2006 Z4, E85 roof malfunction

[colb]

You need to relocate the pump/motor from the well it sits in into the trunk so you can see what's going on with theanual release valve on the pump housing, I suspect its seized. A few light taps with a small hammer and some lube will free it up so the hydraulic pressure is reduced to allow the roof to be raised. Check out the cable action is then working when the red ring is pulled and locked.
Finally relocate the unit in the recess in the left side of the trunk check the oil level in it.




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[Bill Scherer]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for your reply. No noise from the pump. The light on the switch did work. I ended up standing on the seats, right foot on the driver's seat (USA steering), left foot on the passenger seat, and, while facing the back of the car I muscled the roof to the closed position. I needed to do that in order to gain access to the roof motor and pump from within the trunk. I moved the motor and pump into the trunk. The motor had succumbed to the wet bucket syndrome which is why the open and close function of the roof would not work. I have ordered myself a new motor which I will install and keep in a nice dry spot in the trunk. I'll try to post some photos.

 

[t-tony]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for your reply. No noise from the pump. The light on the switch did work. I ended up standing on the seats, right foot on the driver's seat (USA steering), left foot on the passenger seat, and, while facing the back of the car I muscled the roof to the closed position. I needed to do that in order to gain access to the roof motor and pump from within the trunk. I moved the motor and pump into the trunk. The motor had succumbed to the wet bucket syndrome which is why the open and close function of the roof would not work. I have ordered myself a new motor which I will install and keep in a nice dry spot in the trunk. I'll try to post some photos.

Happy you got the roof closed after all Bill. I can post some pictures of where my roof motor was relocated if it would help.

Tony.

 

[Bill Scherer]

Here are some photos.

 

[Bill Scherer]

When I managed to get the motor and pump into the trunk I checked to see that the manual release cable for the hydrualics was free and functioning. It was. I could see that pulling the red ring made the cable move adequately. I assume that because the car has been stored in my garage for over a year, with the roof in the open position, the hydraulic lines may have needed some encouragement. The fact that the roof was difficult to budge leads me to believe that the hydraulics are tight and secure with no leaks.

 

[colb]

I make a point of adding some lube to all the hinge/pivot points annually on mine and treat all the rubber seals with Gummi Pflege Stift Rubber Care to condition the rubber. Best thing you could have done is relocate it to the boot makes it so simple to sort any future problems that may crop up.

 

[Bill Scherer]

I make a point of adding some lube to all the hinge/pivot points annually on mine and treat all the rubber seals with Gummi Pflege Stift Rubber Care to condition the rubber. Best thing you could have done is relocate it to the boot makes it so simple to sort any future problems that may crop up.

Thanks for your help Tony & Colb. I will let you know how things go after I have received and installed the new motor.

 

[Bill Scherer]

Hi Colb,

Is there a method that you recommend for lubricating the hinge/pivot points? And what lubricant is recommended for that?

 

[Nodzed]

White lithium grease. DONT get it on the paint work of the car its a sod to get off I used a cloth behind where I was spraying to catch the excess

 

[colb]

I would be inclined to put some light machine oil on the joints first so it flows into the joints since they have been stood for a length of time without use. You don't need to use much and operate the roof a few times so it gets in the joints. Once satisfied its all free then use the white grease @Nodzed posted, it will help keep the thin oil in the joint.

 

[Nodzed]

I would be inclined to put some light machine oil on the joints first so it flows into the joints since they have been stood for a length of time without use. You don't need to use much and operate the roof a few times so it gets in the joints. Once satisfied its all free then use the white grease @Nodzed posted, it will help keep the thin oil in the joint.

Don't disagree, but the WD40 comes out as a thin liquid and then thickens so it should get into the joint.

 

[Bill Scherer]

I just received my new motor for the convertible top. It looks like an exact match for the old one. Does it make a difference how it gets connected to the wires? There's a green striped wire and a blue striped wire. The New motor has a red dot at one of the connectors, so I assume that means positive. I don't know which wire is positive and which is negative. Does it matter how I make the connectios?

 

[colb]

Go with the red dot as positive feed, the contacts are reversable so you can't damage it with wrong connections.

 

[Bill Scherer]

Success! I replaced the old motor with the new one and my roof now opens and closes. I needed to clean some of the rust off of the mounting plate and connection bolts before attaching the new motor. The old motor was "fried"! You could not turn the shaft to make it spin. I have the attachment area a liberal coating of oil in order to deter further corrosion. But it the motor and pump will be in the trunk now, safe and dry. Thank you all for your help and advice! Thank you also to the creators of this website! You have been extremely helpful and saved me thousands of dollars.

By the way, I was able to determine the positive and negative by looking at the wire attachment points on the motor. There is a slight difference in the attachment points. On the motor the positive connection point has a slightly larger plastic/resin piece with a tiny bit of an appendage. I took some photos of the old motor which I will post. On the one photo, looking down at the end of the motor barrel you will be able to see the difference.

 

[Bill Scherer]

Pic of end of motor barrel.

 

[colb]

You want to drop the entire rusty motor into a container of Diesel and let it soak for a day, take it out and let it drain, clean up the outside and turn it over by hand to check its free to spin. When it is free apply 12v to the terminals and run it so the brushes get a clean up. You will be surprised how this will revive the motor back to life.