Hi folks, just finished working on my
Boxster
(replaced the AOS) and now suddenly the convertible top is stuck halfway open, the shifter is stuck in Park, the trunk and frunk are stuck closed, and my rear spoiler won't raise/lower anymore. We immediately started troubleshooting the fuses and relays as that seemed a good place to start. We couldn't find any blown fuses and we tried swapping the open and close relays for the convertible top. This didn't help anything. Oddly enough, the top seems to jump a little bit forward for a fraction of a second when you try to open or close it for the first time after starting the car.
So...now my
Boxster
has been stuck on my brother's lift with the top halfway open for a week and we can't figure out how to get it out of park or anything. So frustrating!
Any suggestions guys? Really appreciate any help. Thanks!
This might help? Places to check anyway. E brake is on? My top doesn't work that way anymore but IIRC the brake needs to be applied so the switch there should be looked at. Check every connection near anything disassembled to do the AOS job. Front switch at the latch point, if it thinks the top is closed and not in service mode, it would make sense it would lock the trunks and not move.
Convertible Top WON'T OPEN/CLOSE GO UP/DOWN - FIXED! Porsche Boxster 986 Troubleshooting Tips - YouTube
The rear control unit controls both the top and the trunk release. The RCU also has a signal from the brake switch would could be why you can't get out of park (though I thought it was only for the brake lights). The unit lives under the left seat but obviously the wiring harness goes to "all the stuff in the back". See if your spoiler goes up and down. That is also controlled by the RCU.
Ah yes, I forgot to mention my spoiler won't go up/down anymore either.
Check for an unplugged connector.
And just as a comment - since the 987 series
Boxster
was touted as being able to raise or lower the top at speeds up to 35mph, it seems quite unlikely that the problem would be a brake switch.
Thanks very much for the suggestions, guys. Yesterday I bought a new battery for the car and unfortunately it didn't make any difference. I tried bypassing the rear control unit and applied 12V power directly to the convertible top motor and it worked just fine. So then I tried bypassing the convertible top relays which did nothing. I then I tried bypassing the parking brake switch and the convertible top plunger switch. Neither of these things helped. I at this point I can only surmise that my Rear Control Unit has failed in some manner.
I ended up disconnecting all of the convertible top linkage so I could at least get the top closed manually and drive the car home from my brother's where I was working on it. I figured out the procedure to get it it out of Park and into gear. However, now the speedometer doesn't work and the manual shift function doesn't work. I'm also unable to roll the windows up all the way since my car thinks the top is open. What a mess...
Should I just try replacing the RCU now? It's quite an expensive part so I'm hoping to eliminate any other possible causes before I spend $350 - $400 on a Rear Control Unit. I can't think of any other potential causes of these problems though.
Also...now my windows won't roll up all the way since my car thinks the top is open. Is there any way I can at least force the windows to roll up while I sort the root of the problem out?
Unfortunately those questions are above my pay grade! It might be time to visit a pro.
I can't imagine any link between the top mechanism motors and the speedo and transmission. I think something more basic is wrong, but can't point to what it is. Eilenberger's Law of Troubleshooting - "Look where you last worked.." would seem to apply here. Something probably went amiss in the engine compartment when you were doing the AOS. If it isn't visibly obvious - it might become obvious when the car is hooked up to a
Porsche
diagnostics tool, and might save you from unnecessarily changing parts based on guesses what could be wrong.
Diagnostics via part replacement (and NO vendor is going to take back electrical parts - it's too easy for them to become damaged when used as a diagnostic tool) will undoubtedly be frustrating and expensive.
Due to the location of the rear control unit, water is usually the cause of it's demise. I had a clogged drainage tube and returned to the car in a 2 day rainstorm to find the spoiler up, both hoods popped, the windows 1/2 way down and the battery dead. The roof attempted to go down but since it was latched it just wrecked the mechanism that moves it. I had a 12 hour drive home and discovered that my rear lights were out too. It was a very expensive acorn in one of the rear drainage tubes. Replacing the rear control unit and the roof mechanism along with drying out the interior carpet was the fix. Both of my rear drainage tubes now have screens.
