1999 Boxster Top

[1cruzin]

I just completed installing a new air filter and MAF sensor in my 1999 Boxster. I lowered the top before raising it and heard a snap. I am confident that I installed the engine covers correctly. The idiot light comes on along with the Parking Brake light with engine running. The top will not raise. When I press the togel switch. Each time I press the switch, there is a sound like a relay operating. I am at a loss as to what to do. Any suggestions?

[1schoir]

I just completed installing a new air filter and MAF sensor in my 1999 Boxster. I lowered the top before raising it and heard a snap. I am confident that I installed the engine covers correctly. The idiot light comes on along with the Parking Brake light with engine running. The top will not raise. When I press the togel switch. Each time I press the switch, there is a sound like a relay operating. I am at a loss as to what to do. Any suggestions?

Need a little more information as to the exact symptoms, but it's safe to say that there is a good possibility that one or both of your plastic ball cups has broken apart, or that the half-moon gears inside your transmissions have gone past their respective 50th tooth.

If the top is all the way down, look at the area just aft of where top surface of the rear of the doors (inside the convertible top well, near where the roll bar is located) and you should be able to see the two plastic ball cups (which in your case are probably red since your profile says you have a '99).

Regards, Maurice.

[1cruzin]

I just completed installing a new air filter and MAF sensor in my 1999 Boxster. I lowered the top before raising it and heard a snap. I am confident that I installed the engine covers correctly. The idiot light comes on along with the Parking Brake light with engine running. The top will not raise. When I press the togel switch. Each time I press the switch, there is a sound like a relay operating. I am at a loss as to what to do. Any suggestions?

Need a little more information as to the exact symptoms, but it's safe to say that there is a good possibility that one or both of your plastic ball cups has broken apart, or that the half-moon gears inside your transmissions have gone past their respective 50th tooth.

If the top is all the way down, look at the area just aft of where top surface of the rear of the doors (inside the convertible top well, near where the roll bar is located) and you should be able to see the two plastic ball cups (which in your case are probably red since your profile says you have a '99).

Regards, Maurice.

[1cruzin]

Hello Maurice...thanks for reply. The status is: Top is completely down and seated in its normal position. I go through the normal "raise the top" steps. When I press the toggel switch I can see via the dash board that the electrical system is attempting to activate the top because the lights on the dash dim and I hear what seems to be a brief relay sound. The owners manual says to raise the top manually. Can I do that and will that help?

[1schoir]

Hello Maurice...thanks for reply. The status is: Top is completely down and seated in its normal position. I go through the normal "raise the top" steps. When I press the toggel switch I can see via the dash board that the electrical system is attempting to activate the top because the lights on the dash dim and I hear what seems to be a brief relay sound. The owners manual says to raise the top manually. Can I do that and will that help?

If your lights are dimming and you hear the relay clicking, then in all likelihood your V-levers have 'over-rotated' and you will have to use a cordless drill to spin the V-levers back into their more normal position.

The problem is that the completely down top is now blocking your access to the ends of the cables which are inserted into the sides of the electric motor (just forward of the third brake light).

If you can manage to raise the top manually, you can then get easy access to the cables and go through the procedure of spinning the V-levers with the cordless drill.

Raising the top manually is easy, but disconnecting the black "hydraulic" pushrods from the steel balls on the V-levers is difficult because those pushrods are under a lot of pressure when the clamshell is down flush on top of the completely folded down top. You will have to disconnect those two black pushrods in order to get the clamshell released and raised and then you can disconnect the front pushrods (ending in the plastic ball cups) to release the canvas portion of the top.

One way to get all of this done if the top will not move from its completely open position is to unscrew the 19mm bolt from the center of the V-levers and to do that you have to have the correct offset 19mm box wrench. Sears sells one that is the correct offset and will just barely fit around the 19mm bolt and the part of the frame that is very close to that bolt, and it will allow you to unscrew that bolt a few degrees at a time.

The 19mm bolt in on there with blue loctite from the factory and torqued on at 59 ft/lbs.

Take a look at the detailed photo on page 19 of the Part II PDF of the following DIY: http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/installinga'03-'04glasstopandframeona'97

That will give you an idea of where the bolt is located.

If you don't want to go that route, there is a possibility that you can reverse the direction of the V-levers (and thereby possibly get them going again) by playing with the B-Pillar microswitch.

Let us know which way you want to attempt and we'll go from there.

Regards, Maurice.