Top Won't Go Down, But Windows Will (!?)

[roadstermgb66]

Hi there, i have a problem with the power top of my boxster s 2002: the top won' t go down. All the steps are done properly, start the car, put the e-brake on (light is on), pull out the latch (windows are going down 4''), but when i pressed the button to retrieve the top, nothing is happening, only a sound at the back (2 seconds) of a little motor. Moreover, the light of the top down (dash) is on. What could be the problem ? Fuses and double relay seems ok. Could it be the microswitch sensor ? And if so, what could i do ? A bit confused with that issue. Thanks for your help guys.

[myblueslushy]

You might want to give this a try? Have someone put a little pressure on the rear lid "clamshell" directly in the middle above the the brake light while you push the switch to open the top. If it starts to open let go of the lid. There is a micro switch just under the clamshell that may not be getting all the way pressed down. once the lid starts to open the switch should not be pressed down durring the process untill the lid closes again. I had that problem a year ago and installed some faom under the lid to make shure it presses down on the micro switch when the lid closes. It's worth a try.

Edited May 21, 2010 by myblueslushy

[1schoir]

Hi there, i have a problem with the power top of my boxster s 2002: the top won' t go down. All the steps are done properly, start the car, put the e-brake on (light is on), pull out the latch (windows are going down 4''), but when i pressed the button to retrieve the top, nothing is happening, only a sound at the back (2 seconds) of a little motor. Moreover, the light of the top down (dash) is on. What could be the problem ? Fuses and double relay seems ok. Could it be the microswitch sensor ? And if so, what could i do ? A bit confused with that issue. Thanks for your help guys.

MGB:

There is no black lever microswitch under the clamshell on 2000 and later 986's. That microswitch was moved to the INSIDE of the driver side transmission (even thought the factory manual says passenger side transmission).

The "top open" idiot light is supposed to go on immediately upon pressing the button, so that seems to be functioning correctly.

First verify that your drive cables are intact and being driven by the electric motor. To do that, you will have to pull out each of the two cables that go into either side of the electric motor (just forward of the third brake light, inside of, and near the top of, the convertible top well. Just pull up the upside down U-Clip and pull the cable out. You should see about 3/4 of an inch of the inner speedometer-type drive cable sticking out. Then, verify that the inner cable is intact and not broken or frayed inside its black vinyl sheath.

If the cables are okay, and as you state that you have verified that the windows drop the set 4" and that the emergency brake idiot light is on, then it is probably one of three causes:

1. The "parallel strip" microswitch inside the convertible top latch housing at the top of the windshield is broken or intermittent. (The other "plunger type" microswitch inside the housing is the one that makes your windows go down 4", so that one is okay.)

2. Dead spot on electric motor.

3. Faulty double relay.

Pull out the double relay and tap it on a hard surface, then push it on and off its terminals a few time to clean off any corrosion on the spades and see if that "wakes it up."

Disconnect the electric motor and apply 12V to it directly, on and off, to see if it spins consistently. If it doesn't, that's the problem.

Open up the latch housing and examine AND test the parallel strip microswitch. It can appear to be okay and actually have a hairline crack. It's been known to make or break connection depending on ambient temperature, i.e., when the sun is beating down on it or the A/C is cranking the crack will get larger or close up, etc...).

Regards, Maurice.

Edited May 21, 2010 by 1schoir

[Lee Carter]

I have a '99 Boxster that the top would not go down and showed no sign of the top motor running. I checked the fuse, tried cycling the switch in the latch, and took out the top relays and gave them a sharp rap. Nothing worked, so off to the dealer I went. The problem was diagnosed as the emergency brake switch. What I had missed on my troubleshooting was that when you set the e-brake the warning light on the dash should come on. Mine did not and I had missed that fact. That was the dead giveaway. The switch was about $10 and the labor/misc. service charges were $266. I'm now $276 smarter. The switch is replaced by taking out the center console. The entire job, including troubleshooting, took Porsche less than 1.5 hours to do.

[1schoir]

I have a '99 Boxster that the top would not go down and showed no sign of the top motor running. I checked the fuse, tried cycling the switch in the latch, and took out the top relays and gave them a sharp rap. Nothing worked, so off to the dealer I went. The problem was diagnosed as the emergency brake switch. What I had missed on my troubleshooting was that when you set the e-brake the warning light on the dash should come on. Mine did not and I had missed that fact. That was the dead giveaway. The switch was about $10 and the labor/misc. service charges were $266. I'm now $276 smarter. The switch is replaced by taking out the center console. The entire job, including troubleshooting, took Porsche less than 1.5 hours to do.

Lee:

Sorry that you had to learn that $276 lesson. The light on the dashboard is the item to eliminate when troubleshooting no power to the top.

For anyone else wanting to benefit from Lee's lesson, Pedro of "pedrosgarage.com" has posted a method for accessing the switch that does not involve actually removing the entire center console, although I can't find it now. IIRC, the switch can be accessed from the side of the console.

Thanks for posting your experience.

Regards, Maurice.

[Lee Carter]

I have a '99 Boxster that the top would not go down and showed no sign of the top motor running. I checked the fuse, tried cycling the switch in the latch, and took out the top relays and gave them a sharp rap. Nothing worked, so off to the dealer I went. The problem was diagnosed as the emergency brake switch. What I had missed on my troubleshooting was that when you set the e-brake the warning light on the dash should come on. Mine did not and I had missed that fact. That was the dead giveaway. The switch was about $10 and the labor/misc. service charges were $266. I'm now $276 smarter. The switch is replaced by taking out the center console. The entire job, including troubleshooting, took Porsche less than 1.5 hours to do.

Lee:

Sorry that you had to learn that $276 lesson. The light on the dashboard is the item to eliminate when troubleshooting no power to the top.

For anyone else wanting to benefit from Lee's lesson, Pedro of "pedrosgarage.com" has posted a method for accessing the switch that does not involve actually removing the entire center console, although I can't find it now. IIRC, the switch can be accessed from the side of the console.

Thanks for posting your experience.

Regards, Maurice.

[Lee Carter]

Thanks, Maurice. You obviously know your stuff! I was not aware of pedrosgarage.com website, but it looks like a good source of DIY info for a novice Porsche mechanic like me. I couldn't find anything about the e-brake switch on that site either, but for future reference I've added it to my "Favorites" list for the internet.

Thanks again,

Lee

[1schoir]

Thanks, Maurice. You obviously know your stuff! I was not aware of pedrosgarage.com website, but it looks like a good source of DIY info for a novice Porsche mechanic like me. I couldn't find anything about the e-brake switch on that site either, but for future reference I've added it to my "Favorites" list for the internet.

Thanks again,

Lee

Lee:

The top is one of my favorite topics.

If you are not already familiar with it, here is Mike Focke's web site, which is full of useful information for those incined to DIY: http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/mikesporscheboxsterwebpages

Here is the section on anything that might go wrong with your top and how to fix it: http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/thetop-itsmaintaince%26replacement

Regards, Maurice.

[docmental]

Hi Maurice,

Sorry to bug in, but I got into more trouble, now it's over my head....it's started this morning when my son was playing with my ragtop switch, and it stopped working, the ragtop was stucked in the closed position, I can hear the motor trying to run with a click, but that's it, so I read all your threads and started to dissamble: undid the apron, took out the U clip, and pulled the cable housing out, when I got it out, the inner metal cable came right out, it's not attached to anything on the other end(whatever and wherever that is...), anyways I pushed them back in anyways, and then tried the drill, on both inner metal cables....the cables started spinning, but ... nothing happened. So I thought I'll plug one cable on one side back in the motor and see what happens, well the motor started and shortly after, a big POP sound on that size, sounded like something snabbed! Stupid me, thought I'll try again on the other side, and same thing, big LOUD POP a moment later. I think I @(#*$&ed this up twice!

I need help, I don't understand this, where does that cable go at the other end? and what is that Pop sound? am I sr**wed?

Thanks

Dom

[1schoir]

Hi Maurice,

Sorry to bug in, but I got into more trouble, now it's over my head....it's started this morning when my son was playing with my ragtop switch, and it stopped working, the ragtop was stucked in the closed position, I can hear the motor trying to run with a click, but that's it, so I read all your threads and started to dissamble: undid the apron, took out the U clip, and pulled the cable housing out, when I got it out, the inner metal cable came right out, it's not attached to anything on the other end(whatever and wherever that is...), anyways I pushed them back in anyways, and then tried the drill, on both inner metal cables....the cables started spinning, but ... nothing happened. So I thought I'll plug one cable on one side back in the motor and see what happens, well the motor started and shortly after, a big POP sound on that size, sounded like something snabbed! Stupid me, thought I'll try again on the other side, and same thing, big LOUD POP a moment later. I think I @(#*{:content:}amp;ed this up twice!

I need help, I don't understand this, where does that cable go at the other end? and what is that Pop sound? am I sr**wed?

Thanks

Dom

Dom:

Sorry to hear about the mishap. Maybe there's a Boxster in your son's future!

Let's start at the beginning.

Need to know what year your Boxster is and, if it's an early Boxster ('97 to '99) whether you know if the transmissions are original or if they have been swapped out for the later, "B Version" transmissions.

This is an important starting point for your particular scenario because depending on the version you have, it (the cables pulling out) is either normal (2000 and later) or it sounds like your cables have sheared off inside the black vinyl sheaths ('97 to '99). I'm guessing you have the later versions because it's unlikely that both cables broke at the same time.

The cable goes into the back of the transmission at the other end.

The pop sound again depends on your version of the transmissions. If you have the B version, it's probably only the plastic ball cups exploding (because you probably over-rotated the V-levers in the wrong direction).

Are you sc**ed? No. It can be fixed without too much expense.

Give us some more details and we'll go from there.

Regards, Maurice.

[docmental]

Hi Maurice!

Thanks so much for replying!

it's a 97. I don't know if the transmission are original or not as I bought it used, so no idea if it's "B version" transmission...

Thanks and Cheers

Dom

[docmental]

BTW, my son already claimed the car for his sixteenth birthday(he's 9) :jump:

[1schoir]

Hi Maurice!

Thanks so much for replying!

it's a 97. I don't know if the transmission are original or not as I bought it used, so no idea if it's "B version" transmission...

Thanks and Cheers

Dom

Dom:

Your son has good taste!

Take a look at the outer black vinyl covering on the two drive cables that lead from the sides of the electric motor and go in an outboard direction around the back wall of the convertible top well.

Are those cables smooth or is there a cross-hatch pattern on their surface?

Here is what each of them looks like:

Cross hatch pattern cable

Smooth-sided cable

Regards, Maurice.

[docmental]

I will go home and take pics tonight, will post tomorrow morning

Thanks Maurice!!

[docmental]

it is cross-hatched I think...