soft top problem (cord/rope broken)

[mjk001]

The elastic cord/rope within the soft top which runs from left to right is broken. The cord is connected on both sides of the soft top frame with a screw. The screws are located on the soft top frame at the place where the roof folds above the headrests. Not a big problem to fix the broken cord/rope, but how is the cord/rope supposed to run exactly?

1. Is it going - starting from the screw - under or over the metal frame bar of the soft top?

2. Is it going through the the fabric tunnel in the outer skin to the other side?

Many thanks in advance for helping...

I have a Porsche Boxster 2005 (type 987).

Edited April 7, 2011 by mjk001

[1schoir]

The elastic cord/rope within the soft top which runs from left to right is broken. The cord is connected on either side of the soft top frame with a screw. The screws are located on the soft top frame at the place where the roof folds above the headrests. Not a big problem to fix the broken cord/rope, but how is the cord/rope supposed to run exactly?

1. Is it going - starting from the screw - under or over the metal frame bar of the soft top?

2. Is it going through the the fabric tunnel in the outer skin to the other side?

Many thanks in advance for helping...

I have a Porsche Boxster 2005 (type 987).

mjk:

The following are from a late model 986, for reference. The set up should be the same, but you might double check:

In this one, I drew in the orientation of the string over the plastic ear.

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Here's the real thing

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A view of how it is routed over the tubular part of the frame

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Overall view.

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Make sure that there is still some elasticity in the center elastic band so that it can maintain the proper tension to guide the tension cable into the guide channels. If it has lost all of its elasticity, you can replace it or patch in a short elastic band on each side (to which the looped strings attach).

Regards, Maurice.

Edited April 7, 2011 by 1schoir

[mjk001]

I can see very clearly that the cord/rope has to go over the soft top frame. Thanx.

On the 987 model there is a sleeve of channel on the bottom of the outer roof skin where the cord/rope is going through. I think the tension on the cord/rope must be zero to none when the soft top is up. And the cord/rope must stretch and give tension when you put the soft top down in order to make it fold inwards. Am I correct?

[1schoir]

I can see very clearly that the cord/rope has to go over the soft top frame. Thanx.

On the 987 model there is a sleeve of channel on the bottom of the outer roof skin where the cord/rope is going through. I think the tension on the cord/rope must be zero to none when the soft top is up. And the cord/rope must stretch and give tension when you put the soft top down in order to make it fold inwards. Am I correct?

You are correct about helping it to fold inwards, but there must also be some tension on the looped strings to help guide the tension cables into the channels (so that the tension cables don't fall outside the guide channels).

So, the elastic band in the center has to provide a little tension on the looped strings just before the top nears the completely closed position.

Regards, Maurice.

[mjk001]

I've made a replacement cord/rope from a black shoestring and a piece of elastic cord from my surf board in the middle - works fine!

Thanx for the technical help!

[1schoir]

I've made a replacement cord/rope from a black shoestring and a piece of elastic cord from my surf board in the middle - works fine!

Thanx for the technical help!

Regards, Maurice.

[cuz3003]

Hi, is there any way to tighten this cord please?

I have a 986 and this cord rattles all of the time when the roof is up and one of the windows is open and sometimes on rough roads with the top and windows closed.

Appreciate the help.

[kotafey]

Hi, I had the same problem recently. The connection between the elastic in the middle and one side of the cord broke. I had to add some shoelace to one side to enable me to feed the cord back through the sleeve all the way to the other side (using a metal coat hanger with rounded edges). So my cord now looks something like this:

----cord----elastic----shoelace----cord----

I want to make sure I got the tension right. Could anyone tell me how taut the whole contraption is supposed to be when the roof is halfway open? Should it be pulled tight against the metal tube (as in the 4th photo above) but with a bit of give in the elastic, OR should it be slightly more loose (as in the 3rd photo above).

Your help is appreciated.

K

Edited May 20, 2012 by kotafey

[cuz3003]

Hello, does anyone know if it is possible to purchase the plastic ear tabs that the tension cable (string) loops around please as one of mine has snapped.

Thanks in advance

[1schoir]

Hello, does anyone know if it is possible to purchase the plastic ear tabs that the tension cable (string) loops around please as one of mine has snapped.

Thanks in advance

Cuz:

The parts diagrams do not show those plastic ears as a separate piece that can be purchased, and, as far as I can tell, those ears don't show up as part of a bigger assembly.

If you can't find it anywhere else (junk yard, etc.), let me know as I may have an extra one that I can take off a broken top. I'd have to look to see if that part is actually still there.

Regards, Maurice.

[1schoir]

Hi, I had the same problem recently. The connection between the elastic in the middle and one side of the cord broke. I had to add some shoelace to one side to enable me to feed the cord back through the sleeve all the way to the other side (using a metal coat hanger with rounded edges). So my cord now looks something like this:

----cord----elastic----shoelace----cord----

I want to make sure I got the tension right. Could anyone tell me how taut the whole contraption is supposed to be when the roof is halfway open? Should it be pulled tight against the metal tube (as in the 4th photo above) but with a bit of give in the elastic, OR should it be slightly more loose (as in the 3rd photo above).

Your help is appreciated.

K

K:

It should be pulled taut when the top is in the position shown in the photo #4 above with enough tension in the elastic such that it still exerts enough pulling force on the two outside edges of the canvas top (where each one is anchored) to keep the vinyl-sheathed cables inside the guide channels when the top is completely closed. (Sorry about the long sentence).

Regards, Maurice.

[cuz3003]

Hello, does anyone know if it is possible to purchase the plastic ear tabs that the tension cable (string) loops around please as one of mine has snapped.

Thanks in advance

Cuz:

The parts diagrams do not show those plastic ears as a separate piece that can be purchased, and, as far as I can tell, those ears don't show up as part of a bigger assembly.

If you can't find it anywhere else (junk yard, etc.), let me know as I may have an extra one that I can take off a broken top. I'd have to look to see if that part is actually still there.

Regards, Maurice.

Thanks for the reply Maurice and sorry for the dealy in responding. I thought as much and will try and track one down as I am going to do some work on the tension stringcable elastic also to stop it happening again as there must of been an issue as it was coming away from the tab on one side each time the roof was raised or lowered.

Thanks again!

[1schoir]

Hello, does anyone know if it is possible to purchase the plastic ear tabs that the tension cable (string) loops around please as one of mine has snapped.

Thanks in advance

Cuz:

The parts diagrams do not show those plastic ears as a separate piece that can be purchased, and, as far as I can tell, those ears don't show up as part of a bigger assembly.

If you can't find it anywhere else (junk yard, etc.), let me know as I may have an extra one that I can take off a broken top. I'd have to look to see if that part is actually still there.

Regards, Maurice.

Thanks for the reply Maurice and sorry for the dealy in responding. I thought as much and will try and track one down as I am going to do some work on the tension string\cable elastic also to stop it happening again as there must of been an issue as it was coming away from the tab on one side each time the roof was raised or lowered.

Thanks again!

It's a fairly common issue, as is the ropes getting separated from the elastic cord in the middle. IMO, the most permanent solution is to pull out the entire elastic and rope assembly (while leaving a piece of string in the fabric "tube" to follow so that you can pull back the newly fabricated assembly) and replace the elastic with a more robust piece of elastic that is slightly wider, and making sure that there are strong stitches holding the rope on each end of the elastic.

Regards, Maurice.

[cuz3003]

Thanks again - is there any best length for the elastic as I guess you can't use the old one as a template is it is past its best?

[1schoir]

You can use the old one as a template. If it has lost all of its elasticity, make it two inches shorter. If it feels relatively intact and stretches and comes back to its resting size, just use that size to make the new one.

Regards, Maurice.

[cuz3003]

Hi, I have removed the cord from my roof and may of found a problem.

I have just noticed which section this is in. I actually have a 2000 986 S with a glass windowed roof from a 2003 car.

When removing the cord, the holes it was passed through were small meaning I have had to cut the fabric off from one end to get it passed through (I will be able to stitch this back on). I was wondering how thick the elastic could be if the holes were this small and when I removed the cord fully I found there isnt any elastic!

Is this the incorrect tension cord for my car or is is different 986 to 987?

The cord is approx 130cm long and the roof seems to operate fine without it but it is a bit flappy when driving at speed (this can be felt by putting your hand on the inside of the roof while driving).

So do I need a new tension cord with elastic, or can I cut this and attach elastic. Its never worked properly since I replaced the roof so I may of been sold a dud with a botched repair to a previously broken string?

Any help appreciated.

[cuz3003]

Hello, does anyone know if it is possible to purchase the plastic ear tabs that the tension cable (string) loops around please as one of mine has snapped.

Thanks in advance

Cuz:

The parts diagrams do not show those plastic ears as a separate piece that can be purchased, and, as far as I can tell, those ears don't show up as part of a bigger assembly.

If you can't find it anywhere else (junk yard, etc.), let me know as I may have an extra one that I can take off a broken top. I'd have to look to see if that part is actually still there.

Regards, Maurice.

Thanks for the reply Maurice and sorry for the dealy in responding. I thought as much and will try and track one down as I am going to do some work on the tension stringcable elastic also to stop it happening again as there must of been an issue as it was coming away from the tab on one side each time the roof was raised or lowered.

Thanks again!

It's a fairly common issue, as is the ropes getting separated from the elastic cord in the middle. IMO, the most permanent solution is to pull out the entire elastic and rope assembly (while leaving a piece of string in the fabric "tube" to follow so that you can pull back the newly fabricated assembly) and replace the elastic with a more robust piece of elastic that is slightly wider, and making sure that there are strong stitches holding the rope on each end of the elastic.

Regards, Maurice.

Hi Maurice, sorry to bother you again - do you have a picture of an intact tension cablestring please so I could see what it "should" look like?

Thanks

[1schoir]

I don't have a photo of an intact cable/string. The only ones I have ever seen have the elastic band in between the two sections of "shoelace" string. It's possible that Porsche changed the design (without telling anybody or updating the parts diagrams :cursing: )

The cable/string does serve the additional function of keeping the canvas tight towards the frame member ("bow") of the roof near the middle and stops it from "inflating" or flapping when at speed.

I would note the overall length of the string you have removed, then cut it in half, remove about an 18" section (9" from each of the two halves) and replace the 18" with as wide a band of elastic as you can fit in there (about 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches wide would be ideal).

Then sew the three pieces together before reinstalling the entire unit, making sure that the ends of the "shoelace" strings are routed correctly over the plastic ears when you refasten them.

Let us know how that works out, and maybe post some photos for future posters. This problem has come up many times before and is sure to come up again, frequently.

Regards, Maurice.

Edited June 15, 2012 by 1schoir

[cuz3003]

Thanks for the reply but the issue is with the size of the holes the elstic would need to pass through. To get the string out I could only tape another piece of string side by side with it as even a knot was to large to pull through! Why are these things never straight forward??

[1schoir]

Thanks for the reply but the issue is with the size of the holes the elstic would need to pass through. To get the string out I could only tape another piece of string side by side with it as even a knot was to large to pull through! Why are these things never straight forward??

Cuz:

I have an old convertible top and frame in the garage. I think it's from a '99. I will try and take some parts of it apart this weekend so that I can see how the fabric channel is constructed in that one. Maybe it will yield some clues that might help you fashion a solution.

Regards, Maurice.

[cuz3003]

Cuz:

I have an old convertible top and frame in the garage. I think it's from a '99. I will try and take some parts of it apart this weekend so that I can see how the fabric channel is constructed in that one. Maybe it will yield some clues that might help you fashion a solution.

Regards, Maurice.

Thanks Maurice but please dont go to any trouble. I have the original hood from my car which is a 2000 S but it is different from the 2003 one on my car now - there is no tension string running across in the same place. I really need to try and examine another 2003 hood up close and check the tension string on that - I will have a word with my specialist and ask him to let me know when he gets one in which I can take a look at.

Thanks for the advce.

[1schoir]

Anytime. If you do get to look at one up close, take some pictures and keep us posted, as I am curious to see the answer.

Regards, Maurice.

[cuz3003]

Hi just an update - sorry for the dealy. I got a quick look at another 2003 Boxster and the tension cord is indeed all string with no elastic it would seem. I couldnt take any useful pics as it was quite dark where the car was but myself and someone else pulled the cord from each side and there was no elasticity. Not sure what was wrong with mine but my specialist had some good elasticated string so I have used this on my roof instead and it seems to be doing the job although needs a bit of teaking to get the right tension still.

Thanks for all the help.

[1schoir]

Thanks for the update.

I'm sure that someone will come along for whom this information will be helpful.

Regards, Maurice.