Top stopped working

[bwillis]

1998 Boxster (986)

Hi,

I've read through quite a few posts related to the top stopping working and wondered if someone could point me in the right direction for my particular failed top issue?

Symptoms are that it was working one moment, and when I tried about an hour later to put the top down - the windows go down when I unlatch the roof and when I press the roof button I hear a click from behind me but nothing else. The roof light remains lit.

Is this more likely to be fuses, 2nd micro switch, motor or something else?

Many thanks.

[986volante]

I have just experienced exactly the same problem today and think it may be the relay which is located just above the fuse box in the driver's well. Trouble is it's about £80 to replace at Design911 (who are quite competitive on pricing) so expensive if it's not that!

Notice that you posted your message in June, so hopefully you've found the answer by now? Would be really useful if you could advise the solution.

Thanks,

Tony

[1schoir]

Tony:

Assuming your parking brake light goes on when you pull up on the emergency brake, the most likely suspect is one of the two microswitches that are located in the latch receptacle in the windshield frame.

There are two microswitches in the latch receptacle assembly. There is one on the left side of the assembly (has a large plunger that juts out when the latch is open). That one controls the 4" window drop that occurs immediately when you pull down the latch to open the top. There is another one on the right side of the assembly, and that is the one that activates the convertible top double relay.

My guess is that the latter switch is faulty, even though it may appear to be intact when you visually inspect it, and sometimes even when you test it with a multimeter. Specifically, take a close look at the solder joints where the leads attach to the plug. This can be hard to detect, so check it with a magnifying glass for hairline cracks in the solder joint and for corrosion. If necessary, heat up the connections with a soldering iron and flow a tiny bit of solder onto the suspect joint(s).

Believe it or not, the temperature (sun light, A/C blowing on it, etc...) can affect it to the point where the connection is broken and then re-established.

To gain access to the microswitch you have to remove the latch plate at the center of the windshield frame. Pop out the two little black plastic "eyes" by carefully prying them off with a very small flat blade screwdriver or borrow one of those "orange sticks" that women use on their fingernails to pry them out. Remove the small torx bolt that you will find under each one of the two eyes. Remove them and then pull down the latch plate carefully until you can see and access the wires for the switch and for the light. Unplug the wires and the latch plate will come off. You will find two fragile retaining clips that attach the switch to the underside of the latch plate. These are easy to break, so use a pair of small needle nose pliers to pull them off, very gently. You can reuse these if you are careful by squeezing the cross sections that are located at the center of the clips until they are flattened.

Also double check the two fuses at B6 and D3 (even if you have already visually checked them) by using a multimeter there as well, as one of them also provides power to the double relay.

If all of the above check out okay, then the most likely remaining possibilities are a dead spot on the electric motor or the convertible top double relay in the relay tray above the fuses.

Before you go out an buy a new double relay, pull out the old one and clean the terminal spades on it as well as the female receptacles in the relay tray. You can do the latter with a small piece of emery cloth draped over the end of a small flat-blade screwdriver. Also, rap the double relay sharply on the ground a couple of times. That will sometimes revive one of those relays.

Let us know if you have any success with these fixes.

Regards, Maurice.

Edited September 27, 2012 by 1schoir

[986volante]

Thanks Maurice, couldn't have asked for more information or detail and should undoubtedly help me to diagnose where the problem lies.

I won't get a chance to have a go at it now till the weekend, but I'll post my finding here and hope it may also prove useful to the next person who this happens to.

My car's a '96 2.5 manual BTW.

Best regards, Tony

[986volante]

Hi Maurice,

Although I don't have a multimeter, I went through all the other procedures that you mentioned and changed the fuses in B6 and D3 for good measure, but am still only getting the clicking sound from the rear when I press the lower hood button, so I must therefore assume that the relay has packed up and needs replacing.

Perhaps I should also have mentioned that the relay was replaced only last December when I first bought the car (I knew that the hood wasn't working when I bought it and that was reflected in the price I paid) - I took it to my nearest hood specialist at the time because I didn't know squat about how to fix such stuff then - not that I know too much more, but I have learned a little (" although a little knowledge is dangerous they say!"). It turned out that it had the wrong relay fitted (a 987 one I was told, so presumably why the previous owner couldn't get it to work) and the other thing that needed replacing was one of the push rods which was broken and twisted (probably tried to open the roof without releasing the centre latch I expect).

Since then, the other pushrod on the nearside broke a couple of months ago, but by then I had more confidence in tackling the work and managed to do that without too much problem...at least I thought...but after a while it kept on popping off despite my adjusting the screw on the pushrod.

I finally thought that I had it licked when I found that the nearside brass ball-joint which the lower guide wire clips onto was detached from the aluminium block and adjustment screw, so after reattaching it and putting the hood up and down numerous times to test it, all finally seemed hunky dory. Then completely unexpectedly after using it on several occasions during our recent Indian summer, both pushrods popped off again!

Because it was early evening and I was going out, I had to hurriedly raise the roof manually with the pushrods still detached, although the clam shell still worked fine at that point. It was the next morning that the clam shell wouldn't raise and I just got the clicking noise from behind.

I should probably have started a new post explaining all this from the beginning, but as you know I spotted and responded to this post as the symptoms were identical to mine....this is a long way of me apologising for not giving you the full story.

Anyway, I'm going to order a new relay and try one more time to adjust the pushrods and guiderods - if they pop out again I'm going to give in and take it to a local Porsche Indie (because the so-called hood specialist ripped me off to the tune of £346 and the poor service and attitude were simply unacceptable)......so probably time I made friends with them as I expect I'll be needing them for other stuff soon too!

Meanwhile, if you or anyone else can advise how to manually release the clam-shell so that I can also put the hood down manually while the sun's still shining, I'd be grateful. Sorry again for the length of this post.

Regards,

Tony

[1schoir]

Tony:

To make sure you are getting the correct double relay for your year Boxster, take a look at pages 40 and 41 of the Part III PDF at this link: https://sites.google...frameona'97

If you are having a problem where the top is stuck in the up position, you have to open it manually in order to access the parts to repair it.

If that is what you have to do, here is a procedure I wrote up a while ago for disconnecting the push rods from the V-levers so that you can get good access when your top won't go down:

First, unlatch the latch of the convertible top at the top center of the windshield frame.

To get the top to open manually, you must disconnect the white (or red if yours are original and have never been replaced) plastic cups at the base of the B-Pillar and the black hydraulic pushrods where they connect to the V-levers.

Disconnecting the white plastic cups will allow you to operate the convertible top manually.

Disconnecting the black hydraulic pushrods will allow you to operate the clamshell manually.

Here is a diagram of the mechanism, which should help you orient yourself as to what you are looking for:

The V-lever is part #6, the black hydraulic pushrod is part #12, and the white (or red) plastic cup is located on the forward end of part #3. Part #14 is the clamshell, and Part #1 is the canvas top.

To have a better chance to see the parts that must be disconnected, you will have to pull aside the (vinyl) rain curtain. That curtain is loosely held in place by yet another cable that is located at the rearmost corners of the (carpet-covered) engine compartment lid (on the car body, not on the lid). That cable is held on to a small metal ball and you must pry it apart from that metal ball.

Here is a photo of the flexible cable that leads to the metal ball (hidden under the metal cup at the bottom of the cable) at the side of the curtain:

That particular connection is easy to separate, unlike the black hydraulic pushrod.

Once you have the curtain's cable separated, you may also have to remove the black plastic cosmetic covers that are simply clipped onto the arms that support the clamshell (those arms are part #10 in the diagram, and extend from where it is numbered all the way to the front towards part #3 in the diagram).

.

To access the white plastic cups, sit sideways in the driver's seat with the door open and your feet on the ground. Look down from above the side of the car (just behind where the rear quarter panel meets the rear of the door if the door were closed) and you should be able to see the white (or red) plastic cup. Pry that cup off by levering it outboard. You will nee a fat screwdriver or pry bar.

Then you will have to reach between the roll bar hoops, or possibly reach through them, to get at the connection of the hydraulic push rod to the V-lever. That connection is a real bear, so you will have to apply a great deal of pressure to separate it. Be careful not to hurt yourself there, but you just have to get the connection apart, again with the red plastic capped tool in the tool kit, a fat screwdriver or, preferably an angled screwdriver-type pry bar. I have also had success using a non-automotive tool called a cat's claw, which is usually used to pull nails.

Once you have the various parts disconnected, DO NOT press the dashboard switch without CAREFULLY marking (and photographing) the position of the V-levers relative to the sides of the body that they are mounted on. Otherwise, it will be much more difficult to re-sychronize the V-levers (part # 6 in diagram).

Also, be very careful if you decide to operate your top manually because the push rod arms (part #3 ins diagram) that are normally connected to the steel balls at the base of the B-pillars will be dangling from the V-levers. When they are dangling and you move the convertible top V-levers, those push rod arms can dig into the foam liner and tear it, which will cause leaks into the cabin later on. Those push rod arms can also dig in and prevent the V-levers from turning.

Regards, Maurice.

Edited September 9, 2012 by 1schoir

[986volante]

Maurice:

Thanks again for such splendid detail, wouldn't have even been able to attempt your solution without this information as I was previously scratching my head on how to do it.

As I mentioned, I had closed the roof knowing that the pushrod connections (part 3 in diagram) had already popped off enabling the hood to go down manually, so I just effectively needed to prise the hydraulic pushrods (part 12) free so that the clamshell could freely open.

However the latter was a total mare (UK version of bear) to say the least, very hard to get access and a secure leverage angle as you said. Unfortunately I just couldn't get them off no matter what tool I tried - the one that nearly succeeded was an old tack hammer, but no matter how hard I levered the ball would simply not prise off the joint! I'm not one to give in easily either, so well done anyone who can manage this.

So since I couldn't prise those free, I couldn't open the clamshell and thus lower the hood despite the other pushrods being off. I've now resigned myself to wait for the new relay to arrive.

I'll also have a closer look at the full PDF info that you sent to check the correct adjustments for the pushrods and guide cables - those are obviously key to ensuring that the hood operates properly everytime.

N.B. For the benefit of anybody else wanting to use the fantastic info Maurice has supplied, just to advise that I couldn't initially open the document fully on my PC using my usual Safari browser, and it wouldn't work in IE either, but it finally worked when I opened it in Firefox....and I then saved the PDFs to my Boxster folder.

Will make a (hopefully) final post once the new relay ( in my case, Type A - see Maurice's article) is fitted next weekend.

Thanks again Maurice,

Regards, Tony

Edited September 9, 2012 by 986volante

[986volante]

Quick update:

I decided to go into my local Indy before actually ordering a new relay to make sure that it actually needed replacing (since it costs about £100). The helpful guy that I spoke to (possibly because it is the first time that I'd visited them) first of all noticed that my parking brake light wasn't on and, despite the fact that it had never been lit up since I bought the car and the hood still worked, he said that that definitely needed to be done to eliminate that first as the source of the problem.

So he ordered a new parking brake microswitch (less than £5 but labour at £95/hour if they fitted it) and I replaced it yesterday using an invaluable guide from a weblink that I found - http://www.bombaydig...g_brake_switch/ - highly recommended you refer to this if you ever need to fit one. I also took the opportunity to adjust the handbrake travel at the same time as the MOT is due soon and it needed about 6 or 7 clicks which I think would have been a fail.

The parking brake light now works.........but I still have the same problem with the clamshell/hood not raising/ lowering - I still just hear a clicking sound from the rear each time I press the hood microswitch on the dash. And of course I also still have the red "hood open" warning light on the dash!

I'm going back to the Indy during the week to get them to check the relay as I originally planned and will report back on whether I need a new one or not to resolve the issue. Otherwise Maurice I think it may be the "dead spot on the electric motor" as you previously suggested and I'll need to replace that instead.

Edited September 23, 2012 by 986volante

[986volante]

Further Update:

Went back to my Indy and they say that it may not be the electric motor because of the rear clicking noise that can be heard when the hood button is pressed may be the motor trying to open the clamshell, but the separately located gear mechanism may be jammed.

Trouble is the gear mechanism can only be accessed when the clamshell is open (catch 22) - naturally they are happy for me to book it in with them for some exploratory work to be done but I'd rather avoid that expense unless/ until I absolutely have to. The thing is if they can find a way to open up the clamshell then so should anybody else. The guy I spoke to said he didn't know how it was done himself. Guess I can't expect too much free advice, they need to make money of course.

Anyway, I guess the logical thing to do now is to replace the electric motor (which is easily accessed from the boot just behind the carpeting and immediately under the centre brake light).

So unless anybody (Maurice?) has any alternative suggestions before next weekend, then that's my next step. If that doesn't work then I'll have no alternative than to let the Indy have a go.

Any body got a hard top for sale? Getting fed up with this :(

[1schoir]

Tony:

You can get the clamshell to release from the completely closed position fairly easily, although it is a little tricky to access. All that is required is a 19mm box wrench with the proper offset, such as this one:

With the top completely open and the clamshell locked down on top of it, you can stand by the side of the car, just to the rear of the rear vertical edge of the door (you can start on either the left or the right side).

If you still have the cosmetic black plastic cover that hides the clamshell support arm, you will have to first remove that. Here is a photo of that black cosmetic cover (don't forget to click on the photo for a better look):

Pull inboard on the plastic tab end of the cover where the red arrow points until that end pops off the nut onto which it is pressed. Then then insert your finger behind the black cover where the green arrow points and pull the top edge of the cover up and rotate it inboard at the same time. That will release the two metal angled tabs from where they are clipped onto the clamshell support arm.

Now, look straight down and you will see a slightly recessed 19mm bolt head in the middle of the V-lever. If you insert the box end wrench so that it surrounds the 19mm bolt and turn the bolt counterclockwise, you will be able to loosen it and you will then be able to pull off the V-lever.

Here is a photo of the 19mm bolt in the center of the V-lever, indicated by the red arrow:

Note that the 19mm bolt is on there with Loctite, so it will require some force to release.

That will release the rear pushrod tension and you can then manually raise the clamshell after disconnecting the now-loose and accessible black "hydraulic" rear pushrods.

Once the clamshell is released, with the V-levers removed, you can try the switch again and observe the center slot of the transmissions (into which the 19mm bolt was fastened) and see if each one is rotating when you press the switch.

Be very sure to note the position of the V-levers before you take everything apart because the V-levers have a slot that make it possible to install them 180 degrees off (i.e., upside down). Also note the position of the slots before you press the switch to try to rotate them. Take a couple of photos and measurements.

Regards, Maurice.

Edited September 25, 2012 by 1schoir

[1schoir]

Tony:

I think I misunderstood, and that you are asking about how to release the clamshell when the top is completely closed, and the clamshell won't move.

If your top is in the completely closed position, you can use the same method, except that to access the 19mm bolt you have to contort yourself a little to reach through the rollbar hoops to reach them. It's actually a little easier because you can use a ratchet and socket to unbolt that 19mm bolt.

To be able to see the 19mm bolt in this case, you first have to reach all the way to the rear firewall in the convertible top well and unhook the vinyl apron from the clips that are on that rear firewall, one rear, one left. To unhook the vinyl apron, grab it near one end (left or right) of the hard vinyl edge and rotate it up from the bottom (i.e., if you imagine yourself outside the car on the left side staring at one end of that vinyl edge, you rotate the bottom of that edge clockwise...If you are standing on the right side staring at the other end, you rotate that end counterclockwise).

Once you move that curtain out of the way, you will be able to see the 19mm bolt in the middle of each V-lever.

Here is a photo showing the 19mm bolt where the red arrow is pointing. For perspective, the green arrow is pointing to the bottom of the roll bar. Note that this is a photo of the right side (click on the photo for a larger view):

There are two other ways to release the black "hydraulic" pushrods so that you can pick up the clamshell manually, but those pushrods, when the clamshell is closed, are under tremendous pressure holding the clamshell securely down.

This method of unfastening the V-levers works every time, but again, make sure you take lots of photos so that you don't install the V-levers upside down when you are re-assembling everything.

Regards, Maurice.

Edited September 27, 2012 by 1schoir

[986volante]

Maurice:

I used the other method to open the clamshell that you wrote about on - https://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/top-half-closed - as I personally found this much easier to do than removing the 19mm nut on the two V levers which were too awkward to access with my big hands, and I found just too tight to loosen (that Loctite Blue is just a little too good!). It also had the added advantage of narrowing the fault down to the last couple of possibilities.

After raising the clamshell with a cordless drill on each of the two gear drive cables, I checked the operation of the electric motor while the cables weren't connected and the motor ran nice and smoothly, thus eliminating that as the cause, and surely proving that it was one or other (or both) jammed gear drives.

Before connecting the pushrods and guide cables again I thought that I'd check to see if the gear mechanism was working okay, so I reconnected the gear cables and put the U-clips back on then pressed the dash button to activate the clamshell and it worked!...............for a while anyway. First I lowered it into the closed flat position (The hood was obviously not involved in this operation and was still in the "up" position with the rear folded forward clear of the clamshell) and I then tried to raise it again, but unfortunately I ended up back at square one with that same clicking noise - maybe I kept hold of the dash button for too long and the gear drive/s jammed again?

I repeated the cordless drill method to open the clam again and was then again able to use the dash button to raise and lower it as long as I didn't try to close it too much. However, it does seem strange that the gear drives work using either the drill on to open or close the gear cables, and also using the dash button when the gear cables are reconnected to the electric motor.

If it is one, or both drives causing the problem (which would be quite a coincidence and unlikely surely), then is replacing or repairing the answer? Also is it possible instead to upgrade these gear drives to the later Type 'B' 360 degree gear drive and the electric motor rather than just replace with the same half moon gear drives? Although after scanning your other articles a few days ago about hood upgrades, I seem to recall the hood itself would need to be upgraded to the new glass type as well, along with some rewiring and a relay change?

At the moment I've not reconnected the pushrods (these nearly got crushed while they were hanging loose in the drain area incidentally - so something for anyone else using this fix to be careful of ) just the guide cables for the hood, because I'm still looking to resolve this dilemma once and for all and I don't want to risk breaking any more pushrods until I know everything is aligned properly.

At least for the moment, if I'm careful, I can now actually lower the hood manually by using the dash button to raise and lower the clamshell. Must admit that I thought I was close to finally resolving this today and that freeing the jammed gears was going to be a nice easy fix, but still not quite there yet.

At least the information you've already provided and my particularly unusual problem will undoubtedly prove helpful to others at some point though.

Tony

Edited October 5, 2012 by 986volante

[986volante]

Further update to solve the problem (on a 1996 2.5 remember):

Having come to the conclusion that the old Type A gear transmissions on each side are the root cause of the problem and need to be replaced, and having read the archived articles above by Maurice/ Mike Focke, I was able to confirm that you can indeed simply upgrade the the Type A transmission to the Type B - fairly simply - by using the incredibly detailed instructions provided.

The multiple advantages of this are firstly that it's not too expensive (just bought two used ones for £60 including postage), above all it provides a much much more reliable system, is fairly easy to do, doesn't take too long and you can use the existing Type A electrical stuff so you only really need to replace the gear transmission. Important to note that you also need the later mounting studs for the gear transmission as they are a completely different shape.

I am however also going to take the opportunity of upgrading the rest of the electrical bits which requires the newer type double relay and some slight alteration to the wiring - I'm fairly hopeless with electrical stuff usually but even I found confidence to do it after reading the article on how to do this.

The reasons for doing this additional work are twofold. Firstly it makes it even more reliable by eliminating two of the microswitches (B pillar and rear lever on the hood motor) from the setup which are known to be fault-prone, and secondly, it means that I can very simply upgrade my complete hood and frame to the newer glass type from a 2003-4 model whenever I want. Only reason I'm not doing it now is cost and availability of the later type hood.

Hopefully this is my last post on the subject although I'll report back if any further significant issues arise, but I sincerely hope that anybody who has sunk to the levels of desperation that I have after encountering similar hood issues will find the information sources here as beneficial as I have.

Special thanks to Maurice for all his input!

Edited October 15, 2012 by 986volante

[1schoir]

Way to go! You will thank yourself repeatedly for having made the conversion.

When you source your used OEM '03 or '04 top and frame assembly, installing it and adjusting it will only be a 2 to 3 hour DIY.

The trickiest part about the electrical conversion is sourcing the correct spades with the little locking tab that is shown in the article. The electrical conversion does require patience, but you have already demonstrated that you have plenty of that!

:cheers:

Regards, Maurice.

[986volante]

Way to go! You will thank yourself repeatedly for having made the conversion.When you source your used OEM '03 or '04 top and frame assembly, installing it and adjusting it will only be a 2 to 3 hour DIY.The trickiest part about the electrical conversion is sourcing the correct spades with the little locking tab that is shown in the article. The electrical conversion does require patience, but you have already demonstrated that you have plenty of that! :cheers:Regards, Maurice.

Hi Maurice,

Just to let you know that I finally sourced a 2003 hood with the rear glass screen :cheers: - just in time for summer (our spring never happened!). You were so right about the electrics and the special spade needed, very important to get the locking tab kind! Thanks for the heads up on that as they're not that easy to source I found!

I'm very close to finishing the job now, but am currently operating the hood manually at the moment because one of the push-rod endcaps was stretched and not able to press home in the ball socket, so it was no longer effective. I've managed to order just the plastic endcap (available as a pair - so I will have a spare which I hope will never need now!) - from a US eBay store which was still miles cheaper even after postage than buying anywhere here in the UK because you can only buy the whole pushrod!! So here's the link if anybody else needs it :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-Boxster-1997-2012-Convertible-Top-Pushrod-Repair-OEM-Ball-Joint-Pair-NEW-/200922214295?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ec7e5af97

Am just having a look at yours / Mike Fockes section dealing with other general hood issues as I need to make a clamshell adjustment, but hopefully that will resolve it - I've included the link below in case anybody else wants help/ information on that or any other hood issues that they incur!

https://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/thetop-itsmaintaince%26replacement

Thanks very much again :thumbup:

Tony

Edited May 7, 2013 by 986volante

[1schoir]

Tony:

Excellent work!

It looks like you're 95% of the way there, and, let me assure you, you won't miss getting out to do the "chop" or miss worrying whether it's just a tad too cold to put the top down for fear of cracking the plastic window.

Let me know if you run into any glitches.

Regards, Maurice.

[986volante]

Maurice:

As you say, 95% there, but I'm already enjoying this later model hood just for the better and updated look alone! And I'm putting the roof down manually until I fix the pushrods.

It makes my '96 model appear like a much later model, and for the first time I can actually see peoples faces in the rear view mirror after I've overtaken them :drive: .

The pushrod end caps arrived today and so I'll be installing them this weekend - I'll have to fiddle slightly with the adjustment to make sure it's "right" as I don't think that they were ever aligned properly since I've owned the car, so I won't be able to mark the old caps as a guide. I expect this will be a bit "trial and error" though, unless you have any useful tips about this? I understand that this adjustment affects the final closing of the lever by the windscreen and needs to be not too much of a gap and not too little - a bit like Goldilocks needing it just right!

I also haven't been able to ascertain from your Clamshell Adjustment article quite how I can make the final adjustment that I require on the clamshell. It operates just fine but the left (US driver's side) doesn't line up - which you can see in the attached photo (and please ignore the bare metal above the fillit panel which I will be repainting).

I am reasonably certain that the clamshell is not distorted and so the only two things that might help with the adjustment is the screw and locknut on the clamshell pushrod arm that slides along the runner/ channel. This turns 360 degrees and as far as I can tell only provides the "eccentric" movement that's mentioned in your article, but am not sure exactly what effect this has on the clamshell.

The only other adjustment that I can determine which may affect this misalignment are the bolts which attach the clamshell arm to the rear of the clamshell - there does seem to be a slot that the bolts fit into that offers the potential to adjust it - but I haven't found any mention of this anywhere so I'm a bit loathe to mess around with this unless you think that this may be the possible solution?

Having come this far, I'm really looking forward to getting this last 5% resolved once and for all :unsure:

Tony

Edited May 9, 2013 by 986volante

[1schoir]

The overall length of the front pushrods affects the final location of the leading edge of the convertible top when it approaches the top horizontal surface of the windshield frame. You can make adjustments to achieve an even space between the top and the windshield frame on both sides and then adjust the overall length of each pushrod so that, when the electric motor turns off and the top is at its "final position" before latching, the leading edge of the top does not start going back towards the rear of the car. Note that the adjustments to the overall length of the pushrods don't yield a straight, linear progression. At some particular point, the leading edge of the top will end up further away from the windshield frame even though it had been getting closer and closer with successive, incremental increases in the overall length.

The eccentric adjusting screw at the lower end of the body-colored clamshell arm positions that side's horizontal level in relation to the level of the rear quarter panel channel. If you loosen the nut that surrounds the screw and then turn the screw you will see how it (the screw) rotates closer and then further from the horizontal level of the forward part of the clamshell. That positions it closer or further away from the top of the rear quarter panel.

You should also make sure that the small black plastic adjusting clip that sits inside the channel is not causing that end of the clamshell to end up higher than it should. To adjust that one you have to pull it apart or push it back together. Pulling it apart causes the forward end of the clamshell arm to sit lower and pushing it together forces that end up in small increments.

If you have a photo of the "slot on the lid" that you refer to, post it so that I can see what you are referring to.

Regards, Maurice.

[986volante]

I'll be doing the pushrod end caps tomorrow and don't anticipate any problems with that.........

I've tried adjusting the eccentric screw on the clamshell slider rail and it does appear to move correctly - I can definitely see it moving the clamshell backwards and forwards slightly. Unfortunately that's not the issue or the answer though - as I need a sideways adjustment.

I've attached two photos of the clamshell in the closed position against the small "fillit" panels and you can see quite clearly that one side is way out

(not the one that's correctly aligned which is a different blue - I'm getting that repainted soon at the same time that I will be painting and fitting a rear aero spoiler that I just bought) - and I need to figure out how to alignment it somehow.

I've also attached a couple of photos of the nuts and adjustment slots as you asked - it's hard to see even from the photos, but there definitely is a small amount of lateral movement to provide minor adjustment - not quite sure what sort of affect it will have though.

[986volante]

I'll be doing the pushrod end caps tomorrow and don't anticipate any problems with that.........

I've tried adjusting the eccentric screw on the clamshell slider rail and it does appear to move correctly - I can definitely see it moving the clamshell backwards and forwards slightly. Unfortunately that's not the issue or the answer though - as I need a sideways adjustment.

I've attached two photos of the clamshell in the closed position against the small "fillit" panels and you can see quite clearly that one side is way out

(not the one that's correctly aligned which is a different blue - I'm getting that repainted soon at the same time that I will be painting and fitting a rear aero spoiler that I just bought) - and I need to figure out how to alignment it somehow.

I've also attached a couple of photos of the nuts and adjustment slots as you asked - it's hard to see even from the photos, but there definitely is a small amount of lateral movement to provide minor adjustment - not quite sure what sort of affect it will have though.

Here are the last two photos - had to attach them on a separate post due to size