Hood does nothing

H

Hmesto

Member
Hi all,

Recently purchased my first z4 last Sunday (01/03/20) and the hood worked perfectly while testing it and then when I got home it was still fine. However I went to test it today as it is slightly sunny and initially the windows went down as normal but then the hood didn't unlatch and a red flashing light appeared next to the button. So I then turned the engine off, left it a while as I didn't have time to investigate and now when I press it again absolutely nothing happens, no lights next to the buttons and the windows don't go down. I've got the engine running and still nothing. I've also noticed the parcel shelf switch has been removed and jumped with the wires twisted together... Not sure if that has anything to do with it. Have I been mugged off here or is something else up?

Thanks in advance!
 
Parcel shelf micro switch obviously been bypassed by joining the wires, if that was the problem I think you would get an amber light displayed. Red light points to another fault. Is the pump and motor in the original place or has it been moved into the boot area. Original place gets water in it and causes the motor to drown in water. Threads on here how to move it into the boot without having to take the roof off. Its a fiddle to do but is achievable with patience. You can diagnose 6the problem using BMW INPA diagnostics or BMW Scanner 1.4 software on a laptop. Both will read the hood module and should indicate whats wrong with a fault code. I would hazard a guess you have a waterlogged pump and motor, worst case scenario would be a hydraulic oil leak from a failed pipe, if thats the case then it would be a roof off job to get at the rams and pipework connecytions to them. Worth checking the compartment drain on the left side of the car to see if the drain is blocked, in fromt of the left rear whhel you will see an inspection panel in the arch liner, take that off, easier with wheel off and look inside the cavity, you will see a rubber valve on the end of the drain outlet, pull it off and use something flixible yto poke up the drain, if its blovcked that will clear it and get the build up of water out. If there is any trace of oil in the water then suspect a pipe leakage and roof off to get at it.
 
Yeah the motor hasn't been relocated unfortunately. I will check that drain hole as soon as I can, didn't know the panel was there thanks for pointing that out! I will deffo try get the motor out and into the boot this weekend. How would I get hold of the diagnostic software?
 
Diagnostics to run on a Laptop available on ebay for little money, I use BMW INPA and BMW Scanner 1.4, the latter is easier to set up and reads all the modules on the car, clears fault codes and can programme some features on the car. BMW INPA can be a pain to get set up correctly on a laptop but when installed correctly and working can do everything for all BMW models.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OBD2-Version-1-4-Diagnostic-tool-Fits-BMW-E38-39-E46-Code-Reader-Car-Scanner-UK/392534565474?hash=item5b64e22262:g:PGYAAOSwnY1dzBW-

BMW INPA
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-DIAGNOSTIC-SOFTWARE-CABLE-EDIABAS-INPA-DIS-SSS-OBD-LEAD-V44-V54-V57/163390264070?epid=1274524309&hash=item260ad19306:g:8XYAAOSweURc5xFk

If you are going to pull the motor/pump into the boot have a look at the thread on here to guide you through the process its a pain getting the container released from its location, it is held in there with cable ties that have to be forced by levering the plastic housing upwards so they break to free it so it can be lifted out and pulled back into the boot. There are guys on here who can do it in forty mins. I take my hat off to them, it took me 4 hours but could do it now in far less time knowing whats involved.
Thread here https://zroadster.org/threads/z4-roof-motor-relocation-to-boot.19256/

If the motor is waterlogged, they can be revived, people soak them in diesel then dry them out and lubricate them before testing by applying 12volts on the bench to ensure they are restored before refitting. Check the oil level but do not overfill, it needs space for the oil in the rams to return and circulate. You can get the BMW oil from BMW at a orice but hydraulic jack oil is a good substitute.
 
Thank you very much for all your help! So I can get either of those kits on eBay and they'll both do the trick? I'm inclined to go with the cheaper one as long as it'll do everything I need!
 
BMW Scanner 1.4 works fine on both my Z3 and Z4, be aware some of the suppliers are Chinese sellers even though they show UK based so you may have a postal wait. BMW INPA despite it being a pain to load on a laptop works fine and will show you live data with the engine running as it is the same software the dealers use. See how you get on with BMW Scanner you can always add INPA later if you want.
 
Weirdly I just tested my roof after the car had been sitting in the sun and it works again completely fine... I will move the motor into the boot asap to make it more reliable in the future. Good to know the motor isn't ruined though...
 
Strange intermittant fault, could be down to water in the motor housing, good move to pull it back into the boot to investigate further at least it will be in an easier place to sort any future problems.
Just found a photo of the drain taken when I had mine in bits, the wheel arch liner was removed at the time when I was cleaning behind it but you can see it if you remove the small inspection panel in the arch lining.
 

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Private sale?
If it was a dealer, just take it back. The bypassed switch makes it undeniable that there was a pre-existing fault. (Even if it's nothing to do with your current issue directly).
Whereabout are you? You may be near to one of the roof 'gurus' on this forum.
 
colb said:
Strange intermittant fault, could be down to water in the motor housing, good move to pull it back into the boot to investigate further at least it will be in an easier place to sort any future problems.
Just found a photo of the drain taken when I had mine in bits, the wheel arch liner was removed at the time when I was cleaning behind it but you can see it if you remove the small inspection panel in the arch lining.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the picture, always helpful to know what I'm looking for!

Sidewaze Samm said:
Private sale?
If it was a dealer, just take it back. The bypassed switch makes it undeniable that there was a pre-existing fault. (Even if it's nothing to do with your current issue directly).
Whereabout are you? You may be near to one of the roof 'gurus' on this forum.
Click to expand...

I'm in Guildford, Surrey. It was a private sale, I've got an invoice as proof of the sale but that's about it
 
If you don't want to get too involved with pulling out the roof motor you aren't too far away from RBM Hampshire in Hook, Hants.

Ross (on the forum as "bowser134") has been relocating and reviving roof motors for years. Here's a link:- https://www.rbmhampshire.co.uk/
 
Ah excellent, I'll contact him to get a rough cost. I am up for trying myself but if I get stuck then it's good to know there's someone fairly nearby who knows what they're doing!
 
If you call him and he doesn't answer just bear in mind he may be under a car on his lift, but if you leave a message he will get back to you.

Or you could just PM him on here!
 
There have been a recent increase in people with hood problems, maybe a sign of the weather warming up, I have noticed that some are due to the well known drowning of the motor, I have seen at least two that ended up being a broken wire inside the top of the windscreen causing their issues with the hood. If yours is dry when you get it out it might be worth checking out the wiring in the top of the windscreen. Have to remove the top trim to get at it and cut back the outer cable cover to inspect the wires for breaks. Yours being an intermittant fault it could be a posability.
 
I'll bear that in mind! I'm hopefully gonna try tomorrow to have a look at the motor. If it's an electrical fault of some sort I'd be happier going to the pros rather than risking breaking more myself
 
You may have a aftermarket roof module fitted ie gap tech, if you do an it still has the supplied scotch locks they are rubbish an a know issue. If you remove Ash tray an see if there's something aftermarket in there,
 
Personally I prefer buying modest value cars privately, but sadly when something likes this happens you’re a bit stuck.

Happily, if it’s working normally again I expect a roof motor relocation will solve the problem permanently.

When I bought my previous E86 it had an issue I was immediately aware of ‘tram-lining’, which I intended to get sorted, but I bought it fully aware of this (it was on run flats). However, this was the only issue at the time of purchase.

After a few weeks of being parked up in my garage, one of the headlight washers started to leak. I read up on here about this being a common issue and that sometimes they might not seat properly on the way down, so I activated the washers repeatedly and the problem went away. I then sold the car to another forum member who was aware I’d had this issue, but when he tested the car etc it was fine, not leaking etc... guess what, about a week or so after he bought the car headlight washer starts leaking again!?

The fact that the switch has been removed does suggest a bit of a bodged fix attempt, but it might have been before the previous owners tenure... you’ll never know.

Good news though is that a permanent fix to your roof problem shouldn’t be too costly :thumbsup:
 
markplant said:
You may have a aftermarket roof module fitted ie gap tech, if you do an it still has the supplied scotch locks they are rubbish an a know issue. If you remove Ash tray an see if there's something aftermarket in there,
Click to expand...

How would I know it's aftermarket? As I'm sure you can tell I'm new to the Z4 life so need as much guidance as possible!

True-Blue said:
Good news though is that a permanent fix to your roof problem shouldn’t be too costly :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

That's what I'm hoping for! Luckily the roof is more of a luxury than a necessity right now so if it is an expensive fix I have time before the summer to save some money.
 
Hmesto said:
markplant said:
You may have a aftermarket roof module fitted ie gap tech, if you do an it still has the supplied scotch locks they are rubbish an a know issue. If you remove Ash tray an see if there's something aftermarket in there,
Click to expand...

How would I know it's aftermarket? As I'm sure you can tell I'm new to the Z4 life so need as much guidance as possible!

True-Blue said:
Good news though is that a permanent fix to your roof problem shouldn’t be too costly :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

That's what I'm hoping for! Luckily the roof is more of a luxury than a necessity right now so if it is an expensive fix I have time before the summer to save some money.
Click to expand...
The module looks like this
OTH.jpg
It's about the size of a box of matches, most other wiring will be in some sort of loom tape, but if you have one of these an scotch locks are used it will stand out
 
The module looks like this
OTH.jpg
It's about the size of a box of matches, most other wiring will be in some sort of loom tape, but if you have one of these an scotch locks are used it will stand out
[/quote]

Nice one, thanks. Will check it out tomorrow
 
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