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SB73

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Hi everyone,

Sharing my new pride & joy, 2003 Z4 E85 2.5i with 94K
Had the car for 2 months now and have gone through the following: wheel refurb, addition of original badges to the bonnet, bonnet & wheels, respray to the front bumper, new aerial, refreshed number plates, new floor mats, replaced lateral acceleration sensor, DIY refurb of the leather seats, engine clean and service :)

One challenge to overcome with the roof - fixed a broken wire in the roof loom, so the motor latches / unlatches and the windows now drop :)

Unfortunately the roof will not lower or raise, red flashing light appears after the roof is unlocked with the instrument button.
Pump was re-located to the boot by the previous owner - I have checked the brass plunger, this was sticking so I have sorted this and have topped the fluid up. I can hear the pump kick-in after the windows have dropped - have also checked the three fuses, these are ok.

Anything else I should be looking at to diagnose?

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Welcome, nice motor. :thumbsup:
Are you saying the motor is running?
If so, check the fluid level again. The max mark is not enough when it's at a greater angle in the boot. One of the ports is slightly uncovered and it just pumps air.
Pull it into an upright position, take the fill bung out of the top of the reservoir and use a small syringe to keep adding jack oil until it spills out the top. Then seal it all again and put it back in it's new home.
Fingers crossed this may be your only issue.
 
Thanks for the feedback enuf_zed
Once the roof has unlatched and the windows have lowered the pump appears to kick-in (rotation of the white blade).
Have just topped the fluid up as much as possible, unfortunately still no movement from the roof :(
Is there anything else I can look at or try?

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SB73 said:
Thanks for the feedback enuf_zed
Once the roof has unlatched and the windows have lowered the pump appears to kick-in (rotation of the white blade).
Have just topped the fluid up as much as possible, unfortunately still no movement from the roof :(
Is there anything else I can look at or try?

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Hmmm, well if there's loads of fluid and the bypass valve is definitely not stuck in then the only thing I can think is a failing pump?
 
The pump was replaced in April by the previous owner and relocated to the boot, he thought this was the reason for the roof not working.
I will take another look, just wondering if there is any recommendation on where / who to source a quality pump from?
 
Are you sure the bypass valve is sorted? Sometimes the bowden cable may need fine tuning after relocation. Try to undo it for diagnostics?
 
Thanks DMike.
I'll double check the bypass valve (presume this is the brass plunger?) in the morning.
I have not checked or adjusted the Bowden cable - what do I need to do to undo it?
 
Hi SB73 and welcome to the forum, nice looking Zed, hope you can get the roof sorted easily.
 
SB73 said:
Thanks DMike.
I'll double check the bypass valve (presume this is the brass plunger?) in the morning.
I have not checked or adjusted the Bowden cable - what do I need to do to undo it?
Click to expand...
Use a small allen key to remove the whole of the black plastic bracketry around the brass plunger.
There'll then be no chance that it is being pushed in.
The plunger only moves a few mm, so double check you can push it in and it pops back out.
Try the motor like that and see.

Has it ever worked since the pump was replaced?
Just wondering if he dropped the little drive pin when swapping it over? Without that the motor will spin but the pump won't turn.

I would also query the pump replacement?
The motor and spacer block look shiny new, but the pump head looks like it's much older.
 
All good suggestions coming from other Z4 members regarding remedies for your roof problems. A bit of a long shot on my behalf but is there a possibility of an air lock within the system. I remember when I sorted my roof motor problems on initial start up, after filling the fluid reservoir, it did a few stops and starts before it primed the pipes. It was so bad that on closing it slammed shut quite badly due to air in the system.
 
Thanks enuff_zed for the feedback and advice.
Removed the black plastic cover this morning, the brass plunger was still able to move and not seized. Tried the roof with the black plastic cover for the Bowden removed - still the same, no movement from the roof :(
The roof has not worked since the previous owner replaced the pump. He replaced the motor and spacer block, not the pump head - i know this as i have the old units).
How do i check to see if the pump head is ok and the drive-pin is in place?

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SB73 said:
Thanks enuff_zed for the feedback and advice.
Removed the black plastic cover this morning, the brass plunger was still able to move and not seized. Tried the roof with the black plastic cover for the Bowden removed - still the same, no movement from the roof :(
The roof has not worked since the previous owner replaced the pump. He replaced the motor and spacer block, not the pump head - i know this as i have the old units).
How do i check to see if the pump head is ok and the drive-pin is in place?

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First line your boot with old rags to catch any oil.
Then undo the two allen-key headed bolts that go up through the spacer and into the pump.
Carefully (very carefully) lift the motor and spacer away from the pump head.
You should see a round white plastic disc in the spacer section. This has a series of holes. In one of those holes there should be a metal pin which engages in a corresponding hole in the pump to turn it. This may fall out as you separate the two parts.
There are also three tiny pins that fit horizontally into the spindle and again may fall out.
If that metal drive pin is missing then the pump will spin the plastic disc but there will be no connection to turn the pump.
It does not matter which of the holes the pin sits in on the disc, as long as it correctly engages in the pump unit.
 
Just to add to this, I've found there are quite a few videos on line that show how to replace the motor. Watch closely on those and you will see how the drive pin fits.
To clarify a little, it goes into a single hole in a metal circle on the bottom of the pump. It is this disc that contains the the three tiny pins. If you lift it off it's shaft you should see if those pins are there. If they've gone missing then that too will stop it working.
If you do happen to find any of these bits missing then they are hard to replace individually. You could try contacting Alan (Number5) who I believe has accumulated a fair stock of spares having done many, many roof motor jobs. Or Stuart (bigwinn) may be able to help.
 
I've taken the pump apart and the drive pin is in place.
Examined the bottom of the pump and have found that only two pins are present - also the metal disc where the drive pin is located does not appear to be concentric with the bearing.
Do you think adding the third horizontal pin will help or does this part of the pump need to be replaced as the disc appears to be off-centre?

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Not sure how important the missing pin is, but the offset of the disc looks a bit odd.
Having said that, once the pin is correctly located in the plastic drive disc within the spacer then it would have to hold the whole thing central, or the pin would rip out of the plastic. Check that all looks ok too.
I'm starting to lean towards you needing a new pump tbh. Run out of things to check. Think you have to buy the whole thing. Not sure you can get replacement internal parts.
 
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