a repost from freshalloy but i'm trying to get as much traffic on this as i can...pissin me off...

please help...my top worked a few months ago but now its not working...i can't figure what the hell could go wrong (I dont know too much either that may explain alot), but everything else works...power window, lock, that one quarter window (that has to go down before the top can go down), i can't think of anything...

is there a relay that could have gone bad? where can i start?

Car is in park when you try to lower the top? (maybe broken park sensor?)

Do you hear sound from the hydraulics?

Do the rear windows go down when you try to lower the top?

If no sound and rear windows don't move, most likely either the park sensor or wires to it are broken. Could be other things, but that is the most likely.

It could also be the button. If this were true then the rear windows would not lower.

All relays for the window and top are located behind the back seat.

Darren

Here's the first page of the checklist for figuring out what's wrong with the top. My bet is a blown fuse, but follow this page. The second and third pages go into voltage checking and harness repair. I'm not sure how in depth your mechanical knowlegde is, but this portion of diagnosis pictured is easily done by all.

wow thanks for the fast replies...much appreciated!!!!

more info on what you guys can do to help...

if you just press the rear quarter windows to go down, then it does go down (the bottons in the center concel), but if the rear quarter windows are up, and you try to just use the (down) botton on the convertible down, then the rear quarter window (which are suppose to come down) does not come down...

I have had the car in neutral for a while...then i tried to start it up and noticed it wouldn't start, then i put it into part and now it starts...its just that now the top won't come down

to answer some of your questions:

NO, i don't hear anything from the hydraulics.NO, the rear windows don't go down when i try to lower the top, they do go down by themselves with the center bottons...

***SO, i may need to buy a park sensor if the sensor is bad...NEWBIE QUESTION: How do i test relays? any links would be great!!!

I'm going to go home and check it out...i'll get back on what i can do...

i can't see a couple of relays blowing out like that. here's an idea though. Go to your passenger side fusebox and find the second plug down. Disconnect it from the harness and now focus on the plug that's mounted to the box. Take a paperclip and unfold it so you can jumper two of the connections The wire with the blue/green wire and the wire with the brown/yellow. Connect those by putting the clip ends into their respective connectors. What this will do is trick the car into thinking it's in park. And that will tell you if a sensor has gone bad if the top then works.

But after what you're saying, I'd lean towards saying that the top control switches may have gone out. Have you tried pushing the top up to see if the motor tries to kick in?

tenkawa_akito wrote:i can't see a couple of relays blowing out like that. here's an idea though. Go to your passenger side fusebox and find the second plug down. Disconnect it from the harness and now focus on the plug that's mounted to the box. Take a paperclip and unfold it so you can jumper two of the connections The wire with the blue/green wire and the wire with the brown/yellow. Connect those by putting the clip ends into their respective connectors. What this will do is trick the car into thinking it's in park. And that will tell you if a sensor has gone bad if the top then works.

But after what you're saying, I'd lean towards saying that the top control switches may have gone out. Have you tried pushing the top up to see if the motor tries to kick in?

What he said. Also make sure you know the 3 fuses involved in it going down are still good(not 2 like I had originally thought). The 2 Top stack 20a fuses and the 10a fuse on the bottom most right side of the kickpanel fusebox are all part of making the top go down. I had this same exact problem which is why I mention it

Quote »Here's the first page of the checklist for figuring out what's wrong with the top. My bet is a blown fuse, but follow this page. The second and third pages go into voltage checking and harness repair. I'm not sure how in depth your mechanical knowlegde is, but this portion of diagnosis pictured is easily done by all.[/quote]

i'm back...i have attempted the first two steps...RESULTS:

1.) The two top fuses are not blowned.

2.) I checked the switch...seems fine too...theres like 6 wires or so...all of them BUT ONE will be connected (light up with the tester) when the engine is on...THE OTHER ONE will light up if you press one of the buttons...

3.) I used a ohm meter on the top stack relay connector (the one behind the rear seat), everything seems fine...there was continuity...

4.) PROBLEM: I can't find the top stack main relay that is suppose to be behind the passenger side kick panel...IS it behind the ECU?

Quote »i can't see a couple of relays blowing out like that. here's an idea though. Go to your passenger side fusebox and find the second plug down. Disconnect it from the harness and now focus on the plug that's mounted to the box. Take a paperclip and unfold it so you can jumper two of the connections The wire with the blue/green wire and the wire with the brown/yellow. Connect those by putting the clip ends into their respective connectors. What this will do is trick the car into thinking it's in park. And that will tell you if a sensor has gone bad if the top then works.[/quote]

Thanks but I am alittle slow and not following your directions too well...

1.) Go to your passenger side fusebox and find the second plug down. - CHECK!2.) Disconnect it from the harness and now focus on the plug that's mounted to the box. - What plug? the fuse?3.) Take a paperclip and unfold it so you can jumper two of the connections The wire with the blue/green wire and the wire with the brown/yellow. - We are talking about the wires on the top up/top down switch right? Which two connections? The connections of the fuse box??4.) Connect those by putting the clip ends into their respective connectors. - So bascily i'm just connecting the two wires you mentioned together?

Thanks

Quote »What he said. Also make sure you know the 3 fuses involved in it going down are still good(not 2 like I had originally thought). The 2 Top stack 20a fuses and the 10a fuse on the bottom most right side of the kickpanel fusebox are all part of making the top go down. I had this same exact problem which is why I mention it [/quote]

Check the 10a fuse on the bottom most right side too - CHECK

thanks a bunch so far everyone...much appreciated!!

My bad. I meant on the outside of the fuse box. There are three plugs and they are part of the auto tranny harness.

Zach, the bottom most right fuse is the rev lamp fuse. Do you mean that fuse or the one on the left/bottom called electronics? (it'sa 10A as well)

I did some more scanning for you. This is the top stack relay position cause i remember you making a comment that you were trying to find it.

I swear it was on the bottom right side. I replaced that and the top went down..I'll look tomorrow though.