Easy fix for convertible top motors. With Pictures.

[97gstnick]

I know there is another write up for this fix, but I know it would have helped me a little bit if it had pics. So I took some pics while doing mine to help people who need pics too.

You will need...
1. socket set
2. allen wrench set
3. small punch about as thick as a coat hanger
4. hammer
5. diagnol cutter pliers (dikes)
6. wire coat hanger or hard metal of same thickness

Now this fix alone can save you $900! So rest assured that if your motors aren't lifting your top then you might not need new ones! If you hear your motors spinning but there is no top movement, then I bet it is because the pins are snapped. There is a pin inserted in the motors gear that keeps it locked with the motors shaft. Think of it like a clutch. When the pin snaps it causes free movement of the shaft within the gear. With that said, lets get onto the fix...

First you want to remove both rear side panels to gain access to the motors.



Once you have clear access and locate the motors its time to remove the hardware. You will notice it is two torx screws and two 8mm bolts holding it in. Make sure you mark the motors and not get the left confused with the right.



You need to remove the long part of the motor assembly (cylinder shape) from the gear reduction housing (box shape). It is held together with four allen screws.



Separate the motor from the gear reduction by just pulling them apart. They might be stuck good, but just keep pulling.



Now hold up the motor eye level and you will see where the pin is supposed to be. You might have to clean out a lot of grease to be able to see it. Once you see it, get yourself a punch and hammer that old pin out. This is hole where the pin would be...



Cut yourself some coat hanger about an 1 1/4 inch long.



Now you want to insert the coat hanger into the hole to hold the gear in place.



Compare the length of the coat hanger to the bottom of the gear (widest part). Make sure the coat hanger doesn't hang out past the with of the bottom of the gear or the reduction box won't fit over it.



Reattach the gear reduction box to the motor with the allen screws and tighten it up.



Now put the motor back into its original spot. This may take a while as it can be hard to work it in there but you will get it. You also may need a friend to raise the top up an inch or two and hold it so you can insert the hardware into place correctly. Keep working a cross pattern until the motor is real tight in there. Reconnect the wire harness and check to see if everything works. If it does, put back your rear panel and kick back and cycle through the opening and closing of the top a few times. Do this while thinking about the $900 you saved by just using a little elbow grease!

[97gstnick]

I was informed from a fellow dsmer (4g63-pwr) that he had the problem of the coat hanger snapping. This is true for me as well and I would think for a lot of people also. So here is his fix on it. This is quoted directly from the pm he sent...

The pins fixed the motors. BUT and its a big but, DONT USE HANGER WIRE! I did this and it worked for awhile. But when the top gets to an extreme point in the up or down position it snaps the hanger like nothing. Hanger wire is made from scrap metal and is WEAK. It cant handle the torque from the motors when they cant move the top anymore (their by exerting all the torque on the pin/wire).

So instead I used some Tension Pins frome Home Depot.


I had to drill out the hole to 1/8 size to fit them, but that was easy and well worth the extra strength.

[Defiant]

You will want to re-consider that option. What you are replacing are called "shear pins" (common stuff to anyone familiar with boat propellers). If you replace them with a non-shearing piece, you are making sure the motor incinerates itself when the load on it gets too high.
Although hangers are made of low-tension steel, it is fresh wire. They're not scrap.

[97gstnick]

Originally Posted by Defiant

You will want to re-consider that option. What you are replacing are called "shear pins" (common stuff to anyone familiar with boat propellers). If you replace them with a non-shearing piece, you are making sure the motor incinerates itself when the load on it gets too high.
Although hangers are made of low-tension steel, it is fresh wire. They're not scrap.

I know what your saying, but we are talking about a load that never changes. If the load gets too heavy for the motor to lift that it snaps the pin, that means the motor is bad anyway.

[Defiant]

The load will never change if the top never needs lubrication, or nothing gets in its mechanism to bind it, or someone doesn't unclick the locks before trying to work the top. If the system didn't ever need a fail-safe, the factory wouldn't have put it in.

[97gstnick]

Originally Posted by Defiant

The load will never change if the top never needs lubrication, or nothing gets in its mechanism to bind it, or someone doesn't unclick the locks before trying to work the top. If the system didn't ever need a fail-safe, the factory wouldn't have put it in.

Your totally right. The load will never change if the person keeps up on maintenance and pays attention to what they are doing when moving the top. Simple enough. We can put it this way, if your not confident in your ability to take care of your top then find some shear pins. But coat hanger doesn't work well because it is too soft, mine snapped from just regular use.