Ceejay59

Life is good on the farm. I pulled the handbrake cover from the console hoping to wiggle and jiggle the microswitch back to life. As soon as I pulled the cover I noticed what I thought was loose insulation coming out from under the console. I've seen this before and recognized that mice had taken refuge in the console over the cold Chicago winter while the Boxster was supposed to be comfortably resting. I had previously googled "Boxster Console Dissassembly Instructions" and found such on a different site. My keyword search on this site failed to find anything so if anyone would like to see the instructions I found let me know and I'll forward the pdf. They were actually part of a larger installation of a short throw shifter but they served my purpose very nicely. Anyway, I decided that I had to take the console off to clean up the wintering freeloaders' mess and while so doing see if I could get the handbrake microswitch working again. The little pains had chewed through one of the wires to the switch so I spliced in a quick patch and the top is functional again! YEAH! 1schoir, you've been a great help. Twice you've listed the troubleshooting steps in such a way that I don't feel overwhelmed with something I wouldn't have considered attempting otherwise. I'm definitely a DIY'r but this is a different scope of work than I'm used to. If you're ever in Chicagoland I'd like to buy you an adult beverage of your choice and put a couple steaks on the grill. I've still got to work out the issue of the motor not stopping when the top reaches fully closed or open, but it's functional and we know when to take our finger off the activating switch. It may have to wait till fall because the car is just too fun to drive topless! Without having to worry about getting caught in the rain, we're in good shape. If anyone has any suggestions on making the car rodent proof we'd like to hear those too. Thanks again.

We checked for the e-brake idiot light and found that it doesn't come on. I'm going to see if I can find any pics on these threads showing me where the switch is to try to clean it, wiggle it, and/or jiggle it into action. Sometimes these detailed technical procedures work. Hope the weather cooperates for the Boxster Summit.

Maurice, Thanks for the continued help. I hope you had a nice winter. Chicagoland was a long and blustery winter with more snow than I've seen since moving here from VT is '98. Anyway, I did check the fuses right off and didn't see any issues. I'll recheck the specific fuses you detailed only because I was relying on the index that was under the fuse box cover. In all likelihood, I checked them already but who knows. The car was purchased used and you never know if manuals and such things are the originals. I also made sure the brake was pulled up all the way but didn't know to check if the idiot light was on. I'll be troubleshooting further this weekend. The windows dropped when the hardtop was unlatched so I'm assuming that microswitch works. I haven't inspected either and didn't notice they were there. That'll be on the checklist for Sunday. I was reading one of the other threads about top issues and saw the advice to pull the double relay (we confirmed it was the "B" version last fall) and give it a good tap. Also on the checklist. I did rotate the transmissions without the push rods attached last year prior to hooking everything up. The transmissions rotated a full 360 degrees in one direction without shutting off. My friend was so happy to have the ragtop operational again that she just released the switch when the top was closed desiring to have the air in her hair again and putting off resolution of the issue until another time. She hadn't been able to drive the car with the top down for 3-4 years because the clamshell was not hooked up. Anyway, if I can get the top operational again I'll troubleshoot the shutting off of the motor further. I'll be back at it on Sunday and will detail my findings. Thanks again for all your great help.

After rereading my post I must clarify my statement that the motor never stopped running after reaching the closed position. What I meant was that it didn't automatically shut off. Releasing the dash switch that operates the top did cause the motor to stop running.

With Maurice's excellent advice last fall I was able to get my friends' 2000 Boxster S top operational albeit with a couple unresolved issues. The Dash Light never turned off with the top in the closed position and the motor never stopped running after arriving at the closed position. But my friend was very pleased to have it operational after some years thinking it was going to cost $9000 to get it working again so she wanted to enjoy the remaining good weather days and deal with the remaining issues this spring. At the end of the season, after she opened and closed the top multiple times, we opened the convertible top, put the hardtop on, and tucked it away for the winter. When the weather finally got nice enough we pulled her out took the hardtop off and tried to close the ragtop. Nothing happens in either direction now. The dash light remains on but there is absolutely no indication that the motor is turning on. No movement whatsoever in either direction and no noises that would indicate the motor is at least attempting to turn the transmissions. My first wild guess would be the double relay but I'd rather not attempt anything based on wild guesses. Maurice? Are you still offering your expert advice on such matters? Anyone else? Thanks

Thanks Maurice, I'll try your suggestion. I did operate the transmissions in both directions without the top attached prior to full re-assembly. I found that the motor stopped in one direction but not the other. I didn't take the time to try to figure out which way the motors were going (open or close) but in one direction I was able to turn the transmissions a full 360 degrees. At that time I decided to install the top and try to figure it out after. I wasn't looking at the light when I did this experiment so I can't say if it went out or not, but I suspect it didn't. The car was purchased used from a dealer so I don't know if we'll be able to know if the top was original or not. I'll keep you posted but it may be a couple weeks till I can get to it again. Thanks for your continued support. C

Looking at my earlier pic at full size the wires are blue and gray. So it appears to be the microswitch you thought it might be. Where is the female side of this connector located? Thanks C

M, The wires are definitely coming from the top. The top was not attached to the car and the wires were hanging from it when I re-installed it. If you look at the pics from my earlier posts - specifically the one with the top on my workbench - you can see the wires and what appears to be a switch of some sort at the knuckle of the top on the drivers side. Is this the B-Pillar microswitch you're referring to? Thanks C

It does work though! Yeah! Thanks Maurice!

Can the top be closed with the latch in this position? Should it be?

Mostly good news, The top and clamshell are functional again. They open and close smoothly with a few issues yet to be resolved. 1) The clamshell closes tight on the open top but the "Open Top" light never goes out and the motor doesn't shut off. 2) The latch on the front of the top doesn't seem to fit in the valley of the engine cover when left open. The top doesn't seat well at full open. We've been closing the latch prior to completion of the full open position. This works but I don't believe this is normally needed. 3) There is an electical connection hanging from the top that I'm not sure where it plugs in. I thought it was a window defroster connection but it doesn't match the connector for that. I'm thinking adjustment of the top will probably resolve problem #2. Could this also resolve problem #1? I wasn't able to add any more photos. Apparently they are a larger file size than allowed. I'll adjust the camera and get a couple pics.

M, Progress Report! All went quite well this weekend. I was able to replace the broken clamshell lever and hinges and hooked up the v-lever on one side. Because I'm still waiting for a transmission cable I wasn't able to complete the job but all is looking good. I was able to straighten out the transmission on the side that had been damaged and while using my hand to guide the other side the clamshell opened and closed smoothly. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the transmission cable because I believe with another hour or 2 of labor the top will be fully functional again. I'll let you know when it's complete but I'm very happy about what we were able to do on the weekend. I doubt I would've attempted the project without the excellent advice you've provided to date. Thanks for all your help and I'll let you know when the job's complete. C

Maurice, You're right, it'll be that much more satisfying when the top is back in working order. The issues are not insurmountable, though I'm a bit nervous about trying to straighten out the inner fender. I wouldn't be as nervous if it were my car! :0) Thanks for the help. I'm waiting for parts and I'll keep you posted. C

M, So I dug in deeper and I'm a bit discouraged. I found the inner fender on the passenger side sustained some damage causing the transmission to be out of alignment with the clamshell hinges. It's not real easy to see from the pics but the pushrod doesn't line up very well. I also found the transmission cable on the drivers side had been sheared at the motor. Seems like a relatively easy replacement but I'm not sure why it sheared. (the inner cable had sheared directly at the point it meets the outer sheathing) The motor works as do the transmissions but I'm not sure what to do about the damaged inner fender. I'm tempted to try to bend it as close to where it should be as possible. Relay is the new style and the cables are also. (pics of the cable did not come out clear) Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. C

Thanks M, I'm going to be taking another close look at the car this weekend and making final preparations to actually do the repair. I'll take another look for the relay. The pic on it's location shows why I didn't see it. I was looking a little too low. I'm pretty darn sure I've got the "B" version transmissions. If I read information correctly these transmissions determine when the motor shuts off in both directions. If this is correct, I'd like to run the transmissions to the end stopping point in both directions for a couple reasons. First, I tried the motor last weekend to see if the transmissions turned and they did - in one direction. (can't say I'm sure which direction worked - getting old and the memory isn't what it used to be) I'd also like to see if anything else shows up while doing this. At this point all the levers and pushrods are dismantled so it would just be the motor, cables, and transmissions I'll be testing but that's what I want to see. Any concerns about this plan? I'll be taking some pics as well. Thanks C

Maurice, Here's a couple pics of the box of parts I was given. The V-Lever's don't appear to be bent and the top opens and closes effortlessly - at least on the workbench. There is a tab on one of the pushrods that appears to be bent. See the pic. I didn't order a replacement for this part but thinking maybe I should've. Also, I wasn't able to locate the relay to see if it had the black square on it. I found the fuse box under a panel where you indicated the relay would be found. All I saw in there were fuses and a black switch that could be operated through a cutout in the fuse box cover. Was I looking in the right place? I'll get some pics of the top compartment this weekend. I appreciate your advice along the way. Thanks C

Maurice, Thanks for the speedy replies. I had read a lot of the top repair threads in this forum prior to digging in a bit deeper and checked specificaly for the microswitch on the top motor when I had the top off this past weekend. It was not there. I also looked closely at the cables and saw the cross-hatch pattern of the underlying shield. So with a fair amount of certainty I can say we have the "B" version transmissions and the later version of the cables. I followed a link on this website to Porsche's website and downloaded the Parts Katalog in pdf format. I found the hinge lever, pushrod and associated bushings and clips and ordered them from Sunset Porsche - also from a link on this website. They were very helpful and for less than $300 I have the parts I need.......at least so far. It'll be a couple weeks before the parts arrive so I'm looking at Labor Day weekend to perform the repairs. I ordered the pushrod for the passenger side only since the other side was intact. Maybe I should order the other side also? The connectors are red and I guess I may be setting myself up to do this again should the other side fail. Your caution about taking care to make sure the V-Levers are not installed upside down is well noted. After reading that it is clear that installing them in the wrong position could result in bigger problems than we currently have. How do I make sure that they are in the proper position? Your support is much appreciated.

Maurice, I agree, it wouldn't make sense for a dealer to tell her to do something that could cause further damage. Unfortunately, I don't know what did happen. The Boxster is a 2000 Model year and from what I've read here that would make it the "B" version transmissions. I'll try to get some more photos but at the moment all I can do is describe what I saw. The pic on my original post shows the broken clamshell hinge lever pn 98656157201. The only other visible damage is the plastic connector on the pushrod pn 98656127902. Based on some of the threads in this forum I theorize that the pushrod connector gave out, the transmissions got out of synch and when the top stuck she tried to force it down breaking the hinge lever. But I'm speculating and realize it's only that. I did take the hardtop off and examined the transmissions, motor and cables. We tried the switch to close the top and the motor turned the transmissions. When we tried the opposite direction the motor didn't come on and the transmissions were stationary. Is this normal? Should it go in both directions at any point of the process or does it have to reach one end or the other to change directions? One of the big questions I have is regarding the timing of the V-levers. Should I rotate them to either full open or shut position before connecting to the top and clamshell? Service position? I appreciate the technical support this forum offers. Thanks C

Maurice, Thanks for the advice, actually I'm getting involved long after the guide arm broke. Everything is dissassembled including the top itself, the V-lever, pushrods, etc. After reading several posts in this forum I'm assuming the plastic end on one of the pushrods broke causing the top to get hung up while being lowered (owner told me the top was halfway down when it got stuck, and I found a broken plastic connector among the parts) The dealer she called told her to see if she could force the top down and that's where the trouble started. That's where the guide arm got broken and the clamshell slightly dimpled. She took it to the dealer who disassembled everything and gave her a quote for way more money than she wants to spend to fix it right now. The dealer put her hardtop on for her and it's been this way for over a year. Given that I came in after everything was disassembled (no marks on the transmissions to indicate where the V-levers were when taken off) do you think I'm overly optimistic that I can put back into working order. There's a lot of good information here, I have a mechanical aptitude and believe I can do it. I'm nervous about getting everything lined up and adjusted for proper operation but I haven't seen anything that makes me believe I can't do it.

Ceejay: When you are replacing the body colored guide arm, you will have to disconnect the black "hydraulic" pushrod, so just be careful that the clamshell (if it was connected), or more accurately the V-lever, is in a position that does not put the pushrod under pressure as that will make it easier to reconnect. If the black pushrod is under pressure, it's very difficult to disconnect and then can jump off with considerable force. Also, while you are in there, it might be a good idea to inspect and replace the rubber bushes (inserts) that may be worn out. For example, there is one in the hole in the guide arm where the black pushrod's little perpendicular arm gets inserted. When you are pulling off those locking clips, be careful they don't go flying off. Before you start, make a careful notation and take some photos of the position of the V-levers so that you have a starting point when you go to reassemble. Finally, try to figure out what caused the guide arm(s) to break as they should not break under normal operation and you don't want to do this job again. Regards, Maurice.

Thanks to the posts on this website and others I'm about to attempt to repair the convertible top of a friends Boxster 986 MY2000. There's a lot of great information about top repairs but I haven't seen a lot about the clamshell mechanisms. It would appear to be pretty straight forward parts replacements but I want to be prepared when I start the job. Any advice, or better yet, specific threads regarding the replacement of the guide arms and hinge levers for the clamshell actuation? Pic attached.