Roof Pump
- Thread starter PAH
- Start date
PAH said:
It's on the passenger side (rhd cars) in a well between the door & the rear wheel (see below). If you set the roof halfway you might be able to see it if you move the roof fabric slightly. I use a flexible boroscope connected to my mobile to look into the area. They're quite cheap these days.
You might not be able to see any corrosion as the motor & pump are housed in a plastic chamber which is foam lined. The motor can get wet when you wash the car so don't think it'll be OK just because you don't drive it in the wet. Also you can check the roof drains by pouring some water down the sides of the roof. The water should exit from the cill just in front of the rear wheels (arrowed below). I always do this when I wash the car even though my motor has been relocated to the boot.
Plenty of threads on here about it
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Finland
PAH said:
If you garage your zed then it’s probably not significantly exposed for leaves and similar debris that could block the drains. Proper maintenace routines (vacuuming debris from roof recesses and the well, cleaning the drain plugs) should keep you safe.
I’ve also garaged mine and did the relocation after about 10 years of use - the pump was dry and shiny, like new and retrospectively, the whole relocation a bit overkill. The pump and motor are inside a plastic housing and cannot be inspected without moving them out of the well. The well can be, as oldgitdave pointed out, inspected with a boroscope and to some extent cleaned by attaching a silicon tube to a vacuum cleaner. There’s plenty of threads about the drain plugs (at the lower end of the drains) on the forum. Some remove them completely and some just keep cleaning them. A one minute job if your rear wheel is off for cleaning or other purpose. With some excercise and small wrists the plugs can be reached even without jacking up the car.
North West Surrey
Get it relocated for peace of mind notwithstanding that the car is kept in a garage it won't stop the drains getting blocked over time. Once its relocated in the boot it is far easier to service it in the future should it require attention. It dosn't take up much room in the boot, mine lives behind the carpet in the small recess on the left hand side you wouldn't know its there if you didn't know. The guide I used when I did mine is here https://zroadster.org/threads/z4-roof-motor-relocation-to-boot.19256/
If you don't fancy doing it yourself a trip to some of the forum members who do relocations might be an option, one in Bristol Number5 another in Hook, Hampshire, Ross at RBM who has a independant BMW garage there, bet one or both will chip in on here with details when they spot your post.
If you don't fancy doing it yourself a trip to some of the forum members who do relocations might be an option, one in Bristol Number5 another in Hook, Hampshire, Ross at RBM who has a independant BMW garage there, bet one or both will chip in on here with details when they spot your post.
Hi ,had my car now just under two years ,never used in the wet and always kept in the dry and guess what,this little motor has been sat in about half a pint of foul smelling water for I dont know how long ,all credit to the motor still trying to work,anyway motor out cleaned dried,relocated and puts the top up and down in double quick time, sod of a job but well worth it,as advised get off your butt and move that motor.good luck
MortenSorth
Member
I'd second the idea of moving it to the boot while it still works - it's annoying when it does fail, and if it's not salvageable, a new one is expensive.
There are people on this forum that can help you relocate it - it's not exactly easy to get to
There are people on this forum that can help you relocate it - it's not exactly easy to get to
rsutoratosu
Member
Mine died around 2012/3.. I just got it out past weekend. Sitting in a pool of rust water. I have a new motor and fluid coming. I would not recommend leaving it in the original location.
If your car lives in a garage and never sees rain then I don't really see the point in relocating it. My zed lives outside and the roof motor died a few months ago. Annoying, because I was told that it had been replaced just before I bought the car and properly sealed. It's not overly difficult to move to the boot, but is a bit fiddly and frustrating. I did it in a couple of hours.
If I were in your position I wouldn't bother.
If I were in your position I wouldn't bother.
