Just a little confused, top will go down with the electric motor once you get away from the windshield. It will not go up, you can hear it working, but NO-GO, you can help it by hand, but most of the work is being done manually....thoughts, where do I start (98 Z3, 28,000 miles)
Last edited by deni2s; 11-05-2017 at 07:22 PM.
Easy answer--disconnect the piston and just do it manually. More complicated answer--sounds like the reservoir is low on hydraulic fluid--possibly a leaky piston--investigate.
Actually sounds like normal functioning to me... You unlatch then push away from windshield frame to put the top down or pull towards the frame to close and latch it. That is why latches are manual.
Last edited by BimmerBreaker; 11-06-2017 at 11:24 AM.
2002 M Roadster, Steel Gray Metailic, Gray Nappa Leather, Black Soft Top, Steel Gray Metailic Hard Top, TC Kline Double Adj Shocks with H&R Springs, Stromung Exhaust, SSR Type C Wheels. Looking for a new home.
2022 Z4 M40i, Misano Blue Metallic, Prem Pkg, Driver Assistance Pkg
2023 X5 M50, Phytonic Blue, Black Extended Merion Leather, Driving Asst Pro Pkg, Park Asst Pkg, Exec Pkg, Climate Comfort Pkg.
Thanks good start....I'm not against the manual process, the queen not so much
Last edited by khammack; 11-06-2017 at 11:19 AM.
2002 M Roadster, Steel Gray Metailic, Gray Nappa Leather, Black Soft Top, Steel Gray Metailic Hard Top, TC Kline Double Adj Shocks with H&R Springs, Stromung Exhaust, SSR Type C Wheels. Looking for a new home.
2022 Z4 M40i, Misano Blue Metallic, Prem Pkg, Driver Assistance Pkg
2023 X5 M50, Phytonic Blue, Black Extended Merion Leather, Driving Asst Pro Pkg, Park Asst Pkg, Exec Pkg, Climate Comfort Pkg.
Ah yes that was definitely confusing. I edited it and tried to clarify it a bit...
Either way seems like its normal. Some Z4's have full power tops, with motors for latches and the front hinge in the top... but that just adds more complexity and weight... Z3 top design is beautifully simple
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The power top is supposed to rise by itself without manual assistance. If manual assistance is required to raise the top, not only is something wrong, but you are probably not able to raise the top as fast as if it were freed from the hydraulics. Until the problem is fixed, you can use a little Tee handle on the pump to change to manual operation.
http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...3#post29228343
BMW MOA 696, BMW CCA 1405
Getting plenty of ideas...let me clarify to better sort the thoughts (1) down cycle, push top away from windshield (about 4"), foot on brake, hit the switch, she lowers....going up, foot on brake, hit the up switch, motor runs, no movement, reach around pull halfway up and it has enough guts to finish the job. I understand its an electro/hydraulic motor, how do you refill hydraulics, bleed if needed, and eliminate this as the issue, thanks in advance
Remove the driver (left) side trunk liner and you can see it all
This is where the oil level should be in the pump (from the Randy Forbes collection) ...
2002 M Roadster, Steel Gray Metailic, Gray Nappa Leather, Black Soft Top, Steel Gray Metailic Hard Top, TC Kline Double Adj Shocks with H&R Springs, Stromung Exhaust, SSR Type C Wheels. Looking for a new home.
2022 Z4 M40i, Misano Blue Metallic, Prem Pkg, Driver Assistance Pkg
2023 X5 M50, Phytonic Blue, Black Extended Merion Leather, Driving Asst Pro Pkg, Park Asst Pkg, Exec Pkg, Climate Comfort Pkg.
2002 M Roadster, Steel Gray Metailic, Gray Nappa Leather, Black Soft Top, Steel Gray Metailic Hard Top, TC Kline Double Adj Shocks with H&R Springs, Stromung Exhaust, SSR Type C Wheels. Looking for a new home.
2022 Z4 M40i, Misano Blue Metallic, Prem Pkg, Driver Assistance Pkg
2023 X5 M50, Phytonic Blue, Black Extended Merion Leather, Driving Asst Pro Pkg, Park Asst Pkg, Exec Pkg, Climate Comfort Pkg.
Ah yes I totally misread what was happening from OP's post.
I would check the hydraulic ram for leaks. It is located behind the driver's seat towards the outside of the car behind the carpet.
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My top also needs help when its in the down position. The pump doesn't even run until the top is lifted about 1 inch, otherwise it works fine.
Its almost like its hitting an end-stop switch that stops the pump when the top is all the way down, but this is disabling the pump completely so it won't turn on to raise the top. Lift the top up an inch and the motor runs fine and closes the top.
I haven't had time to try and diagnose the cause, I've just observed the symptoms.
It is a bit of a contortionist act to press the roof-up button and raise the top an inch at the same time, but still handier than having to get out to raise/lower the top in manual mode.
Edit with additional information:
My top switch is broken and bypassed. This switch shouldn't play into the problem when fully closed as far as I know.
Last edited by TheDrip; 11-08-2017 at 01:05 PM.
You must raise the front of the top because there is a safety switch that prevents the motor from running. It's not a "fully" automated top. Raising the front section by hand is normal as far as opening goes. Closing the top should start as long as your foots on the brake. Check the safety switch at the knuckle of the front section it may be the cause of it not wanting to go up
Last edited by z3forlife; 11-08-2017 at 07:26 PM.
Make sure too that the T-handle for the valve is turned fully clockwise (closed).
In the event that you do want to operate the top manually, turn that same valve handle fully counter-clockwise to bypass the cylinder.
Of course, ALL THAT information is well documented in your owner's manual.
(And thanks Ken, saved me the trouble to look for the picture!)
2002 M Roadster, Steel Gray Metailic, Gray Nappa Leather, Black Soft Top, Steel Gray Metailic Hard Top, TC Kline Double Adj Shocks with H&R Springs, Stromung Exhaust, SSR Type C Wheels. Looking for a new home.
2022 Z4 M40i, Misano Blue Metallic, Prem Pkg, Driver Assistance Pkg
2023 X5 M50, Phytonic Blue, Black Extended Merion Leather, Driving Asst Pro Pkg, Park Asst Pkg, Exec Pkg, Climate Comfort Pkg.
I know this is a rather stale thread, but I feel the need to post my surprising solution to the OPs problem. I had exactly the same behavior: the top would retract fine but would struggle to close/raise. Sometimes it would manage (very slowly) to close but most times it couldn't overcome the first 12" or so. If I helped it start it would close the rest of the way, albeit quite slowly. It was getting pretty bad and I was looking into what parts I might need to rebuild or replace.
As luck would have it, I had to remove the hydraulic pump in order to replace my antenna grommets. This gave me an opportunity to inspect the pump and fiddle around a bit. At first I thought the fluid level was low, but then I learned how to read the level indicator. Spot on, so not a problem with the level and no leaks present. Hmph. So I think "maybe the pump is bad". Out of pure curiosity, I unscrewed the "emergency" release (the T-handle) to allow manual operation of the top. I raised and lowered it a few times just to get the hang of how it operated in manual mode. Then I screwed the T-handle back in and checked the powered operation of the top. Holy crap! Not only did it work, but it was stunningly fast!! Up, down, up down, drive for a while with it down, up, down, up, wife says "quit playing with it, it clearly works".
I have no real idea *what* part of that operation caused everything to start working but I'm thankful I didn't spend the $300 or so to have the pump rebuilt (or worse yet, $1K+ for a new pump). I don't know how long my luck will hold, but for now I'll take the miracle cure. For those of you with this problem, it's an easy thing to try. The biggest pain is pulling out the trunk cover, which is really quite easy.
Excellent, closing out threads like this are very useful! Thanks Slabhead!the need to post my surprising solution to the OPs problem
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