Anyone know how the front Roof Latches work?

[DashingDaryl]

10 years ago I had a 2005 Z4. It was my favorite car. I sold it and regretted it ever since.

Trying to relive my younger days, I recently bought a 2003 Z4. I bought it sign unseen. It is perfect on paper. A Clean Car History with only 79,000 miles.

The listing said the top didn't work.

The first thing I noticed was the latches didn't unlock, so I took out the Latching motor and replaced the broken plastic gear with a metal gear. Now the latch motor spins consistently.

What I can't figure out is how to get the latches to work. The motor tries to spin the cables, but the latches do not lock. The cable does not spin. It puts so much torque on the motor mounts they broke and I had to replace them. If I try to spin the cables via the allen wrench in the motor, I can't get them to turn either.

Anyone have any ideas? Should the cables spin pretty freely by hand?

 

[DashingDaryl]

i found this picture on ebay if it helps at all

 

[DashingDaryl]

can anyone tell me what the box in the top of the picture is? Is it the sensor for the latch, or is it attached to the cable that turns the lock?

 

[Street]

I dont know what that latch is Daryl but I dont think its for your 2003.
I fixed my latches last week and posted somepics: https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=132420

The motor gearing turns the metal connecting cable which in turn spins the latch mechanism.
Sounds like one latch is seized or its reached fully open / closed.

I didn't try to turn the latch by hand but the manual winder on the motor is tough.

E85 / E86 Z4 Discussion (2003 - 2009)

 

[DashingDaryl]

Street, THAT IS AWESOME! Your write up helped me picture my situation much more clearly.

not to sound like an idiot, but how did u gain access to the latch motors? is the panel held in by the 3 Visor screws (or whatever those screws are)?

 

[Street]

You’ve got to peel back the material on the hood. Its not as scary as it sounds.

4 screws hold on the plastic trim
Approx 8 screws hold the material panel to the roof at the front. There is another cheeky screws on each side which needs the roof to be retracted half way to see it.
Finally removing a small piece of the rubber window seal (2 bolts) reveals the final screw in the top corner.

A little wriggle and encouragement and the material peels back.

 

[DashingDaryl]

Its not as scary as it sounds.

Glad you clarified because it sounds a little more involved than I had expected. I was really looking for something more straight forward.

But I found that once you know what to expect (approx 14 screws) then things aren't as bad as you think.

Thanks Man for pointing me in the right direction!

 

[Street]

If you take it on and get stuck give me a shout.

 

[DashingDaryl]

Hey Street, I was able to bend the straw on my lubricant and get it on the "screw." I then used the allen wrench to turn it by hand. It was smooth as butter, so i used the button and the gears both opened and closed. THANKS AGAIN for your help!