Boxster Top Goes Up But Not Down

[vince martin]

This is my first time posting on this forum and I wanted to post a problem and the associated fix because it’s challenged me for almost two years now and then I finally found the solution thanks to someone that posted it on this forum. I’m SO appreciative, but I can’t find his post to add to it and thank him.

It was really hard to find a post that match my problem in the first place and I think I’ve read every Boxster Top Problem on the Internet.

Here’s been my symptoms with the troubleshooting I explored and the solution that solved the problem.

Symptoms:

 

1) There’s no response when pressing the button to lower the top.

2) The Top Will go up in response to pressing the button to make it go up.

3) Emergency brake lever light and switch tested and it works.

4) The windows do not go down when the top latch is unlatched (and of course they should).

5) The momentarily switch in the latch compartment which signals the system that the Top is unlatched was tested and works as designed.

6) This model Boxster (2000) has only ONE switch in the latch compartment (I’ve read that some Boxsters have two switches).

7) The double relay unit that sits above the fuse box on the driver’s side was replaced and tested to be working as designed.

8) All fuses were check to ensure there’s none that are blown.

9) 12 volts was applied to the convertible top motor and it works fine in both directions.

 

Solution:

 

This model has a sensory switch in the driver’s side convertible top transmission (my 1999 Boxster does not BTW). This model does not have a center push switch located above the convertible top motor (my 1999 Boxster Does have that switch for sensing when the top has reached all the way down). 

I mistakenly installed the V-lever on to the transmission on the driver’s side when the transmission was rotated 180 degrees from where it should be. Appearently, while everything looks right and fits right and “seems” to be installed correctly, the sensor switch on the transmission does not trigger unless the transmission is rotating in a certain range and I had the range upside down.

Thanks to a wonderful guy on renntech that took the time to post this (because I was at my wits end with this) I was able to rotate it 180 degrees and everything came to life (Windows operated as designed, button that controlled the top to bring it down, etc.).

To rotate the transmission is fairly easy. Apply 12 volts to the top motor to get it half way open so the clam shell is wide open and reach in and pull the V-lever from the transmission by undoing the large bolt. Pull the V-lever out just enough so you can see the indents on the transmission (I took a marker an marked one side to be sure). Undo the associated cable that attaches to the motor and gently attach that to a drill and spin away (it will take longer than you think because it’s geared REALLY low and that motor on the Boxster spins WAY faster than your drill can) until the transmission has rotated 180 degrees and then re-attach everything an walla - fixed! 

Of course you will have to re-sync the driver’s side transmission to the passenger side transmission. I do this by opening the top until the clamshell is about 10” from closing and then I measure how close the two sides are from the car body and spin the driver’s side accordingly before reattaching it to the top motor. It’s not a perfect science because spinning the driver’s side will slightly raise the clamshell on the passengers side so I always have to go back and forth and up and down with subtle spins before finally dialing it in right. You may be better at this than I.

 

i hope this helps someone. If anyone finds the other post that explains this, I would certainly be interested in getting that link so I can thank him. He really made my weekend. It’s like I have my car back!

Edited January 7, 2018 by vince martin
Some minor spelling corrections.

[Loren]