Hello Everyone,

I have a 996 cab with a hardtop and I decided that there is no reason for me to carry all the extra weight of the folded soft top. I figured that if I could pull it out of the car it may help handeling and maybe gas milage. Without getting into the merits of keeping the soft top or not, here is my issue:

In order to remove the soft top I had to put it in the "half way up" position. So predictably, once I got it out of the car and I got the hard top back on, the convertible roof dash warning light came on. I quickly realized this was because at the time I removed the roof it was not in the full open or full closed position. I have the 996 Porsche shop manual and it says to plug into a special computer or machine that I do not have.

Is there some way to "trick" the car into thinking the roof is all the way up, or all the way down to get the light on the dash to turn off?

Is there a way to short circuit the wires so that the computer thinks the top is at one of the end positions?

I already manually moved the rear cover and side flaps closed using the allen key provided behind the rear seats ... but the dash light is still on.

I hope all this makes sense and I very much appreciate any help you guys have.

Thank you!

 

you removed the whole folding mechanism or just the fabric?

sounds like it's the whole mechanism. i don't think you can fool the system.

your best bet is to use the soft top instead of the hard top. hard top is pretty heavy and ugly.

 

That is correct, I removed the entire mechanism. And the hardtop is heavy. Let's assume for argument sake that I do not have a hard top at all; rather, I just need to save the weight of the soft top for a race this weekend. I still have the problem of the dashboard waring light.

 

How about this, if this indicator light doesn't cause any adverse effects to other safety systems then why not cover or disconnect the indicator light bulb or light harness?

 

Id love to see some pics of this...

 

Great question. The only problem is that when I lock the car with the remote the security is disabled because it thinks the roof is not shut. Other than that this may be a solution.

 

What exactly would you like to see pictures of? The car is to the left of my name.

 

He wants to see the gutted out area of the compartment.

 

Ok, well it looks like I am going to have to take the hard top back off and mess around with it so I will snap some pics.

 

So you need to find the switch in the compartment that lets the car know the top is open or closed.

 

Thanks everyone I figured it out. There are 3 on/off switches on the roof itself that signal the position of the hook and roof. There is also a switch above the windshield. Instead of trying to figure out which switch means what I just re-wired the soft top and hit the open/ close button until the dash light went out. Then the system thinks the roof is all the way down and you can pull the soft top back off and it will not trip the light.

 

Ok, I have to ask this question. You live in San Diego and have a cab and your are taking off the convertible top and running a hardtop full time? Why? San Diego has the perfect weather for a cab. And if you did not want to be able to run with the top down why not buy a coupe, lighter, stiffer, etc.?

Just wondering.

 

Great question. I have had convertibles here in SD for years and I just needed a change for a little while. I might re-install the soft top later. I can still always take the hard top off and drive it with no top at all (although I am not sure how to close off the hole that where the top goes). Taking the soft top out is surprisingly easy. I did not buy a hardtop p-car originally because at the time I wanted a cab (and I still like having the option).

 

Your opening up a big can of worms. There are so many micro switches in this set up of the car. Everything works in series. If you screw up one of the series the top will never work right. I changed the pistons for the top in my car and it threw the whole series out of whack. Had to take it to the dealer to get a new computer for the top and $1500 later I was a bit pissed. I would just leave the top a lone and sell the car for a coupe.

 

You are right about that. There are a few micro switches and they do all work in a series. I have the shop manual wiring diagram for the whole system. I am surprised the shop charged you so much because in the Porsche Shop Manual it says that if they get out of sync all you have to do is manually put the roof in one of the end positions and plug the car into their computer and "reset" it. Thanks for all the advice everyone, and please stop worrying. I have already removed it AND re-installed it without a problem. It is very easy.