That String Thing through the Headliner

[PaulE]

The Velcro tabs came unsewn from the convertible top of my 2003 Boxster S. Thanks to this very helpful link, I was able to sew them back on myself:

http://memories.ppbb...es;read=1275020

While sewing the velcro tabs back on, I noticed I have the same detached string ("Fold Placer"?) referred to in this link:

http://www.renntech....__1#entry118354

This string is theaded through the top of my headliner and attaches to little "ears" screwed into the inside of the convertible top exterior frame pieces on each side of the car above the window with one #15 Torx screw. When it is disconnected, the headliner flaps like a drumhead when you close the doors with the windows and top up. The headliner also flaps at highway speeds when the top is up and the windows are closed if this string is not connected to the push bars.

My questions are as follows:

Should this string be threaded over or under the push bar - the round metal tube that is part of the convertible top frame.

If the string is supposed to be threaded over the push bar, should it be threaded in front of or behind the convertible top's velcro tab that is wrapped around the push bar when the string is attached to the ear?

What is the correct orientation of the ear? I have it pointed straight up, but it can rotate as it is screwed on with only one screw.

Should the little tab at the end of the string be pointing to the front or rear of the car when it is secured under the the ear?

I have tried running the string over the top of the push bars, but it seems to bind against the top's velcro tabs and keeps detaching, even after sewing the string onto the ear with some thread. So I'm starting to think they need to be run underneath the push bars.

Thanks in advance for any help/insight you can provide.

Anyone out there have this problem?

Anyone out there with an 03 986 who doesn't have the problem who can take a look and see how this string is routed and connected?

Edited September 10, 2010 by PaulE

[1schoir]

The Velcro tabs came unsewn from the convertible top of my 2003 Boxster S. Thanks to this very helpful link, I was able to sew them back on myself:

http://memories.ppbb...es;read=1275020

While sewing the velcro tabs back on, I noticed I have the same detached string ("Fold Placer"?) referred to in this link:

http://www.renntech....__1#entry118354

This string is theaded through the top of my headliner and attaches to little "ears" screwed into the inside of the convertible top exterior frame pieces on each side of the car above the window with one #15 Torx screw. When it is disconnected, the headliner flaps like a drumhead when you close the doors with the windows and top up. The headliner also flaps at highway speeds when the top is up and the windows are closed if this string is not connected to the push bars.

My questions are as follows:

Should this string be threaded over or under the push bar - the round metal tube that is part of the convertible top frame.

If the string is supposed to be threaded over the push bar, should it be threaded in front of or behind the convertible top's velcro tab that is wrapped around the push bar when the string is attached to the ear?

What is the correct orientation of the ear? I have it pointed straight up, but it can rotate as it is screwed on with only one screw.

Should the little tab at the end of the string be pointing to the front or rear of the car when it is secured under the the ear?

I have tried running the string over the top of the push bars, but it seems to bind against the top's velcro tabs and keeps detaching, even after sewing the string onto the ear with some thread. So I'm starting to think they need to be run underneath the push bars.

Thanks in advance for any help/insight you can provide.

Anyone out there have this problem?

Anyone out there with an 03 986 who doesn't have the problem who can take a look and see how this string is routed and connected?

Paul:

On my 03/04 top, the string ("fold placer") runs on top of the push bar, and it's routed in front of the velcro strap that holds the liner and below the velcro strap that hold the side of the top.

IIRC the ear is pointed slightly towards the back, but I will have to look at my car tomorrow to see in which direction the little tab at the end of the string is oriented.

On the 19th, I'm going to a meet where I know there will be at least one other '03 top. I will look at that one and take some photos and post them here as well for your reference.

Are you sure that you sewed the velcro straps at the correct location along the tension cable piping? If not, that may be why your string keeps detaching when it binds. I will measure that as well and post it here.

Also, are you sure that the fold placer string is the correct length? If it's too short (as in "if it has been repaired before by re-attaching it to the center section near the middle of the canvas") that may be causing it too be too tight as it runs over the push bar...

Regards, Maurice.

Edited September 14, 2010 by 1schoir

[1schoir]

Paul:

I looked at my top and now I'm not so sure. The looped string is on top of the push bar on the passenger side and below the push bar on the driver's side. That tells me that someone messed with it before I got that top, so I will let you know after the 19th when I get a look at some other looped strings...

As far as the ear goes, it should be pointed towards the back, with the little groove on the outboard side providing a slot for the string, where the tab at the end of the string starts out under and behind a part of the ear and gets trapped by the rear pointed end of the ear.

Again, I'll investigate further and let you know for sure after the 19th, unless someone else with an '03 or '04 top chimes in with some photos.

Regards, Maurice.

[PaulE]

The Velcro tabs came unsewn from the convertible top of my 2003 Boxster S. Thanks to this very helpful link, I was able to sew them back on myself:

http://memories.ppbb...es;read=1275020

While sewing the velcro tabs back on, I noticed I have the same detached string ("Fold Placer"?) referred to in this link:

http://www.renntech....__1#entry118354

This string is theaded through the top of my headliner and attaches to little "ears" screwed into the inside of the convertible top exterior frame pieces on each side of the car above the window with one #15 Torx screw. When it is disconnected, the headliner flaps like a drumhead when you close the doors with the windows and top up. The headliner also flaps at highway speeds when the top is up and the windows are closed if this string is not connected to the push bars.

My questions are as follows:

Should this string be threaded over or under the push bar - the round metal tube that is part of the convertible top frame.

If the string is supposed to be threaded over the push bar, should it be threaded in front of or behind the convertible top's velcro tab that is wrapped around the push bar when the string is attached to the ear?

What is the correct orientation of the ear? I have it pointed straight up, but it can rotate as it is screwed on with only one screw.

Should the little tab at the end of the string be pointing to the front or rear of the car when it is secured under the the ear?

I have tried running the string over the top of the push bars, but it seems to bind against the top's velcro tabs and keeps detaching, even after sewing the string onto the ear with some thread. So I'm starting to think they need to be run underneath the push bars.

Thanks in advance for any help/insight you can provide.

Anyone out there have this problem?

Anyone out there with an 03 986 who doesn't have the problem who can take a look and see how this string is routed and connected?

Paul:

On my 03/04 top, the string ("fold placer") runs on top of the push bar, and it's routed in front of the velcro strap that holds the liner and below the velcro strap that hold the side of the top.

IIRC the ear is pointed slightly towards the back, but I will have to look at my car tomorrow to see in which direction the little tab at the end of the string is oriented.

On the 19th, I'm going to a meet where I know there will be at least one other '03 top. I will look at that one and take some photos and post them here as well for your reference.

Are you sure that you sewed the velcro straps at the correct location along the tension cable piping? If not, that may be why your string keeps detaching when it binds. I will measure that as well and post it here.

Also, are you sure that the fold placer string is the correct length? If it's too short (as in "if it has been repaired before by re-attaching it to the center section near the middle of the canvas") that may be causing it too be too tight as it runs over the push bar...

Regards, Maurice.

Thank you Maurice. I've been very busy the past few days and this is the first chance I had to check for a reply. I bought the car brand-new in 2003 and the fold placer has never been repaired or replaced, other than me attempting to re-attach it.. I believe I sewed the Velcro tabs back in the correct place, as there is a small notch in the tension cable piping sewn to the sides of the top and that is also where the stitching was undone from the piping. Right now I tried running the fold placer underneath the push bars. It is quite taut and from the outside it is creating two "dimples" in the convertible top at the points where the fold placer exit the sleeve through which it is threaded. Maybe my fold placer was too short from the factory? I am going to try running it over the push bars and ahead of the Velcro straps and see how it looks tonight.

I would appreciate it if you can post some pictures. I will also see if I can find the part number, maybe if it's not very expensive, I'll order a new one and put it in.

[1schoir]

Thank you Maurice. I've been very busy the past few days and this is the first chance I had to check for a reply. I bought the car brand-new in 2003 and the fold placer has never been repaired or replaced, other than me attempting to re-attach it.. I believe I sewed the Velcro tabs back in the correct place, as there is a small notch in the tension cable piping sewn to the sides of the top and that is also where the stitching was undone from the piping. Right now I tried running the fold placer underneath the push bars. It is quite taut and from the outside it is creating two "dimples" in the convertible top at the points where the fold placer exit the sleeve through which it is threaded. Maybe my fold placer was too short from the factory? I am going to try running it over the push bars and ahead of the Velcro straps and see how it looks tonight.

I would appreciate it if you can post some pictures. I will also see if I can find the part number, maybe if it's not very expensive, I'll order a new one and put it in.

Paul:

I will definitely post some pics of the correct configuration after the meet on Sunday, 19SEP10. I will examine a few of the relevant Boxster tops in attendance and hopefully get a consensus as to the correct placement.

In the past, I have only been able to find the "fold placer" listed (under a different name) on the parts diagrams for the 987. For some reason I have not been able to find it on the 986 parts diagrams. The part number for the 987 is 987.561.773.00 and in the diagram, Porsche calls it a "tension rope".

If you do a search for part number 987.561.773.01, it will refer to a part that Porsche calls "tension line, wrinkl (sic.)" but no diagram is available.

I can't remember where I read the term "fold placer" originally, maybe in a TSB. I'll have to look through my notes to see if I can find that original reference.

Regards, Maurice.

Edited September 15, 2010 by 1schoir

[1schoir]

Thank you Maurice. I've been very busy the past few days and this is the first chance I had to check for a reply. I bought the car brand-new in 2003 and the fold placer has never been repaired or replaced, other than me attempting to re-attach it.. I believe I sewed the Velcro tabs back in the correct place, as there is a small notch in the tension cable piping sewn to the sides of the top and that is also where the stitching was undone from the piping. Right now I tried running the fold placer underneath the push bars. It is quite taut and from the outside it is creating two "dimples" in the convertible top at the points where the fold placer exit the sleeve through which it is threaded. Maybe my fold placer was too short from the factory? I am going to try running it over the push bars and ahead of the Velcro straps and see how it looks tonight.

I would appreciate it if you can post some pictures. I will also see if I can find the part number, maybe if it's not very expensive, I'll order a new one and put it in.

Paul:

After attending the Porsche meet today, I can now definitively say that the looped string goes OVER the cylindrical push bar, below the velcro strap that is attached to the side piping of the canvas top and above the velcro strap that is attached to the top liner.

The pointed part of the little ear faces towards the push bar (i.e, towards the rear or up, depending on the position of the top).

Here are a few photos (some are courtesy of Boxtaboy) that show the correct routing and placement of the various parts. These are from an OEM '03 and an OEM '04 top. (Click on the photos to blow them up).

Driver's side (left side) showing location of components.

Passenger's side (right side) showing closer-up view with detail of routing of looped string coming in from the top and being retained by the underside of the ear.

Also note the positioning of the little ear, pointing up and back.

Close-up of routing of looped string end.

Underside of little ear with looped string and sewn-in flap drawn in to show correct routing.

Another close-up showing the position of the little ear and the routing of the looped string.

Regards, Maurice.

Edited September 21, 2010 by 1schoir

[PaulE]

Paul:

After attending the Porsche meet today, I can now definitively say that the looped string goes OVER the cylindrical push bar, below the velcro strap that is attached to the side piping of the canvas top and above the velcro strap that is attached to the top liner.

The pointed part of the little ear faces towards the push bar (i.e, towards the rear or up, depending on the position of the top).

Here are a few photos (some are courtesy of Boxtaboy) that show the correct routing and placement of the various parts. These are from an OEM '03 and an OEM '04 top. (Click on the photos to blow them up).

Driver's side (left side) showing location of components.

Passenger's side (right side) showing closer-up view with detail of routing of looped string coming in from the top and being retained by the underside of the ear.

Also note the positioning of the little ear, pointing up and back.

Close-up of routing of looped string end.

Underside of little ear with looped string and sewn-in flap drawn in to show correct routing.

Regards, Maurice.

Thank you again Maurice. These pictures are especially helpful. Your first picture has shown me that I've incorrectly sewn the tab back on. I have it in the right place, between those 2 notches in the plastic, but I've sewn it to the exposed side of the plastic, not between the plastic and the canvas! Oh well, time to get out the scissors, needle, thread and thimble and do it once more. I have also decide to sew the ends of the fold placer string around the plastic ear with a few stitches. This past weekend I had the opportunity to take drive my Boxster S from Bergen County NJ to Raleigh, NC and back. Mostly top up but I had the top down a couple of times and the fold placer is holding nicely.:thankyou:

[1schoir]

Thank you again Maurice. These pictures are especially helpful. Your first picture has shown me that I've incorrectly sewn the tab back on. I have it in the right place, between those 2 notches in the plastic, but I've sewn it to the exposed side of the plastic, not between the plastic and the canvas! Oh well, time to get out the scissors, needle, thread and thimble and do it once more. I have also decide to sew the ends of the fold placer string around the plastic ear with a few stitches. This past weekend I had the opportunity to take drive my Boxster S from Bergen County NJ to Raleigh, NC and back. Mostly top up but I had the top down a couple of times and the fold placer is holding nicely.:thankyou:

Anytime!

One of my velcro straps had also come undone a while back, so I sewed it back on.

A round trip between Bergen County, NJ and Raleigh is quite a haul for a weekend! My brother owns a drug store in Teaneck, not that far from you and I know how far it is to Raleigh.

Beautiful top down weather this past weekend around these parts, so I'm sure it was an enjoyable ride!

Regards, Maurice.