Boston911fan

My top broke yesterday as I was putting it down. It stalled halfway and then started to twist and contort. There was no crunching sound like some people have experienced though. I whipped out my manual (signed by Vic Elford), and managed to lower it manually. It still latches and unlatches electrically to the windshield frame, but one of the edges is a little higher than the other. How screwed am I? A friend of mine says that it may only be one of the cables since I still hear the main motor kick in if I hold the button down after the latch motor does its job. Will the top straighten out after it's realigned??? And how much damage did I do to the frame and the opening mechanism?

vjd3

Ouch ... this is why I operate mine manually, because even if it's all adjusted correctly, eventually it's going to fail on you, with an expensive result.

It's normal to hear the motor run after the top latches when you're in manual mode, even if you remove all the cables and transmissions from the system (which I did on mine).

The fact that it's uneven probably means the frame is at least bent. Whether or not the top is connected to the motors or transmissions has nothing to do with the alignment, unfortunately.

Your best bet is to contact some local dealers and try to find out who the best convertible top guy in town is. I had a guy whose name was Nathan, if memory serves, come out and totally adjust my top. He did work for all the dealers on the North Shore. I got in touch with him through a service advisor at Acura of Peabody. But that was several years ago, and I don't know if he's still around or not.

If you're lucky, someone who knows what they are doing might be able to bend it back into shape. Otherwise, you'll need to find a used frame that's in good shape and have the canvas transferred to it. Check the 964 boards, they have the same top mechanism and there's lots of people there who have gone through what you're experiencing.

Sorry to hear about your problem ... hope it works out for you!

murfysflaw

It's uneven after loosening the bolts and lowering/raising it manually? Yeah... I'd say it's bent then.

Similar situation happened with mine, but once I loosened the bolts and lowered it, it was level again. I used it in manual mode for quite some time before I dug in and found the bolts holding the "transmissions" on each side were loose. Tightened them up and it worked like a dream. I immediately converted it back to manual mode until I was ready to sell it.

Good luck to you! Bad feeling for sure.

Fünfer

I just leave mine in the down position all the time, and parked in the garage over night. And I only use the car on nice days, which fortunately we have a lot of in CA.
With the exception of this year...

jimq

+1 only in Florida

e9stibi

Most likely issues with the cables. Remove the rear panel and access the motor(s) that drive both cables. You can detach the cables easily from the motor without any tools (they are clipped). The internals of the cable should be shaped like a square and the shaft should engage at list 10mm. With time (and heat) the rubber of the cables expands and pushes the shaft this much back that at some point it gets rounded. If this is your problem there is a DYI fix. The search should help to locate more details. New cables are expensive ...

Good luck!

Boston911fan

Should I bring the car to the convertible specialist? He's supposed to be really good. I went to his shop once to get an estimate on a new top (canvas only of course) and he quoted me $1800 installed. I asked him how it could be so much cheaper than other places, and he said that he was more experienced than other places because he had been doing tops for decades, so he's therefore faster and you end up not paying as much labor of course. The local Porsche dealership recommended him to me, which is how I found out about him in the first place. If he is going to have to take off the canvas to get to the frame, then I might as well have him replace the canvas, too, since it has the usual 993 holes in it.

nile13

Who's the guy?

BTW, my roof was $1,660 parts and labor, GAHH roof.

Boston911fan

It's a place called Royal Auto Tops in West Roxbury. I met the guy, George, once, and he seemed very experienced. He's been doing roofs for decades. Where did you take your car? I'm hoping that the frame is not bent too badly where it can be fixed and not replaced...

vjd3

If the top has holes on the corners by the back of the windows, it's because the elastic straps on the metal bar inside have frayed and snapped. That bar is supposed to move and make the top fold correctly as it's going down and keep it away from the locating pins. If the shop doesn't understand that concept, find someone who does. Maybe contact Jerry at EPE in Natick to see if he recommends anyone.

BTW, another good argument for putting the top up and down by hand, you can make sure the bar's in the right place and it's folding correctly and not damaging the material. If the rear boot cover is very difficult to snap into place, that's another sure sign the top isn't folding correctly; the pins hitting the fabric make it sit up higher than it's supposed to so the cover doesn't fit right.

Boston911fan

When I first went to the local convertible top guy, he was able to immediately diagnose this problem. So I'm hoping that he has a great understanding for convertible tops, and that he can bend the frame back into shape. I hope he can do this just by removing the headliner, but if he has to take the canvas off, then I'll save myself the labor and replace it.

vjd3

Sounds like a plan! Let us know how it turns out for you.

(And leave it a manual top when it's done ;-)

Chuck W.

I hope it works out for you. When I had my cab I left the top down all the time. I think I went two years once without putting it up. I would recommend going manual. It cuts down on so many problems and you don't have to worry about getting stranded with a top half up/down.

Boston911fan

Thanks for all of your help! I love Rennlist. If anyone else knows of any other place around Boston that specializes in convertible tops, please let me know.

Steen

And I immediately put it back in manual mode for exactly the same reason.

Actually faster in manual mode anyway, and the peace of mind knowing it won't break is priceless.