I have been fiddling with the roof as the motor went and after putting it back together, when pressing the roof down button, the light comes on orange indicating that the cage in the boot is in the up position. I have checked and it is in the down position. Does anyone know where the wire is to detect that the cage is down?
roof no longer detects that the roof cage is down
- Thread starter Sephanite
- Start date
Shipkiller
Veteran
How hard was it to remove the softtop assembly from the car?
ive got it! there is a device dead centre. u can see it when both clips are clipped up. the carpet wasnt put in properly so the roof didnt hit the switch to tell the system the roof is down. pushed the carpet flush and works a treat
to remove the soft top wasnt that hard at all. if u can take out the box in the boot with the 4 clips and push it up, there are a couple of bolts to undo... that is it. but the motor for the roof is very deep down. its a shame i cant reach it from under the car.
to remove the soft top wasnt that hard at all. if u can take out the box in the boot with the 4 clips and push it up, there are a couple of bolts to undo... that is it. but the motor for the roof is very deep down. its a shame i cant reach it from under the car.
Shipkiller
Veteran
I will be pulling the top sometime here very soon. I have to order the motor and a bottle of hydraulic oil and I will be set.
Shipkiller, I doubt you will need the oil. The new motor is prefilled and appears to be self bleeding.
Do check carefully the two terminals on the motor for + and -. My dealer (who finished the job for me)
found the new motor was marked differently and having installed the hood found that the "up" button
lowered the hood and vice versa. Obviously they then had to take it all out again to swap two wires.
You might want to consider buying a new motor housing, since your old one will probably be waterlogged
and the foam inside will take ages to dry out. Best maybe to have a new one and do all the butyl sealant
and tape thing on it to ensure no water gets in for the future.
I have it on the dealers authority that it is possible to remove the hood without all the trim removal first.
(Behind the seats etc.) It's only the access to the (2 per side) main allen bolts behind the "B" posts that
is needed. There is a plug and what looks like an air vent that hide these.
The main thing is to check you have ALL the bolts out around the rear "hoop" which runs round the hood base.
On mine there were more than the BMW TIS said! It was one I missed that took me to the dealer (and led
to them getting a generous goodwill amount out of BMW despite the warranty being expired.
Like all these jobs, the second time you do it, it will be easy!
Best of luck and regards
Mick
Do check carefully the two terminals on the motor for + and -. My dealer (who finished the job for me)
found the new motor was marked differently and having installed the hood found that the "up" button
lowered the hood and vice versa. Obviously they then had to take it all out again to swap two wires.
You might want to consider buying a new motor housing, since your old one will probably be waterlogged
and the foam inside will take ages to dry out. Best maybe to have a new one and do all the butyl sealant
and tape thing on it to ensure no water gets in for the future.
I have it on the dealers authority that it is possible to remove the hood without all the trim removal first.
(Behind the seats etc.) It's only the access to the (2 per side) main allen bolts behind the "B" posts that
is needed. There is a plug and what looks like an air vent that hide these.
The main thing is to check you have ALL the bolts out around the rear "hoop" which runs round the hood base.
On mine there were more than the BMW TIS said! It was one I missed that took me to the dealer (and led
to them getting a generous goodwill amount out of BMW despite the warranty being expired.
Like all these jobs, the second time you do it, it will be easy!
Best of luck and regards
Mick
Shipkiller
Veteran
Cool.
After looking the TIS, printing out the pages and studying them, I kinda figured you could get the top out without taking all the trim off. Like you said, just the speaker trim and the trim around the 'B' piller...
Was it hard to snap the waterseal (?) around the trunk (boot)?
I was going to seal this motor so well that even if the car was submerged, at least the motor would be dry...
After looking the TIS, printing out the pages and studying them, I kinda figured you could get the top out without taking all the trim off. Like you said, just the speaker trim and the trim around the 'B' piller...
Was it hard to snap the waterseal (?) around the trunk (boot)?
I was going to seal this motor so well that even if the car was submerged, at least the motor would be dry...
Was it hard to snap the waterseal (?) around the trunk (boot)?
Hi Shipkiller
It takes a good pull to get it off. The rubber seal has metal "teeth" moulded inside it which grip the
trunk surround. Mine also had a putty like sealant inside the seal. You will inevitably get some on
your hands and transfer it to the hood fabric, so take care/use masking tape. I found that white
spirit and soapy water cleaned it off though. You will need some really strong double sided adhesive
tape for putting the rubber tops on the "B" pillars back, unless you get new ones.
I did slightly readjust my waterseal on one corner (dealer hadn't got it quite to my liking) and found
that a silicon spray lube on the metal trunk surround and rubber seal helped it slide into the correct place.
You can do all the preparation work on your own, but it's a two man job removing and replacing the
hood assembly. There are electrical connections to be disconnected behind the "B" pillar trims, so
check these are done before you haul it out!
Regards
Mick
Hi Shipkiller
It takes a good pull to get it off. The rubber seal has metal "teeth" moulded inside it which grip the
trunk surround. Mine also had a putty like sealant inside the seal. You will inevitably get some on
your hands and transfer it to the hood fabric, so take care/use masking tape. I found that white
spirit and soapy water cleaned it off though. You will need some really strong double sided adhesive
tape for putting the rubber tops on the "B" pillars back, unless you get new ones.
I did slightly readjust my waterseal on one corner (dealer hadn't got it quite to my liking) and found
that a silicon spray lube on the metal trunk surround and rubber seal helped it slide into the correct place.
You can do all the preparation work on your own, but it's a two man job removing and replacing the
hood assembly. There are electrical connections to be disconnected behind the "B" pillar trims, so
check these are done before you haul it out!
Regards
Mick
Shipkiller
Veteran
I plan on taking lots of pictures and doing a write up on this...
Sephanite, do you have any other suggestions as to what couldve been causing the problem? Ran into the orange light today and I messed with the switch for a little bit, but not a clear diagnosis as it did not resolve the problem. Im not ruling it out as the cause, but do you have any ideas?
Thanks!!
Thanks!!
Shipkiller
Veteran
mickt,
I started on removing the top today.
The problem I am having is after everything (electrical) is disconnected and you have removed the four bolts that mount the pistons to the car, the TIS wants you to pry the front edges of the hoop out and pull them up. I removed seven 10mm bolts the the front edges won't move. I keep looking for an extra bolt but cannot find it.
Is the spring steel for the hoop that strong?????
I started on removing the top today.
The problem I am having is after everything (electrical) is disconnected and you have removed the four bolts that mount the pistons to the car, the TIS wants you to pry the front edges of the hoop out and pull them up. I removed seven 10mm bolts the the front edges won't move. I keep looking for an extra bolt but cannot find it.
Is the spring steel for the hoop that strong?????
Shipkiller
Veteran
Figured it out. The top must be at least part way closed...
Shipkiller said:
Happy that you sorted it. I remember I had to haul it up and down several times for one
thing and another. (Also managed to scratch the back of the roll hoop covers with the
"hooks" on the front rail of the hood!).Hope you avoided this and the rest of the project
has been uneventful.
Shipkiller
Veteran
The top is out of the car and on the garage floor. I have the new pump in hand but still waiting on the 'sound enclosure' to arrive. You were right, the foam was SOAKED......
Now that I have done it, I could get the top out of the car in less than three hours. Of course that does not take into account the 20 mins it took for me to get out of the trunk, once I got in there......
Now that I have done it, I could get the top out of the car in less than three hours. Of course that does not take into account the 20 mins it took for me to get out of the trunk, once I got in there......
Shipkiller
Veteran
The old motor was so corroded, I cannot find any marks denoting positive and negative.
Without these marks, my plan is to replace the wiring in the exact same position. Of course if this is backward, i will be pulling the top backout to Swap them...
Without these marks, my plan is to replace the wiring in the exact same position. Of course if this is backward, i will be pulling the top backout to Swap them...
The new pump should have a paint mark on one of the terminals. Maybe you could check with a dealer
to see if it denotes + or - ?
(My guy discovered that the marking on mine was reversed compared to previous ones)
Hope you get it right first time. I did say the job would be easy the second time, though!
Know what you mean about climbing in and out the trunk, though :lol:
to see if it denotes + or - ?
(My guy discovered that the marking on mine was reversed compared to previous ones)
Hope you get it right first time. I did say the job would be easy the second time, though!
Know what you mean about climbing in and out the trunk, though :lol:
Shipkiller
Veteran
Well, the cover came in today and the pump is inside it now. I have sealed that thing really well.
If the terminals are reversed, I plan on just reversing the two wires in the plug..for now. With all that RTV, it will be a bitch to get it open again.....
If the terminals are reversed, I plan on just reversing the two wires in the plug..for now. With all that RTV, it will be a bitch to get it open again.....