pegdrag

So after messing about with my own convertible top for several weeks, I threw up my hands and took it to a very good local independent. It was not opening or closing and was stuck about an inch from closing. Everything seemed to be in working order, but the top did not work.

The independent pulled the controller and checked the solder joints, which he declared to be fine, checked the microcircuit switches, gears, and motors also fine.

He checked the cables, also fine. He undid the screws and worked the top manually, also fine. He then "reset" the electronics, converted it back to electronic operation and the convertible top now works perfectly.

I've used him for years as do many of the members of the local Porsche owners club and he's a wonderful guy.

I'm feeling stupid....what did he reset? I'll ask him when I get back into town, but for my own education could someone hazard a guess? Or is it this:

mstolo

I would like to hear the answer to this one as well. As I too am having top issues that are similar. Mine won't latch once it's gets to the almost closed position. Then I swear at if for a while, come back the next morning and it closes with a mind of its own!

Car25

Similar for me only it decides to close after about 15 minutes of waiting. The top goes up to within an inch or two of closing then it acts as if the battery is unhooked - nothing. Pushing the top up button has no response. Come back in 15 minutes and it closes as it should.

pegdrag

I'm not an expert and we have experts here, but I gather most of these intermittent issues involve a bad controller with failing solder joints. The controller box did not look bad when I pulled it and having the independent guy confirm that it looks good is reassuring.

The other issues apparently are failing microswitches at the windshield motors and on the parking brake.

There may be more magic involved. I've read every dang thread I can find on this, but no firm conclusions on my part.

I'll ask the Indie later this week.

Rdelvalle

If you removed the controller I would have re-solder the connections. Particularly the connections to the connectors on the board. Removing the controller is the bigger job. Re-soldering the connections is easy. They call it cold solder joints but that is not the root cause. Cold solder joint is when you solder the joints and there is not enough heat applied. The condition on this boards is that the solder joints crack with time and vibaration. Particularly the connector ones. The connectors apply a great amount of stress to the joints.
When the solder joints are compromissed you get intermittent failures. I posted a DYI that shows the cracked solder joints. in the picture I psoted you can see the cracked joints. Has never failed after i re-solder the board. more than a year ago. I have my top in auto not manual.

mgianzero

Even though we have different control modules in our targas compared to cabs, we sometimes get an intermittent targa top "crawl" whereby only one of the motors works. I've isolated my problem to the relays whereby the solder joints break as described by Rdelvalle. If you wait about 15 minutes or so after driving the car, it works fine. Seems to be more affected by cold weather where it acts up more. A resolder or replacement of relay fixes the problem.

jotaking

Is it possible for the roof electronics to get out of sync with the mechanical operation?

Therefore a reset would be...manually returning the roof to start position and resetting the electronic module to start from zero again?

I'm no expert, just a hunch?

pegdrag

I promised to get back with you after talking with my independent, Aaron Blosh of http://www.aaronsautowerks.com/.

I picked up the car last night and everything does indeed work.

He said that indeed the first place he looks for problems is the controller and the solder joints. He pulled the controller and all was fine. He agrees that if the controller looks bad, he resolders it. He then checked all the microswitches starting with the motors. All of those checked out. He then converted the top to manual and opened and closed it manually. As Jotaking suggested above, Aaron suggested that the electronics get out of step with the mechanics. He doesn't rule out the possibility of a bad solder joint, but nothing looked bad in the box.

His suggested sequence of failure for a stuck top without obvious cause is:
1) Controller
2) Switches
3) Mechanics (motors/cables/etc)
4) Hand waving and cursing at Porsche. He commented that he hates to work on these tops.