hi all,
i love my 996 but the roof hasnt worked since last year .

i have a convertible 1998 c2

roof stopped working last year, i had :
fluid topped up, worked for 1 day then stopped,
rams checked no leaks,
replaced the rear latch mechanism,
swapped roof ecu with another car with working roof, still no good.
durametric software says every thing is working ok ie, brake, micro sensors etc...
im going crazy as ive spent a lot of money.

any members in essex or london areas?

please help

 

Im just on the London/Kent border and yet take my hard top off and drive topless so not much of a help. Im happy to head over and compare our fittings workings/electrics/gubbings/wear n tear etc to see if its something to obvious and being overlooked. Perhaps a spirited drive to south end or someplace and a beach front photo opportunity? Let me know

 

Hiya.
Well thanks for reply. I would defo do a meet and photo shoot as such. Would rather my roof worked and was down for photos tho as cars look so much better.
Nothing at all is happening at the moment when i press the roof down button.
Getting me down. But we keep in touch.
Alan.

 

Alan.... You do realize that the top should also move via the key in the drivers door. Turn right and hold and the top closes. Turn left and hold and it comes up. Also, How good is your battery? You have to have a completely charged up battery as the tops takes a lot of juice to operate.

 

Top Tip, i never knew that ........thanks

 

Alan, I have the 99 cab. That way of opening the top when you get back to the car on a very hot sunny day (few and far between in England I know haha) is very handy indeed. . Is the plastic covering still in tact on the front hook? A dab of grease on each of the 3 receiving slots on the front. Also on the tip of the front hook, may help. Check to see that the outside receivers on the front window screen frame are tight. Mine were slightly loose. I have had the car 4 years and never went a full summer when it didn't fail on me for one reason or another. Put it in 'service position' and check to see each side of the mechanism is identical to the other (only in a mirror image sense). One side of mine had parts which had fallen off, which I found, and replaced in service mode. All repaired now and actually went almost the full summer without a glitch. Cab tops can be a Royal P I T A when they start 'acting up'. I even sprayed WD40 on the mechanism in service position. Good luck and let us know how you go. Oh and always lock the car, even in the garage, as it takes less from the battery when fully locked than it does to keep it unlocked. Life of a battery is about 4/5 years.

 

Thank you for all your reply's nice of you to take time to answer.
I will try the key in door trick tomorrow. Is there an exact position for service mode or just when the deck lid is open and roof say half way open??
I have recently bought a durametric cd with odb2 wire. Not sure what im doing but might plug it in a see what it does lol.

Question. Maybe i have noticed my battery a bit slow on start up crank but i have always tried to open roof with engine running. Would poor battery still play a factor to roof problems with engine on?

Also....
Before i got the car apparently someone has fitted a unit that makes roof work off the key fob. I tried once when i got the car and the rear deck lid got stuck up. I never tried again..... could this unit be playing up and now stopping roof work all together??? If so would anyone know where to look for such a unit and what it looks like.
Many thanks.
Alan.

 

You can have your battery tested at your local auto stores. Here in the states they do that for free. You might want to do that first. Theres no telling what a previous owner has done on these cars. The price of these cars are just about cheap enough to attract the 'would be modders & messers'. The 'sounds and kerb side appeal fellows'. Nothing wrong with that but some owners mess with them and Eff them up. The service position is when the roof halfway up/down. Remove the bobble holding wires under the back of the window. Bungie the back lip of the hood up so you can see the mechanical working each side. Check if anything has fallen from one side in comparison to the other. If you need to go further you can remove the shelf via 3 or 4 snap out screws and then check things under the back window sill. (You can run the car minus the back window sill cover in place) while you are attempting to find your problem. When you are sure you have solved the problem, then put it back in place. That's what I did all one summer when I was messing with the top. When you are finished, don't forget to secure the stabilizing wire bobbles each side. DO NOT MOVE the TOP via the key or dash button or even attempt it when in 'service mode'. Usually the hand brake has to be ON for the top to operate. BUT some Owners by-pass the hand brake micro switch so the top can be moved as the car is moving. That move in my opinion is a bad one as the top can then be operated accidentally from the dash button as the car is travelling at any speed and the wind could rip the top off. Check the plastic covering on the front hook when the top is in 'service mode'. If any part of that plastic covering is missing, it will effect the operating procedure. I think there are 5 or 7 micro switches that have to be operating or the top will not start to move. The engine lid and possibly the hood lid has to be closed for the top to operate. When you lock the car via the fob, only the lights should flicker twice and you should NOT hear the horn beep. If the horn beeps then the car is still unlocked and a micro switch is not connecting. I have the 99 job which only operates the top via the key in the door method and the dash board toggle switch. I wish I could help you more Alan as these cabs can be painfully annoying when not operating correctly. Good luck. Let us know how you go.

 

You can check the condition of your battery using a voltmeter. See

 

Did this ever get resolved? interested in knowing the fix