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Followup To
Question -
Hi Roland! You helped me before with a relay problem. All is well with that. Thank you. Now my top will not go down. It used to be tricky to make contact to bring it up (i used to have to play with the button) but now it wont do anything. Any ideas on what I might replace?
Thanks again!
Answer -
Hi Jana,
With the history of a switch that you needed to play with to get action, I would suspect the switch is either dirty/corroded or broken as regards it internal contacts. I don't have direct experience with the switch but if it is mounted on the center console then the you may find a couple of screws at the upper edge of the switch plate which after removal will allow you tilt it forward and then lift it to release tabs that hold the lower edge in place. There is a plug to allow you to disconnect the switch from the wiring. Then you examine and test the switch. Do you have a volt-ohmmeter? If so I can tell you how to electrically test it. If not, then about the only thing to try is to spray electrical contact cleaner (electronics parts store)into the interior of the switch and see if that improves its function.
Maybe before that, you might want to see if you can hear the relay (which controls the main electric power to the motor and like the motor is in the trunk) "click" when you try the switch. If it clicks in both directions then the switch is o.k.
If not, then you will want to check fuse #5 in the fuse box under the dash on the driver's side. If that is o.k. then the switch is the most likely reason for your problem and you will want to do the switch removal, test, etc., above. It the fuse is bad, replace it and then see if you hear the relay click. If you do, then check the circuit breaker in fuse position #3 of the same fuse block where you found fuse #5. If that circuit breaker is in the open position, reset it, and then try the switch again to see if the top will now work. If not, then if you have the relay click sound and the circuit breaker closed and the top motor doesn't work, then in all likelihood the brushes in the motor are worn down too far to operate the motor. If you go to the motor proper you will find the brushes at the end of it and these are replaceable at an electric motor repair shop (might need to file them down a bit to fit).
A final possibility is that the relay in the trunk is itself not working (particularly if we find the switch is o.k.) and that will have to be verified with the voltmeter at that location in the trunk.
I am basing my suggestions on reading the wiring diagrams and what others with power top have reported. So let me know what you find out and maybe we can focus on the part of the system that appears the most suspect (the switch, at this point)
Roland
thanks for your expertise once again, Roland. Unfortunately we are dealing with more than the switch in the console and/or the relay in the left side of steering column fuse box.
I replaced both. The guys at the dealership were beside themselves while I did so in their parking lot. A few mechanics sneaked out to help me even though they weren't allowed to. Maybe it was my short skort (skirt/shorts) & my strawberry blonde hair...NOT
It must have been the fact I brought a kneeling cushion, tools & your response to my prior email printed out. Either way, a few mechanics & the svc mng came out to help a bit. Relay was fine. Switch I replaced in console was fine. They showed me where the motor for the top was in my trunk. Suggested I tap the motor to unstick the brushes. I tried that. No go. You mentioned a voltometer, a friend of mine has one & is bringing it over last weekend, this weekend, next weekend; NEVER. I was able to let the air out of the hydraulic system (SLOWLY) & put the top down manually. It is garage kept but I want the motor to work. Can you tell me what my other options from here are? And where is the relay in the motor in the trunk I may need to replace? Do you have any part #'s by chance? Sorry again for the long winded question. My best to you,
Jana (Roxi)
AnswerHi Jana,
The relay is mounted on the motor mounting bracket in the trunk. I would not buy a part without checking the unit electrically with the infamous voltmeter.It could be that although you don't get a click from the relay in the trunk it may or may not be getting voltage from the activation switch, so you need to check for voltage at the relay to be sure whether the relay is bad or not. First check that there is 12V coming to the relay on the thick red wire connector at the relay. That should be present as should all the other voltage I describe only when you have the ignition key on the run position. If you prove that the relay is getting 12V (compared to a shiney metal surface ofthe body nearby) then similarly check for voltage when you attach/touch one of the leads of the meter* on the red/white wire** when you ask for "raise" and on the yellow/black wire when you ask for "lower";then you know the activation circuit is good. Then if that test passes, disconnect the wire from the relay to the motor and measure across the two terminals of the feed side from the relay. It should read 12V either way you move the activation switch, just a reverse of the polarity of the voltage between raise and lower. If that works, then the problem is the motor, more than likely that the brushes at the end of the motor are worn down too far to make contact with the armature. You can remove the brushes and go to an electric motor repair shop and get replacements that if not the exact size you need can be filed down to the right size.
So that is how to approach it. Let me know the results of these tests.
Roland
*If your pal is unreliable then you can buy a very simple neon glow tube for under $5 from an auto parts store that will indicate by its illumination whether or not you have the 12V present as I have described.
**the red/white wire will be the one on cross-piece of the T-shaped electrical connector with that color wire arriving at the relay, and similarly the yellow/black will be the cross-piece of the T on the other connector.
