996 cab soft top

[srsanford]

996 cab top stopped working completely: rear windows stopped until hardtop replaced...

Owner's Handbook gives emergency wind down

Soft top servivce manual (which I have)

particularly states

front cab top motor must have gears resynchronised before it has any chance of working-manual gives description

have also to move soft top lid to "service position" to uncover control box behind subchassis: in this position, softtop latches correctly; if lid tightened down manually , front latch recycles continuously...

have to reset the tin lid screw and relock with Loctite etc

We tested each loom emerging from control box finding ground, positive, and tested each rear flapmotor with ECT Power Probe 8000, moving screw pillar to limits

I replaced the potentiometer in lhs door well

(try unscrewing the pot and moving it to each limit)

evenyually we have soft top moving up and down, and latching correctly

Still have no movement from lid, no resumption of rear windows or front windows

manual says "have" to use Porsche system diagnosis to recalibrate"-one on ebay at £650!!! Has anyone knowledge of softwartre that can read codes through EBDv 2 socket and recalibrate???

Cheers

Steve Sanford

[srsanford]

996 soft top manual available from

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/smart/more_info.cgi?pn=WKD-484-621-OEM&catalog_description=Technical%20Manual%2C%20%39%39%36%20Convertible%20Top%20and%20Hardtop%20

Porsche UK and Germany will not supply!!!

[srsanford]

Wiring diagram for 996 soft top as .pdf

selected pages from Porsche soft top manual also as .pdf

srsanford@srsanford.plus.com

http://www.welton-village.org.uk/porschesofttopp.pdf

http://www.welton-village.org.uk/Wiring.pdf

Edited August 3, 2011 by srsanford

[srsanford]

Wiring diag for 996 soft top

[Reborn996]

I believe the latest durametric software can now calibrate the soft top...

Durametric software

[srsanford]

Porsche soft top “lid” motor drive

If the soft top roof moves, and the lid motor turns, but no lid movement-the drive from motor to lid cable gears may be slipping

The motor can easily be removed and tested for motor movement applying power to the two thickest lead when removed from the control unit

The potentiometer can be removed by unscrewing the lh thread 5mm Allen key mushroom bolt from the drive shaft( when the motor is bolted in place!!!) and the shaft removed from the potentiometer blue casing

Small screw underneath the blue potentiometer and clips to retain the top cover-to inspect the gear drive to the pot spindle…

The drive is adjusted by the “three turns in and loctite” procedure noted in the manual

The drive shaft moves in and out against the circlipped spring to engage the square section from the rounded centre “no drive” section of the shaft

The white sector cog to the potentiometer may be broken (Superglue???)

The motor must drive the square section (rear) end of the spindle to get any motion

Apply power to the disconnected plug from the control unit to get lid movement

The potentiometer must be set when the lid id in the manual-specified position

To 6.2kOhms accurate digital Avo meter

(We found that the pot value can be adjusted to 6.2kOhm without removing it-by loosening the mushroom bolt and turning the square drive shaft rear end-but will it record the correct lid position…?)

After this, and when the soft top is moving from locked/latched into the front screen lock, moving rearwards to folded down, then the lid should move forwards and down to seal correctly

Loosening the soft top interrogation potentiometer in the lh doorwell just in front of by rear lh wheel may help to get sequence initialised and movements started

Eventually, we got the soft top to latch and lock forwards, and to unlatch, move rearwards and fold, and then the lid to move down and forwards!!!

Hurrah-two tinnies

Now to get the rear windows to rise, the front windows to rise,

All the preceeding was done without the Porsche system tester, no new parts, but careful methodical testing, logical reasoning, and time

Don’t be scared of it: only microswitches, motors, pumps and rams

No expensive part is likely to REQUIRE replacement-only minor repairs…

And and cartwheel time!!