sealing roof motor + cleaning drains

A

aerojamesz4

Member
After reading all these problems that people seem to be having with their roof motors I feel pretty lucky that I've had none.

As my 04 z4 is now out of warranty, I'm not going to take it to BMW to be serviced in the future. Do non-BMW service centres know to clean the roof drains? Or will I have to do this myself?

Also, with regards to the roof motor problems people seem to be encountering, has anyone removed their roof and sealed their working roof motor just to prevent the problem? Or do the logistics of this put people off as removing the roof is difficult and time consuming... (I'm no qualified mechanic and don't want to cause unnecessary damage to my roof but if a few hours of my time can help me save $$ in the future, why not).
 
Hi , you might know already that im going through this problem at the moment (roof off the car awaiting new motor ) i have decided not to seal the unit , reasons for this is if the drain holes are kept clear you should not have a problem with it failing . After removing i inpected the area where the motor is and i can see where the water has been up to (must of been approx 10 inchs deep ) so it fills the motor cover that surrounds it so even when the water does drain away your motor will still be in water ! If i was you just keep them holes clear :thumbsup:
 
From what I hear BMW don't clean the drains either as it's not part of the service schedule. So taking it to an Indy will make no difference to it's life. It's up to you to keep them clear.
 
aerojamesz4 said:
After reading all these problems that people seem to be having with their roof motors I feel pretty lucky that I've had none.

As my 04 z4 is now out of warranty, I'm not going to take it to BMW to be serviced in the future. Do non-BMW service centres know to clean the roof drains? Or will I have to do this myself?

Also, with regards to the roof motor problems people seem to be encountering, has anyone removed their roof and sealed their working roof motor just to prevent the problem? Or do the logistics of this put people off as removing the roof is difficult and time consuming... (I'm no qualified mechanic and don't want to cause unnecessary damage to my roof but if a few hours of my time can help me save $$ in the future, why not).
Click to expand...

I hope you don't regret youir first comment - never tempt fate! :evil: As for your second suggestion - if I was going to remove the roof I would fit a new motor irrespective of the condition of the old one. If the old one is working - clean it up and sell it on.
 
Please excuse my ignorance :( but can someone direct me to the drain holes??
I must check mine.
 
no fit state said:
Russ59 said:
Please excuse my ignorance :( but can someone direct me to the drain holes??
I must check mine.
Click to expand...


http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7782
Click to expand...


Wow a bit more complexed than I thought it would be
 
Russ59 said:
no fit state said:
Russ59 said:
Please excuse my ignorance :( but can someone direct me to the drain holes??
I must check mine.
Click to expand...


http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7782
Click to expand...


Wow a bit more complexed than I thought it would be
Click to expand...

Without reading through the guide again I can't remember exactly how it tells you to go about it.

What I can say is it can be done without jacking the car and with the wheels on. That should just leave a few bolts to undo and couple of access panels to remove.
 
thanks for all the replies! I had a quick feel for the drain plug the other day but couldn't find it so I'll take a closer look at the DIY and see if I have any success. How is everyone flushing the drains?
 
Using the SEARCH function on the forum is your friend..... All of the info is here on the forum.

Here is a picture of the drain holes with the top out of the car, for reference.

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=11615

Then look at the link 'no fit state' supplied.


With regard to NOT sealing your Soft Top motor housing.

This is a common problem on ALL 2003-2005 models and even some of the newer cars.
One of the changes the BMW made in 2005 is sealing the motor housing. If you have the opportunity, ie, the top is out of the car, then why would you not seal the motor housing? It can't hurt and it WILL keep water out of the housing if you seal it properly. I did NOT want to have to do this repair a second time for a water intrusion issue. My time is better spent doing other things....

but, it's your time and money.....
 
Guys, Just converted from a Mercedes C200 to a BMW Z4 and loving it...well when I get a chance to drive it when the wife isn't. I have read loads of threads and posts of roof motors dying from water entering the chamber that houses the roof motor and to avoid this problem and heart failure from the stealers price for a new motor if mine did fail can someone post me step by step instructions with photos of how to clean and drain the chamber of any water that may collected in it. This will very much appriciated.
:D
Rikesh
 
Rikesh Parmar said:
Guys, Just converted from a Mercedes C200 to a BMW Z4 and loving it...well when I get a chance to drive it when the wife isn't. I have read loads of threads and posts of roof motors dying from water entering the chamber that houses the roof motor and to avoid this problem and heart failure from the stealers price for a new motor if mine did fail can someone post me step by step instructions with photos of how to clean and drain the chamber of any water that may collected in it. This will very much appriciated.
:D
Rikesh
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Glad you're enjoying your Z4.
There's a link to a tread to clean your drains higher up in this thread.
 
What would you guys use to seal your roof motor? I was thinking of using a marine sealant for electronics? (there are spray cans available to spray on top of circuit boards and the like to prevent a short circuit on boats). Don't know if this will affect the motor in a negative way. I assume the motor doesn't heat up too much since it only runs for a few seconds at a time anyway.
 
ZED_NOT_ZEE said:
What would you guys use to seal your roof motor? I was thinking of using a marine sealant for electronics? (there are spray cans available to spray on top of circuit boards and the like to prevent a short circuit on boats). Don't know if this will affect the motor in a negative way. I assume the motor doesn't heat up too much since it only runs for a few seconds at a time anyway.
Click to expand...

Ahh - here's the problem. I recently did my roof motor replacement project and I used Shipkiller's very detailed excellent write-up to do it. If I remember correctly he suggests that you use silicon sealant available from a hardware or auto store. I was so pissed that I was doing this replacement job on a car I had only owned for 2 weeks that I went a different route. I purchased every sealant that the hardware and auto store had and tested them ( i had over 8 ). I wanted this motor super sealed water tight. I found that silicon sealant did not stick as well as I wanted to the type of plastic used for the BMW motor case. I found a product called "Automotive Goop Sealant" that is readily available on the internet and in auto stores that sticks beyond belief. The down side is that silicon sealant may not stick as well but it can be removed if you ever have to do the job again. The "Automotive Goop" is a very permanant sealant and it cannot be removed but it really seals it. So ask me when my roof motor fails again for what ever reason (if it does) if I regret a permanent seal -
http://www.eclecticproducts.com/Automotive.htm
 
Finally took the time today to clean out my 05 2.5i top drains. The method that I used doesn't involve jacking or removing wheels. The whole procedure took less than an hour including removing the lower splash guards on both sides forward of the rear wheels. The inboard 8mm screw on the passenger side is more difficult to access than the driver side but it's doable unless you have huge hands, in which case maybe you can "hire" your girlfriend or wife to help with it. There are two 8mm screws holding the splash guards in place which are in plain sight plus a 10mm plastic nut also in plain sight. There is one more 8mm screw on each side accessed from under the "mud flaps." Remove the 3 top fasteners and move the splash guard around a bit and you will locate the lower 8mm screw.

Reach in and feel around forward for the rubber drains or use a mirror and flashlight to locate them. Once the press fit rubber drains were removed by pulling down on them I inserted a flexible piece of coax cable (with the end snipped off) from the bottom through the now open drain tubes, worked it around a bit to loosen any debri then flushed with water from the top, just behind the window glass where the top meets the side panel (top up). I only had a small amount of debri in the passenger side drain.

It's comforting knowing the drains are clean and I will not (hopefully) have to face a huge job to replace the motor. :thumbsup:
 
Guys back again still loving the Z4, however had a bit of a scare on Thursday when the wife pulled the car in to the drive and I could hear the tappets clicking away in the engine - read on the net and its a common issue if the car is driven on short journeys and gently, so took her on the m/way and opened her up and she quitened down....think she needed to be driven a little hard! Some say its common with BMW's if the oil is low but our was fine...is this the first sign of anything?

Also, considering buying an out door car cover as she wont fit in the garage, but not sure which one to get. I have seen ones for £20 on Amazon and All weather ones from Halfords for £70, i can imagine their is a difference but can anyone advise on which one to go for and can car covers damage the roof and the body work?

Look forward to some guidience and apolgies for the long thread.

Rikesh
 
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