I'm talking about #10 in the diagram. Every 3 or 4 times I raise and lower the top it will come off of the ball (#38, I think?) I can find the push rod for sale, but I'm not sure if it's the push rod that's bad or the ball is worn down so the push rod slips off? Does the ball just unscrew from the pivot lever? If so, where can I find one?
James
2005 Boxster S
First of all, no the sockets on the #10 part are not replacable.
When you refit it, does it slip on and off the ball super easily? If so, it's likely that the socket has run dry for a while (reminder to all that read this to lube your balls) and worn out the socket. You should also lube the rails that the end clamshell arms run in along the side of the car. If one or both sides are getting a bit sticky/dry then the extra force to open close could cause the sockets to pop off your balls.
One other item to check is the timing of the bearboxes on either side. If you remove the #9 arms, the #31 plastic cover reveals the face of the geabox. You'll be able to see a "timing mark" on the exposed center face of the gear and also the gearbox housing. Depending on how far open the clamshell is when you take the check this they'll both be "an amount" away from the mark but both gearboxes should be in the same alignment. If they aren't then you'll have a twist in your clamshell which could put an undue amount of tension on one of your balls and socket when closing. This is unlikely to be the culprit though unless you have a cracked/broken gear in one of the gearboxes, you would likley have heard that occur though.
Cheers,
Julian
PS. I did have fun writing this reply
Yes, it pops back on pretty easily. So now that the wears has likely occurred, what can I do to fix it? Would replacing the Rod (#10) solve it (assuming timing is good, etc. like you mentioned)?
Just for comparisons sake, might be worth seeing if the arm from the other side feels tighter (when you pop it off the ball) and see if it feel just as tight on the other side as well. Sounds like a new arm might be the solution to your woes though.
Cheers,
Julian
Replaced the arm with a new one from
Pelican
($311 on clearance!!!), and lubed the track. Goes up and down smooth as silk now. Time will tell if any more "pop-offs" are in my future, but I'm optomistic as the new one seemed to snap into place with more of a pop and more pressure than the old one.
James
