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Thread: Top opens with authority, struggles to close?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Southwest, Ohio
    Posts
    213
    My Cars
    2007 Z4 3.0Si

    Top opens with authority, struggles to close?

    So in the past month or two... Good news is, When I go to open the roof it works with zero hesitation. Bad news is when I go to close, I press and hold the button and I can hear the motor spinning, it’ll come to life and start the roof closing process and gets about half way up it starts making this struggling noise and I finally just lean back and pull if forward every so slightly and it completes the close/lock process just fine. I searched around and most of the problems are listed as roof doesn’t work either way or struggling to open? Before I tear the top out and start checking fluids, hydraulic lines and so on has anybody else seen this problem? Motor was replaced two years ago. Lines looked fine. Been working up and down perfectly ever since. Does colder weather really make this such a struggle? Owners guide states below 40degrees is what to avoid. Today, it’s 60 degrees and I ran the heat full blast for 30+ mins with the roof closed and tried again after everything inside was nice and toasty warm.

    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Mechanicsburg, PA USA
    Posts
    123
    My Cars
    2003 2.5 BMW Z4
    Gravity, it's much harder to lift something, then to bring something down. Since your motor is running fine both up/down I strongly suspect your slowly running out of hydraulic fluid. It explains why "top down" works fine on the down side, since you also have gravity working on your side. Whereas, lifting (Z4 tops are heavy) is against gravity and when you reach the limit of fluid in the system the top basically slowly comes to a halt. Since you believe your lines are ok that only leaves the hinge lifters. The seals within these hinge lifters are an age related item which are know to fail over time. I guessing each time you use the top some hydraulic fluid seeps out.

    I believe there are at least two outfits which actual rebuild hydraulic hinge lifters for convertibles, one in Florida and the other I believe is in the state of Washington.

    I'd check my red emergency top override and if it is in working order (so you can put the top up if it totally fails) I'd honest live with it until it stops working totally.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    165
    My Cars
    2003 Z4 2.5
    I've had my garage kept 2003 2.5 Z4 for 3 years, I considered it low mileage when I bought it. My top gave me no trouble for about 2 years. I gladly put it down at every opportunity . The last few times, it goes down but struggles to come back up and I have to help it up. It locks in with no trouble to the front. I guess I'll have to practice doing it manually. I've done several mechanical items so far, but removing the top and working/ replacing the motor might be out of my skill set.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Southwest, Ohio
    Posts
    213
    My Cars
    2007 Z4 3.0Si
    I removed the top like a month after I bought mine almost three years ago. Needed to replace the hydraulic motor so I know how to pull it apart.
    Was just hoping somebody out there knew something else to try. More than likely, I will pull the roof again and check the fluid level and the two hydro-hinges to see if the seals are leaking from there. On the bad side, I really didn't want to remove the lid again but having the hinges in order will be nice.On the good side, I want to relocate the lift motor to the trunk and get it out of the bowl. One of the main reasons I bought this car was the one button roof up and down for the lovely mrs. We had a Miata before this, and an MGB before that and both were manual roofs and she wanted nothin to do with them.

    I will post pics of the hinges and how much it costs and from where to fix.
    Thanks all,
    Dean

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Mechanicsburg, PA USA
    Posts
    123
    My Cars
    2003 2.5 BMW Z4
    Yea, If you pulled the top prior you already know that the hinge lifters are actually build into the top and the only way of getting them off is when the top is removed.

    Prior to attempting this, You could try pulling the motor thru the trunk and once you have it there, check the hydraulic level. If low***, top it off and see if that cures the top up issue. If this works, you might get away simply topping it off, every so often, for years.

    *** If the Hydraulic level in the Pump/Motor is normal them something within the pump is failing. Yes, I know it's a "new" pump, but....

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