murfysflaw

So I just list my 993 on Craigslist and Autotrader today and go to convert her back to automatic operation. Was a piece of cake last time and she worked great.

This time, I tightened the bolts back up and it wouldn't work. Motors all ran, but it wouldn't move. Apparently the notches in the top arms and the transmissions were off a tad. I took it all apart and got them lined up, tightened all back up and it appears to work. Run it up, back down a few times when I noticed only one of the arms was doing the work. So I loosen it up again and give it another shot.

Now I cannot get it working at all. The motors all run fine, but she won't budge. It's just an issue w/ the motors that move the top... not locking it down. I don't typically care because if I keep her, she'll be in manual mode, but I want this thing working if I sell it.

Any ideas?

Chuck W.

Personally, I would sell it in manual mode and explain to the new owner the situation. The cost of maintaining these top is power mode is not worth it. In the long run you will save the new owner money. Good luck.

murfysflaw

It may come to that, but I really think it's all operational and I just have something goofed up. It worked great last time I converted it to manual (just after the new top install).

I will probably play around with it a few more hours after work this week and see if I can sort it out. If not, I'll button it back up in manual mode before the next person wants to see her.

95cab

If the motors are running fine and the tops not moving, what are the cables doing? Are they off a pulley somewhere? These tops are tough - if you want to get it to work, this is one of those rare cases where the general consensus seems to be to bring it to a dealer. You will expand your market substantially if you sell it with a top that works, too, which is especially important these days.

murfysflaw

I agree... I found a writeup on the whole thing from pcarworkshop I think and am going to give it a whirl. From what I'm reading, sounds like it may be very simple like one side of the cables has come loose from the motor.

Slow Guy

While I don't disagree with having the top in manual mode (mine's been in manual since the week I bought it) any savvy buyer would want to know the system works before they buy it. If I was looking and the seller couldn't make the top work I would have to assume it didn't and adjust my offer price accordingly.

k722070

your first post reads like you took the gears apart, but I thought I'd post anyway.
if the bolt is even the slightest bit loose when the switch is pressed it will run right off the big gear. when aligned there are only 1 or 2 teeth left before the gap in the gear so it spins off easily.

MarkD

+1

Good luck Patrick!

murfysflaw

Not sure what you mean by "took the gears apart". I did ultimately remove the big bolt and disconnect the top from the transmission mechanism so I could get it lined up, but I didn't take anything else apart. I'd done that before when it stopped working and I found the transmissions loose.

k722070

sorry, after you remove the carpeted panel next to the rear seat, you will see a black circular hunk that the cable feeds into.
the big bolt goes thru the middle(make a note of the order the washers are in when you pull out the bolt), and then there are 4 screws holding it in place and together.
inside the black circular hunk there is a big gear with a pie shape cut out. the little gear fits on the last tooth of the big gear next to the cutout.
this might sound bad but that's just my inability to explain. once you pull it off and apart you'll see its a pretty easy mechanism to deal with. the only hard part is that you have to sit backwards in the little back seat area to do all of this since the cables need to be connected to set the gear.
you will also probably need to press the up/down switch to see which way the little gear turns to know where to place the big gear. remember that if the other side is loose when you press the switch it will run off the gear, and if other side is bolted down and you press the switch you could put enough strain on the cable to break it. so only press the switch for a second.

allill

I might have to do this too...

murfysflaw

I think that lines up w/ the write-up I found. Going to tear into it tonight or tomorrow night and see what I find. I am thinking one of the cables has come loose somewhere along the line, either at the motor behind the seats or w/i that "transmission" on the side.

e9stibi

This might help.

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...ue-update.html

The top is not rocket science and a lot can be repaired instead of replacing. There is even German guy on on ebay that sells the stripped gears for the locking motors. The cables can be fixed (just see my posting above), etc. Just make sure that you never operate automatically when the motion is not smooth. It can bend and brake parts which will be much more expensive to fix.

murfysflaw

Ok... got it working. It only took me a few minutes after letting it sit and allowing my frustration to die down. I just didn't have things lined up quite right on one side. Now I have to button it all up, but I've run it up and down 4 or 5 times perfectly just as before.

Whew...

Chuck W.

Good deal. Good luck with the sale!