Roof motor not working - pump failure or electrics?

whats AUC? if you fancy taking your roof off i dont mind helping you in return you help me when i get my motor?
 
Shipkiller said:
NO BLEEDING IS NEEDED. It's self bleeding.

Are you sure you torqued the hydraulic lines properly. eg. tight enough?

If not, you COULD be getting air in the system and a couple of cycles bleeds out the air. AND you could have a small leak. The oil will come out the bottom drain system.


Now that you mention this when I was tightening the hydraulic lines I had a hard time stopping them to move as is they were still loose. I did mange to stop them moving but I don`t know if they are thight ( torqued) enough. At first it was working OK but now it won`t even move the top up more than half way. Also can you tell me if the hydraulic line need to be line up ( once thight mine were offset a bit). If I were to remove the top again would it be a good idea to change the seals of the hydraulic lines.
By the way a big thank you for both of your posting on how to remove the top and replace the motor. They were excellent and I could not have done it without these.
 
Hi, sorry to hear you are having problems after replacing your motor. I did mine a couple of weeks ago, also a huge thanks to
shipkiller for his website, couldn't have done it without it.

When I bought my new motor from BMW I bought the 'hydraulic repair kit'. This contains new copper seals for the hydraulic
lines. It also includes the butyl cord to help seal the enclosure. It is worth replacing the seals. Sounds like you may not have tightened/sealed the system properly so the lines may be leaking hence the slow performance. Alternatively is your bypass
cable in the boot fully off?

FYI the hydraulic fluid from BMW is £15 a bottle!

Was your motor water damaged/wet? If so I hope you cleaned your drains thoroughly as well. Mine were both blocked!

Mark
 
mwill195 said:
Hi, sorry to hear you are having problems after replacing your motor. I did mine a couple of weeks ago, also a huge thanks to
shipkiller for his website, couldn't have done it without it.

When I bought my new motor from BMW I bought the 'hydraulic repair kit'. This contains new copper seals for the hydraulic
lines. It also includes the butyl cord to help seal the enclosure. It is worth replacing the seals. Sounds like you may not have tightened/sealed the system properly so the lines may be leaking hence the slow performance. Alternatively is your bypass
cable in the boot fully off?

FYI the hydraulic fluid from BMW is £15 a bottle!

Was your motor water damaged/wet? If so I hope you cleaned your drains thoroughly as well. Mine were both blocked!

Mark


Thanks for the comments. Yes my old motor was wet and all rusted. There was a hole in the drain compartment therefore no water in the compartment (it looks like the drain plug was taken out before). But there was water in the housing for the motor.
I guess from the comments I got that I did not torque the hydraulic line enough ( does anybody know what number I should torque it to) or that my old copper seals were faulty. I will take out the top again and make sure that I have a hydraulic repair kit to change the copper seals.
As my housing for the motor was all wet ( insulation as well) I think I will get a new housing as well.
Also I noticed that my emergency release switch (the Bowden Cable Assembly) was attached to the motor by only two screws rather than three screws. One of the screw was missing and the platic hole where the screw was suppose to go on the Bowden switch was also broken. That said I will put in a new Bowden Cable assembly. As I only have two screws for it does anyone know if the Bowden Cable assembly come with the three screws or if you have to order them separately. I would hate to have everything apart asnd still missing one screw.
I can probably use the oil from the old motor as it did not seem contaminated.

Thank you all for the tips and I will let you know how I make out.

Cheers to all :)
 
True hydraulic repair kit also includes a load of cable ties and replacement screws for the Bowden cable assembly. It is worth adding some threadlock to the screws as per the original BMW screws to keep them in place.

The repair kit is around £35 iirc which is a lot for a few copper washers and screws!

When I bought mine I asked for trade discount and I got 10% off! Worth a try!

The torque settings are on shipkiller's site.
 
hi guys im new to the forum but have been helped by it befor and now its my turn to help u guys, iv posted in another disscoution myn went last week and got it sorted by a garage in walsall west mids called apac not an indipendent bmw, but my girlfriends dad uses them so iv used then 4 my problems abs fult and my roof they charged me £140 to change the motor and unblock the drain holes he says he done a few , if ur having problems call them on 01922 455 795
 
mr h said:
hi guys im new to the forum but have been helped by it befor and now its my turn to help u guys, iv posted in another disscoution myn went last week and got it sorted by a garage in walsall west mids called apac not an indipendent bmw, but my girlfriends dad uses them so iv used then 4 my problems abs fult and my roof they charged me £140 to change the motor and unblock the drain holes he says he done a few , if ur having problems call them on 01922 455 795
this guys right I had my roof motor changed by these guys and they did an awesome job. For £140 I wouldn't recommend trying it yourself, I had mine off about 4 times it's easy to get off but such a pig to get back on, let someone do it who's got experience, these guys have done loads.
 
mr h said:
hi guys im new to the forum but have been helped by it befor and now its my turn to help u guys, iv posted in another disscoution myn went last week and got it sorted by a garage in walsall west mids called apac not an indipendent bmw, but my girlfriends dad uses them so iv used then 4 my problems abs fult and my roof they charged me £140 to change the motor and unblock the drain holes he says he done a few , if ur having problems call them on 01922 455 795

Motor supplied and fitted for £140 is this garage a registered charity? I thought the motor cost more than that without labour, it's a no brainer if it's correct :|
 
Ewazix said:
mr h said:
hi guys im new to the forum but have been helped by it befor and now its my turn to help u guys, iv posted in another disscoution myn went last week and got it sorted by a garage in walsall west mids called apac not an indipendent bmw, but my girlfriends dad uses them so iv used then 4 my problems abs fult and my roof they charged me £140 to change the motor and unblock the drain holes he says he done a few , if ur having problems call them on 01922 455 795

Motor supplied and fitted for £140 is this garage a registered charity? I thought the motor cost more than that without labour, it's a no brainer if it's correct :|
yes £140 is for the labour. Bear in mind it takes at least 4 hours and it's a specialist job trust me it's good! The roof pump I got for £265 plus vat
 
Hey all, I tried my roof this morning and nothing happened. Tried again 20 miles later and it worked fine, just a little noisier than usual I think. Anyone had problems in the cold or intermittent failure before it completely dies?!
 
EdButler said:
Hey all, I tried my roof this morning and nothing happened. Tried again 20 miles later and it worked fine, just a little noisier than usual I think. Anyone had problems in the cold or intermittent failure before it completely dies?!

When mine went it got progressively slower (which I didn't notice), and then it went. The cold is doing odd things to the zed - starter motor grinding and the other day all power to mine died, by the time I'd check the battery terminals and got to the the glove box, the lights were back on and car started. No battery warning light and fine since then.

I wonder if you have water in the roof motor channel? Blocked / partially blocked drain. It could have frozen in there, around the motor, and thawed once the car warmed up - staggered at how much heat the Z4 pumps out from underneath!
(pure speculation)
 
JimmyPop said:
Think my motor is buggered as well. When I press the button, the roof unlatches and motor continues to make a noise but doesn't move until I lightly thump it underneath. It then continues to open without a problem and closes without any intervention. I'm going to try to move it manually and oil the latches/hinges tonight to see if that loosens things up. Even if it doesn't it's not too much of a worry - thankfully its a BMW AUC (bought in April) so will be covered by warranty.

Only problem is I'll miss having it for this lovely weather! :headbang:


I have exactly the same problem, did you need a new motor in the end? Or does anybody know if this is a sign its on its way out?

Thanks
 
oli445 said:
JimmyPop said:
Think my motor is buggered as well. When I press the button, the roof unlatches and motor continues to make a noise but doesn't move until I lightly thump it underneath. It then continues to open without a problem and closes without any intervention. I'm going to try to move it manually and oil the latches/hinges tonight to see if that loosens things up. Even if it doesn't it's not too much of a worry - thankfully its a BMW AUC (bought in April) so will be covered by warranty.

Only problem is I'll miss having it for this lovely weather! :headbang:


I have exactly the same problem, did you need a new motor in the end? Or does anybody know if this is a sign its on its way out?

Thanks

I had the same. If the motor is still running try lubricating the latches and slots on the front of the roof and all pivots/hinges, it cured mine which now whips up and down very smoothly even in this cold. Worth trying before replacing a motor.
 
[/quote]
I had the same. If the motor is still running try lubricating the latches and slots on the front of the roof and all pivots/hinges, it cured mine which now whips up and down very smoothly even in this cold. Worth trying before replacing a motor.[/quote]

Thanks! Lubed the latches and all is fine again!
 
I had the same. If the motor is still running try lubricating the latches and slots on the front of the roof and all pivots/hinges, it cured mine which now whips up and down very smoothly even in this cold. Worth trying before replacing a motor.[/quote]

Thanks! Lubed the latches and all is fine again![/quote]

Glad it worked out :thumbsup:
 
I have had both sets of motors fail twice now. Below is what BMW RELEASED as a soluiton. I am gutted to have this problem within the two year warranty period. Now Snows BMW ARE GOING TO CHARGE ME £ 626.00 to put right. Gutted

SUBJECT
Convertible Top Hydraulic Pump Damaged by Water
MODEL
Z4 E85
SITUATION
Some vehicles may experience a failure of the soft top hydraulic pump, and when the pump/motor assembly is removed
from the plastic housing, it is found to be damaged by water.
CAUSE
The plastic housing is not adequately sealed, allowing water to enter and eventually build up to the point that it destroys
the pump motor.
CORRECTION
The sealing system to prevent water entry into the housing will be improved in production shortly.
The improved sealing method may be used on earlier cars that experience this problem to prevent any repeat failures.
PROCEDURE
If a pump/motor assembly has been damaged by water, replace the assembly as described in Repair Instructions, Section
54 34 005, and seal the housing as described below prior to reinstalling the top assembly.
Note: It order to clearly show the placement of the sealants, the illustrations below do not include the hydraulic lines and
electrical wires. When performing this repair, use care when installing the pump assembly so that the seal around the
wires is continuous.
SI B 54 03 03
Special Roofs
August 2003
Service Engineering
As illustrated, run a single piece of butyl cord (2), part
number 81 22 9 407 639, around the lower section of
the housing (1) on the lip. Note that the butyl is not run
in the area between the arrows where the hydraulic
lines clip to the housing.
Install the top portion of the housing (2), and press the
two halves together so that the retaining clips snap into
place. Some of the butyl cord will squeeze out from
the joint.
Fasten a strip (3) of black cloth tape or black duct tape
to the housing starting at the retaining clip on the
mounting side and continuing around to the mounting
flange. Press the tape firmly into place on the housing
and on top of the wires and hydraulic lines.
PARTS INFORMATION
This repair will require the following:
Fasten a second strip (4) of tape over the first, starting
at the mounting flange and continuing all the way
around to the other side of the mounting flange.
Part Number Description Quantity
54 34 7 119 633 Hydraulic pump assembly 1
81 22 9 407 639 Butyl cord – 3 mm X 5 M Approx. 40 cm
Locally sourced Black cloth or duct tape Approx. 1 M
 
Hi

Got the same fault !! :headbang:

how mcuh should i pay for a new pump? dealer want £800

ring around at present!! all places!!

Going to have a go fitting it my self !! :?

Could you please give me the price you paid and contact details of your source, thanks

Has anybody looked at scrapyard part out intrest?

Many Thanks

Alan
 
Happened to me weekend before last and I took the car to the dealers on Monday. Luckily it is within warranty, the BMW one year on used car sales. Picked the car up on Saturday and the dealer said it had cost him £900 to sort. Thank goodness I bought it from BMW and not a smaller garage with only 3 months warranty. :D


2007 2.5si Montego Blue
 
@mr h. thanx for posting the phone number.gave them a ring, and going to book my car in.sick to death of being ripped of by london prices.could you please tell me where u ordered the pump from.thanx again. hugo.
 
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