' bolted on the inside and it too is slightly bent. No rips or tears in the metal though, so I was considering whether a body shop might be able to 'bend/hammer' it back into line. Other than that, and a few replacements for a broken 'v' bar (not sure what that is called) I think the hood will work ok. I'll get some pictures on tonight. Thanks again for your help Maurice.

Andy

[1schoir]

Hey thanks, wow, sounds like just the smae issue.

I took the vent off yesterday to get a good look behind the transmission as it looked like the metal had been stressed. I have some pics of the transmission side but neglected to take any through the air intake (though taking it off is a 2 min job, i'll do some this evening).

The sheet metal has been twisted, you can see where it has 'folded' or creased. there is a Triangular 'frame' bolted on the inside and it too is slightly bent. No rips or tears in the metal though, so I was considering whether a body shop might be able to 'bend/hammer' it back into line. Other than that, and a few replacements for a broken 'v' bar (not sure what that is called) I think the hood will work ok. I'll get some pictures on tonight. Thanks again for your help Maurice.

Andy

Photos would definitely be helpful.

The broken v shaped bar is called a V-lever and the part number is 986.561.479.01 for the left and 986.561.480.01 for the right side.

It takes A LOT OF FORCE to bend or break the V-levers, so you have to determine what the problem is in the functioning of the mechanism, otherwise you will bend/break some more parts. Be careful, because if you break one of the lugs onto which the steel balls are attached at the base of the B-pillars, the part is over $2000 (not a misprint).

Take photos of the broken parts so that we can identify them.

Regards, Maurice.

[BoxsterTaff]

Ok, I will. The soft top goes up, but takes some pulling to get it to lock to the windscreen frame, more than the motor would provide I am sure.

Whilst the Carfax states no accident damage, I have to think that something has happened to the right side? how else could these parts have been bent? I can't really cpmplain, I got a good lump off the sticker price for the roof 'not working' and it has a removable hard top too (I just like to have things working!)

I'll post pics later.

Thanks

[BoxsterTaff]

Maurice

Pics of the damage:

Will have to get in to the air intake with the camera later...

What do you see?

[1schoir]

Maurice

Pics of the damage:

Will have to get in to the air intake with the camera later...

What do you see?

The part of your passenger side (right side) V-Lever, onto which the black "hydraulic" pushrod gets pressed is definitely broken.

Here are some things that look obvious from the photo (click on the photo to blow it up):

The red arrow is pointing to the steel ball onto which the front pushrod's plastic ball cup gets pressed.

The red plastic ball cup is the original, old style, and is more prone to becoming brittle and breaking apart. They have since been replaced by more durable white plastic ball cups. That red plastic ball cup, when it is intact and on the end of the front pushrod (green arrow), is what pulls and pushes on the steel ball to make the canvas part of the top go up and down.

BE VERY CAREFUL when you press the switch because if the cables that drive the V-lever through the transmission are intact and functioning, the V-Lever will rotate and the pushrod will dig into and rip or tear the foam drain tray. If that happens, it will allow water into the passenger compartment. The left side is more crucial because the central alarm computer is under the driver's seat and it will get fried if it gets wet. Big $$ repair if it happens.

The plastic clip (yellow arrow) is supposed to be snapped onto the tubular rod part of the frame which is located directly inboard of the blue arrow. The little strap may have lost its elasticity.

BTW, the broken V-lever is probably not a result of a collision. The electric motor that drives them through the cables produce a lot of torque, but they usually bend before they break.

To make sure that your frame mechanism is okay, try to operate the canvas part of the top manually after you have both red plastic ball cups detached. You should be able to move it through its range of motion with your pinky.

If it passes that test, you can move on to repairing/replacing the broken part(s).

Regards, Maurice.

[BoxsterTaff]

Thanks Maurice, very helpful. Can you see that the plane the disk behind the V-rod is on is not vertical, it leans out (to the right on the pic) at the top and in at the bottom, I assume I'll need to straighten this?

Motor cables will need to be replaced I think, the piece that extends into the motor seems to have snapped.

Roof is another issue, goes easy to about 1 inch from engaging, then gets real stiff. I wondered if it might have shrunk a little (who knows how long it has been folded up under the Hard top?), once it is up it all looks aligned, i've left it 'up' to see if it'll streach out some. Also with the soft top uo, the clam shell sits 2/8 - 3/8 inch high on the left side, fouled by the rear of the hood?

Thansks, too many questions I know! If I get to NY I'll buy you some beers for sure!

[1schoir]

Thanks Maurice, very helpful. Can you see that the plane the disk behind the V-rod is on is not vertical, it leans out (to the right on the pic) at the top and in at the bottom, I assume I'll need to straighten this?

Motor cables will need to be replaced I think, the piece that extends into the motor seems to have snapped.

Roof is another issue, goes easy to about 1 inch from engaging, then gets real stiff. I wondered if it might have shrunk a little (who knows how long it has been folded up under the Hard top?), once it is up it all looks aligned, i've left it 'up' to see if it'll streach out some. Also with the soft top uo, the clam shell sits 2/8 - 3/8 inch high on the left side, fouled by the rear of the hood?

Thansks, too many questions I know! If I get to NY I'll buy you some beers for sure!

I see what you are referring to in your photo. It does look like the transmission (underneath the black plastic plate) is not sitting completely vertical. You will have to remove the transmission to examine the sheet metal bracket onto which it is mounted and see what you will have to do to get it straightened out. As I said before, the '97's don't have the reinforcement of the later Boxsters. First remove the 19mm bolt (it's got loctite on it, so it requires some force), then remove the three 13mm bolts and pull the transmission inboard after you "untuck" the top of the foam drain tray from under the sheet metal lip.

If you leave the top up out in the sun, it will definitely stretch after a while. If stays too tight, you can get a little more forward movement by lengthening the front pushrods, but that's another adjustment that you have to be careful with because it's not a linear progression.

If you think the clamshell is being restricted from going down by the rear main bow of the convertible top frame, you can adjust that by putting more pressure on the tension rope. The tension rope is just to the left of the tail of the green arrow in the photo. You can see the 14mm (IIRC) adjusting nut to the inboard side of the tension rope. IIRC, counterclockwise will pull the rear main bow down.

You also have to determine whether the clamshell itself is not tweaked and actually would lay flat if it wasn't attached to anything. If it's tweaked, you can straighten it out by putting some pressure on the opposite side at the same time with another person. Do a search here for some posts by Tool Pants on that issue and you'll see how it's done.

If the clamshell is straight, then there are three adjustment points that regulate the height at which the clamshell sits:

1. For the rear surface, the large plastic nut under each corner of the rear of the clamshell (32mm?).

2. For the front "tongues", the small rectangular plastic tab that sits on the body under the very front part of the clamshell.

3. The nut and slotted screw onto which the body-colored support arm of the clamshell is attached at its bottom.

Before you make any adjustments, make sure that you mark all of the current positions because all of these adjustments have an effect on other seemingly unrelated parts of the top assembly.

Regards, Maurice.

[BoxsterTaff]

Great advice, thanks.

I have seen Tool Pant's calm shell adjusting thread, interesting technique, i'll take it!

I'll be sure to circle back once i know more, so we leave a trail for others to follow!

Andy

[1schoir]

Great advice, thanks.

I have seen Tool Pant's calm shell adjusting thread, interesting technique, i'll take it!

I'll be sure to circle back once i know more, so we leave a trail for others to follow!

Andy

Andy:

Keep us posted.

When you have some spare time, take a look at Mike Focke's website for lots of info on the top: http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/thetop-itsmaintaince%26replacement

Regards, Maurice.

[BoxsterTaff]

Well - turns out the regulator was shot, the cable was frayed, so off with the door and in with a new one. Thanks agaain to the collective wisdom of the Rentec forum! Tonight was the first drive with the roof down.........priceless!

I'll let you all know what the bodyshop says about the sheet metal behind the soft top transmission once I get it in.

Andy