2000 C4 Cabriolet Clamshell won't Close

Looked around during a recent oil change and found a bad front CV boot. Darn. While removing the axle, found a loose wheel bearing. Took things further apart. Then remembered the M030 suspension in the basement and thought now would be a good time to replace springs/struts/etc. Might as well do pads/rotors at the front while I'm there.... Got the front back together and tried opening the top to the service position to access the rear struts. It was slow and got stuck only part way. The only way to continue was to use the emrgency release. After much cursing, I was able to get the top in a position to do the rear springs/struts/swaybar. Started looking around and saw the top hydraulic reservoir was near empty. Dang. Read a bunch of threads here and elsewhere. Since the top was down and the car still needs to aligned - which may mean needing access to the top of the struts, I finally decided to fill the reservoir try the top. Made it through almost the entire sequence but once the front latch latched, the clamshell didn't move. I can manually close it but it is not latched and the sequence is not complete. Try to open the top and it stops after the front hook unlatches. Anyone have any advice on what to check, how to reset things or otherwise proceed? Oh and, based on my reading I removed the rear interior side panels and see that the hydraulic rams are leaking. And to think all I wanted to do was replace the CV boot. Thanks in advance, Tim .

Sounds like you need to get it to a Porsche dealer to have the top recalibrated. I remember (but don't know) that there is a company that rebuilds the rams to better than new. Maybe someone else can remember.

You need to take the top to the dealer to recalibrate it after every time you use the emergency operation to open or close it. You risk damage to the top if you try to use the rocker switch or the door key to activate the top. P. 147 in my owners manual. While it's a huge pain in the wallet, you should have no issues with it for a long time once the dealer has recalibrated it.

You don't "need" to take it to the dealer for calibration. The calibration is nothing special that needs to be done at the dealer. The 996 cabrio top is a mix of hydraulic and electronic mechanisms. No computers. Basically, if your hydraulic top is working properly but it's not closing fully, one of the parts is not aligned properly. Check out the post below. Somewhere near the end, I summarized everything I learned about this. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...more-pics.html If I can remember correctly (check the post for accuracy). Open your clamshell fully manually. then calibrate your motor behind the rear seat which can be done with a multi meter. Once this is calibrated properly, the top is ready to move in it's full sequence. But... it relies on various other microswitches as trigger points. So check that your side flaps, your clamshell, and your top are all moving in the proper sequence. Fixing this yourself is definitely doable. It's just a matter of how mechanically inclined you are and how much you don't want to pay tons of money to the dealership...

Thanks!!! Visiting family this weekend but will try to recalibrate on Monday.

Belated update. In reverse order, I decided to try the $20 o-ring solution for the leaky hydraulics. With some encouragement from AllCool, I made it through the process and they work! As I read about the clamshell motor it appeared that the 'rebuild' kit from Porsche might be the answer. Apparently the original square drive axle may have been a wee bit sort and if the spring lost tension could float into a position where it would not drive the clamshell. $50 later I can say problem solved. Hardest part was setting the potentiometer - which was pretty simple. The hydraulics are not leaking and the clamshell closes properly. And there was no need to recalibrate the top. Now to align the new suspension and enjoy the Spring!