Another roof problem!

[tintoverano]

diag_46o6.jpg

Screen Shot 05-22-20 at 12.59 PM.PNG

how about #2 and #3?

thanks

I can see why you would look at the rear window shell as that is the part that is stuck when trying to close the roof, but the problem is still present when the roof is fully open and the rear window shell is stowed away, i.e. the wndows won't go up, the boot is locked and the warning light and sound remain.

just wanna order the rigth ones

thanks

 

[RobbiZ4]

#4 and #5

 

[tintoverano]

#4 and #5

cheers

 

[Smartbear]

I think I will replace these first and see what happens

That's my general recommendation for all 2009/2010 Z4.
Apart of your individual issue, these MS can fail due to the aging of that little spring on the microswitch, that is spreaded to max when the lid is closed. And that is 99.9999999% of the lifetime of the Z4. 8)
And, these failing MS can force the hydraulic pump to run continuosly until it dies due to overheating. That situation is not checked by the CTM.

There are some pifalls:
- mark the exact position of the 3 nuts on the coupling locks, use a fine white or silver edding pin to mark around these nuts
- the small 3 mm inbus(!) screws are glued and in most cases have to be drilled out with a 3mm drill
- you need 4x M3 inbus screws with a lenght of 10mm, two of them have to be shorted to a lenght of 5mm
- the new microswitches have a newser plug. Cut the new(!) plug housing, take the pins out of it and put it into the housings of the old MS

Hi, the microswitch spring which seems to cause problems due to stretching - is it possible to replace the spring only or maybe shorten it by cutting 1 coil off & reattach? (both sides of course)
Rob

 

[RobbiZ4]

Hi, the microswitch spring which seems to cause problems due to stretching - is it possible to replace the spring only or maybe shorten it by cutting 1 coil off & reattach? (both sides of course)
Rob

Just have a look at the position, whre the MS are mounted. If you will get a 5mm spring replaced there, you will be my hero.
The price of both MS is below 40€, not worth any experiments where you will risk the life of your hydraulic pump.

 

[Smartbear]

Hi, the microswitch spring which seems to cause problems due to stretching - is it possible to replace the spring only or maybe shorten it by cutting 1 coil off & reattach? (both sides of course)
Rob

Just have a look at the position, whre the MS are mounted. If you will get a 5mm spring replaced there, you will be my hero.
The price of both MS is below 40€, not worth any experiments where you will risk the life of your hydraulic pump.

It wasn’t the cost that concerned me, just sounded like a fiddly/awkward job. Changing the spring only sounds like an equally unpleasant task! :?
Rob

 

[Silverstar]

here's a detailed post

Thanks for the link, seems like an awkward job for me, I wonder if the Indi specialist here can do it.

 

[tintoverano]

#4 and #5

hi Robbi,

as you mentioned the allen screws holding the microswitch are glued too and had to be drilled out (I'll try to find a driver with more rigid head on Tuesday, sse if I can release them - the one I had failed)

if not, what are the specs of theses screws?

I don't see them listed

thanks

 

[enuff_zed]

#4 and #5

hi Robbi,

as you mentioned the allen screws holding the microswitch are glued too and had to be drilled out (I'll try to find a driver with more rigid head on Tuesday, sse if I can release them - the one I had failed)

if not, what are the specs of theses screws?

I don't see them listed

thanks

Robbi has picked up his ball and gone I'm afraid.
Hopefully someone else can help you though?

 

[LordLolzeye]

#4 and #5

hi Robbi,

as you mentioned the allen screws holding the microswitch are glued too and had to be drilled out (I'll try to find a driver with more rigid head on Tuesday, sse if I can release them - the one I had failed)

if not, what are the specs of theses screws?

I don't see them listed

thanks

Hello tintoverano,

I've replaced microswitches #2 and #3 on my own roof around a year ago, they are not screwed in, they are melted.
When ordering those two microswitches as new you will see they have two "pins" that force the microswitch to get into position. After you put the MS in the right position you just use a soldering iron to melt the pins on the holes.

I've also replaced microswitches #4 and #5 this weekend on my roof as I've replaced the entire wiring harness (DIY tutorial coming soon). Keep this in mind:
If your car is a pre-2012 ( I believe 2012 ) model (if the pump has 4 solenoids you have the new model) you will have the following issues:
- The wiring harness does not have the right plug for the newly ordered MS (they've changed the plug design for those microswitches), so you will have to use the housing from the old microswitch and transfer it to the new one.

I've also drilled out the screws on #4 and #5 and replaced them with some screws from an old HDD drive i've had laying around in my house. Those work really well.

P.S: Also, after removing the kinematics box [1] (the thing that holds the cylinder and MS 4 or 5) you will need to let it readjust itself into position (so you won't hear a bang all the time when the roof is closing in the boot / opening in the boot)

[1] https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e89-z4-sdrive30i-roa/repair-manuals/54-slide-tilt-sunroof-soft-top/54-37-folding-roof/IzeQ78p8

Hope it helps,
Rob

 

[tintoverano]

I've also drilled out the screws on #4 and #5 and replaced them with some screws from an old HDD drive i've had laying around in my house. Those work really well.

sounds good

thanks fot the tip

 

[tintoverano]

#4 and #5

hi Robbi,

as you mentioned the allen screws holding the microswitch are glued too and had to be drilled out (I'll try to find a driver with more rigid head on Tuesday, sse if I can release them - the one I had failed)

if not, what are the specs of theses screws?

I don't see them listed

screws specs: M3 - thread length 4mm

the inner one (see below) can be longer, up to 8-10mm



I don't think it is worth trying to unscrew these any other way, than drilling out - bmw used thread lock to secure them in place

I bought this extractor set and it worked like a charm



I used the first bits for Step #1 and Step #2 (see above): with the first bit, drilled into the allen screw head 1-2mm and then used the the step-2 bit

don't forget to set the drill to rotate counterclock-wise

... and follow the manual word by word

 

[wanatkinson]

Just an update from me (the OP). The roof is fixed and working. The analysis from the forum proved absolutely correct. The Creator 310+ also diagnosed the problem perfectly.





As mentioned by others, the screws were tricky.

Thanks all. I've learned a lot

 

[tintoverano]

the scanner: beyond what you experience, what extra it gives in case of the roof?

thanks

 

[wanatkinson]

the scanner: beyond what you experience, what extra it gives in case of the roof?

thanks

I haven't done much with it as I only got it in response to this issue but I can say that it has 2 main parts

1. Stored faults (read from the car)
2. Datastream (which reads live data from the car)

I had one stored fault which basically said "car driven with roof unsecured". You can clear these faults to get fresh readings.

This pictures I posted show the datastream. In the case of the roof it walks throuh all the stages of the roof operation as it is happening (microswitches and sensors opening and closing) and shows you what suceeds and what fails. In my case, it showed that the left rear module microswitch though it was open when the right one though it was closed, hence the problem.

 

[RobbiZ4]

That's my general recommendation for all 2009/2010 Z4.
Apart of your individual issue, these MS can fail due to the aging of that little spring on the microswitch, ...

With additional experiences of the last year, I have to correct my former statement:

These microswitches suffer on corrosion as well. Not the spring is the problem, but water ingress into these small ms.