***SOLVED*** convertible top not folding closed quite right (PICS) -

Any ideas? Tried to pull it towards me as it was closing - didn't help much...

Looks like one of the brace joints / hinges got bent somehow....maybe was worn and just the force action of opening as usual distorted it the last time you opened it up. Sorry can't be more precise but visually seems like that. Hope it doesn't cost much! Peter

check to make sure that both cables are connected and have about the same tension. Look in the manual for "top service position"

Mine tends to fold outward over the frame (vs. inward like yous) and I can simply guide it with a finger tip during that portion of closure for 2 seconds to correct it. I need to sew in a new window but really just ride with the top down (3rd car for the fam) so will some day fix the rear window but for now it is ok. It also rattles a good bit and when the top is removed to sew in the rear window I will see if they can adjust it at that time

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Is there a way to adjust that tension? Do you think I need to relax or tighten the tension on the right side?

I don't know how to adjust the tension. Hopefully someone who does may wade in on this.

fbp111, I checked the tension cable (porsche calls it tension rope) and the right side is very slack / loose. I think that's the problem. It will need to be replaced...

Did you check the attachment point(s) at the rear? There is a ball socket at the end that can pop off the ball. Run the top up or down until the rear cover is fully open and the top has not started to drop onto the windshield. You can then get to the rear of the cables. I never checked the fronts of mine so i do not know how to get to them.

I asked the question about adjusting the tension of the cables from my RUF guy and he said it could be done but you have to remove the top from the frame.

I checked the end near the engine (not towards the windshield) and I can see what looks like a metal cable/rope that is anchored to the rear by a bolt and then that cable runs under the outermost edge of the roof. I pulled on the cable at the rear anchor point and it is very slack. My theory is that because there's no tension on the outside edge of the fabric, it will no longer fall into the channel on the roof. I would be surprised to learn that the cable actually snapped or broke, but probably became detached. But according to the Boxster write up, it looks like the cable must be replaced. http://sites.google.com/site/mikefoc...allintoguidech

While I cannot claim to have actually eye-balled this problem, I believe one of the tensioning spring/cable units has broken loose; i.e., the cable end retention "ball" has pulled off. Replace these units on both sides...should be possible without seriously removing the top. These units are not adjustable or repairable. relinuca

It is a ball and socket at the rear. The socket is on the cable. It is pretty easy to pop it off and snap it back on. In Boxsters you have to pop them off to get the engine cover off for service.

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I checked the rear - it is fixed on. It appears it is broken off on the front end so I think they'll have to remove the fabric and fix it I bought the cable. It was $100

Newbie here. Just bought my first P-Car, 2002 C2 Cab. Haven't yet posted intro (with Pics per forum rules, no flaming) Car came to me with the same problem on the drivers. Being the cheapskate I am and pretty handy I dug in. It is a broken tension rope that allows the piping to seat in the channel when the top is closed tight. Mine was not a broken cable, but a cable that pulled out of the crimped eyelet at the bottom side. The hard part part is fishing the cable back into the piping and out both ends at the top and bottom. Used dental floss as fish tape, worked like a charm. Drilled out the previously crimped eyelet, reinserted cable and crimped back on. Worked like a charm. While testing the top operation later that day heard a loud "bang" as top was closing tight. The passenger side cable let go. Ugh !! This time it came out of the cable end at the windshield side. Same repair. All done and tight. You do not have to remove the entire top from the frame. You do have to gain access to the top's corner. Easy to do with some patience. Total repair time for one side: 1 hr. Cost: Free. Will post into soon. Dave.

New to this forum...but not to Porsche ownership. Anyway, I just sold an Audi S4 Cabriolet and had to address a similar issue with it's top before selling. Instead of having an Audi dealer charge serious $$ for top removal, I contacted a local interior business. They also specialized in convertible canvas top repair. They had to remove the entire insulated top headliner to properly fix. Only charged me $350.00. I was happy with the overall repair cost and fixed the issue 100%. Just a thought. Good luck.

Quick update. . Dealer said they'd have to remove the whole top about 10 hrs of work to replace. I took it to Invisible Touch in Bedford. The guy is specialized in convertible tops. He did it in 2 hrs - but even better, when he removed the fabric top he discovered the cable was fine - but the rivet that the cable hooks onto was broken. He carefully machined away the rivet and made a new rivet with his rivet gun and reattached the cable. Dismantling the top: The cable is fine - you can see the broken rivet (the little silver thingy on top of the picture) Where the rivet is fixed to - an aluminium piece inside the roof reassembled and a nice 993 C4 getting refinished/reconditioned and there was a beautiful Lamborghini Gallardo being fixed too... He does beautiful work!

Glad you got it fixed reasonably. BTW nice crowbar hood support on the 993 ;-)

Reviving a 5 year old thread. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. I have the same issue, the rivet that holds the mounting point for the spring that provides the tension on the wire that runs the edge of the convertible top has snapped. The lack of tension caused the side of the top to refuse to align properly with the window frame I recovered the snapped rivet and the spring mount point from inside the frame. The spring mount point is a small aluminum part. Any ideas on where I can get one of these? I guess I can try to drill out the remainder of the rivet that broke and reuse the mount point if I cant get a new one. Also any ideas on what type of rivet I should use on reassembly?

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Hi, I got your PM just now but will reply here for others. the guy who fixed mine reused the same mount point and drilled out the old rivet and then used a rivet gun to fashion a new rivet. I don't have much more details than that because I was not the one doing the work....

Some pictures of the spring mount point. The broken off rivet is still in it. I've never really done much riveting so any thoughts on the type of rivet to use as a replacement would be appreciated.

Looks like a steel or thick wall aluminum "POP" rivet would work. Is the leftover part of the rivet magnetic? DSN Animations: What is a Pop Rivet? - YouTube

Pretty sure the spring mounting stud is aluminum. Il'l confirm with a magnet. I think I can replace the rivet without taking the top fabric completely off of the aluminum tray. The fabric does appear to be glued onto the tray but I think I can peel it back enough to get the rivet on. Does the type of rivet depend on the type of metal the spring mounting stud is made of?

There are generally two types of rivets, the solid material type that has a mushroom shaped head on one end, it is pressed through the two pieces to be attached, and then the other end flattened against a hard metal, usually pneumatically. This is typically used in aircraft construction where panels are attached to frame rail. The other kind is pop rivet, it has hollow thin-wall aluminum or steel barrel with one end flared out, a steel or aluminum nail-shaped stud is loosely fit through the barrel from the other end, the barrel is inserted through the two pieces to be attached together, then a hand or hydraulically powered rivet gun is used to pull on the stud to make a flare on the other end of the barrel to attach the two pieces together, the stud usually has a score made on the shaft so it will snap at a designed force after the opposite end of the barrel is also flared, the broken piece of the stud will stay in the barrel, I believe to reinforce the strength of the rivet. Is the backside of the rail accessible where this mounting point is attached to? If so it maybe easier to use a small diameter bolt with a nylon-locknut to attached the mounting point to the rail, if it is not accessible, then the pop rivet will be your only choice. It doesn't look like there is a lot of force on this cable, so I'm going to suggest using aluminum barrel pop rivet, unless you feel strong enough a steel barrel pop rivet will not cause compression damage to the mounting point and the rail.

Agreed Aviography, I'm going to use a aluminum barrel pop rivet. I'm also going to Dremel the old rivet out of the spring mount so I can re-use it. This project is now waiting on good old Amazon (for a rivet gun and dremel). I'm tempted to preemptively fix the "good" side of the top at the same time. I'm guessing that shear stress, time, oxidation and dampness combined to break the rivet on one side and its only a matter of time until the other side goes. Thanks for all the help. I'll let you know how the project concludes.

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Just updating in the event someone has the same issue. I was able to open up the side of the top and rivet the spring mount back in place. I did it without having to remove the front of the roof material from the front lip. I did have to peel back a bit of the material on the side to get access to the spring mount rivet hole. This solved my problem with the top.

I have same issue, both sides. Bought new tension ropes from ECS for $85 each. Tried to install today. 90 minutes later, couldnt figure out how to get the top end exposed (2004 cab). Broke a clip and lost 2 torx screws in the process. Geez...

Back from the dead! Have an 04 cab also. I can't figure out get access to the rivet and hook. Removed all the torx and the top doesn't want to let me in. Any help getting access would be appreciated.

So ill go ahead and reply to myself.... To get access to the cable on the top end. 1. Remove 3 torx above window 2. Peel back rubber seal 3. Remove 4 Phillips head screws ( the 4th is under a rubber seal and sealing gunk) took me a while to find this one I'm not sure the next few are required. These are from the front of the top and per side. 4. Remove 2 torx holding the convertible latch in place (the latch will fall) 5. Remove 1 torx holding the rubber seal in place at the corner 6. Remove 1 smaller torx holding the headliner in place 7. Remove 3 torx on the front holding the rubber seal in place 8. Fold rubber seal out of the way 9. Pull the side of the top out and fold it so you can work on the rail. You may need to peel some of the top away from the base on the front corner. Boom. You have access to fix the river or replace the tension cable. IF YOU ARE REPLACING THE TENSION CABLE YOU WILL NEED A HAND HELD HYDRAULIC CRIMPER!!!!! $50 at harbor freight. In my case the cable broke at the base from corrosion. I used the ECS replacement and it worked perfectly. The old cable pulled right out, I greased the new one and it slid in very easily. Then..... 10. crimp the base cable to the eyelet and re attach the eyelet to the base 11. Hook top eyelet to tension spring. 12. Apply heat wrap to spring/hook 13. Put everything back together

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Awesome

Hello! I've read through this extremely helpful thread and sussed out that my tension cable has snapped... So I bought a new one online and decided to remove the old one while I wait for it to arrive. But it doesn't seem to want to come out of the hood beading! Am I missing something? Or has it somehow seized in there which may have been the initial cause for it to separate from the crimp on the end? I've attached a few photos. Any help would be massively appreciated! Tried to removed in this direction after unhooking from the spring The unbroken side The broken side

Instead of pulling, try pushing to see if the broken end comes out at the end of bead (channel)...it is possible a kink developed and is keeping it from sliding smoothly. I finally got to do the work over the weekend, happy with the result, compared to how it looked previously. I sourced the cable from Lowe's home improvement for less than 10 dollars (like 20 feet of it).........and can make eyelets to crimp at both ends....... By the way....the length of the cable......33.5 inches from eyelet to eyelet

Excellent I'm going to have a go today and video it for youtube. Wish me luck...

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Looking forward to the video ! I struggled for months trying to get this done until I found the post with the instructions, but a video will make it extremely easy for the next person !

Well Now I need a crimping tool! It's never ending!! I got the cable out by spraying WD40 into the lining and then pulling it. No problem. Threaded the new one through and hooked it onto the spring no problem... now for clamping.

From post #28 in this thread : "IF YOU ARE REPLACING THE TENSION CABLE YOU WILL NEED A HAND HELD HYDRAULIC CRIMPER!!!!! $50 at harbor freight." I did not need one, since I went a different route....

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Followed this and a couple other posts to fix my problem with the cable. Thought I'd share. -Step 4 and on are indeed not needed. -If you do follow step 4 and on, make sure during reinstallation that you hook the corner of the rubber weather seal back onto the corner of the top frame -in my case, the rivet that holds the spring to the frame snapped. the right pop rivet size is 5/32 x 1/2.

My car has the same problem. I assume that it makes sense to replace both the driver and pass side.

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the two sides each has a cable. fix whichever side is slacking. in my case, the other side snapped within a month after i fixed the original side

Glad to find this post, as I am replacing the same now.

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Hello, did you get a chance to post the video? Just bought a 2004 C4S and I have the same problem

Attachment in vice for cleaning out Cleaning with small drillbit Boom, rivet and attachment Cleaning out a bit more with larger bit and what is left of rivet sits on bit This how the attachment sits on the spring This is where it goes, to the joint where top frame arms are attached I loosen the cable down here so it is easier to rivet the thing in place Measuring with a drill bit the size of rivet 5/32 fits nicely Now off to get rivet

Hello Anders, Extremely helpful. Thank you for posting the detailed images. I decided against crimping and bought the tension rope from the local stealer for $80 - Part# 997-561-921-00 Abhi

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Good luck, if you need any more input, just post it here. Thanks Anders

Hi, I have the same problem on my 2006 C2 Cabriolet. Just curious, how did you do the recrimping??? Thanks very much.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...TF-8#kpvalbx=1

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This is what I used - Amazon Amazon

Want to let everyone who contributed here know how much I appreciate it. Had two top shops tell me I had to have an $8,000 replacement. Bought the cable from Porsche and the crimper from Amazon (thanks abhijitpat ). About $170 all in, plus around 2 hours of my time. 2009 Cabriolet. Wonderful!

Well done !

Thank you everyone for the contributions to this thread. It has helped me find my problem to my 997 top. I will say that it is missing one thing. Based on the mushroom on the mounting point, the rivet gun was originally placed with the rivet gun on the inside ( headliner side) of the top. Did you guys fasten the new rivet from the inside or the outside (top fabric side) of the top? I'm going to figure this stuff out in a few minutes but wanted to know others experiences to compare. How did you get access to the interior of the fastening point for the mushroom side of the rivet to face out? How long was the rivet? I'll take a pic of the rivet gun as it relates to the top as it fastens. Thanks in advance

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the following comments are based on my experience with my 996. it may not apply to 997, altho from all indications the tops are quite close as pictured in a post a couple of pages up, the outside flange of the rivet is quite flat. that to me indicates that the rivet was done from the outside. but regardless of which side it was done out of factory, theres really no need to over think it. the whole point of a rivet is to fasten from one side when you dont have access to the other. the length that worked for me was 1/2. i riveted both sides early 2017, so it's been working flawlessly for two years.

here is the pic. I used 5/32 .5 inch length aluminum rivet from the outside. the gun could not get fully flush or straight but it was close enough. I still it was done from the other side because the mushroom part of the original rivet is toward the top fabric. But who is going to disassemble the top to fix the rivet. Thanks everyone!!! 997

hi were did you purchase cables from I have been looking to by them

My front rivet point was broken. I reused old cables. But I think that previous posters bought from Suncoast. I get a bunch of parts from them

can you give me the part # for cable from ECS

Hi, I tried to expose the top crimp and spring yesterday but cannot release the side trim from the inner aluminium channel. I removed the small torx screws and inner phillips/posidriv screws but it wont budge. I even tried step 4 onwards but reversed the process as it didn't help. Is there something I am missing? Also, please can you advise what diameter the tension cable is and where I can source the two crimps in the UK? (that's when I eventually get access to the top one lol)

The outer trim pieces stay, they are not removed, but a pic. showing what you mean with trim piece would be helpful Diameter for wire is around 1.5-2mm, crimps are sourced from ebay, I got the hydraulic crimper there too

The plastic trim pieces above each door that meet the roof fabric. Surely these need to come off so you can get to the tensioner fixing beneath? Or does the roof fabric pull out? I'm referring to the trims on the picture on BDStinson post 47

The answer is in post 51

So the roof material IS pulled up.

Where can I get those black crimp eyelets in the UK? The type that need the hydraulic crimping tool.

yes

I bought my selection on ebay.com they probably ship worldwide or you can find it on ebay.co.uk

Not sure if you figured this out. The eyelets are included in the tension cable that you buy from Porsche.

I think he is making his own cable, cheaper than buying, but of course some more work

I'd like to thank everybody who posted in this thread. I had an ill fitting top on the sides and it was bothering me, both aesthetically and with the wind noise from where the top wasn't fitting well. I looked to see if the rivet was broken or the cable was, and I found neither. But I did find that it looked like the cables had been replaced with what looked like a homemade cable setup. I bit the bullet and ordered the Porsche cables since I had no idea what length I would need and I ordered the hydraulic crimper from Amazon. I cut the old cable end off and pulled it out to match it up to the new cable, and sure enough the new cables were shorter by a fair amount. The install was straightforward and when I closed the top, it fit perfectly. I would have had no idea what the problem was without this thread. Thank you again to everybody who contributed. Before the repair After the cable replacement

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Amazon Amazon Amazon Amazon or google: swage + eye + crimp

Great info, thank you.

This guide is great. My cable was good, but my connector needed to be pop riveted back on. Unfortunately, I had ordered the cable before pulling everything apart. Guess I now have a spare.

I know this is an old thread... but knowledge is timeless! I have the same problem with my 997 top which has been making me crazy. In a few hours i will go in for some conv top cable surgery. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this thread for the past - 10 years!

Interestingly enough, my issue with the top closing all the way turned out to be the rubber pad on the underside of the cover lid (tonneau). The old one was worn and crumbling which provided too much friction for the cover lid to to seat down properly. New part was around $70 and I spent an hour or so scraping and removing the adhesive after the old pad was removed. Top has been working as designed since replacing.

Hi all, Thanks to this excellent thread, I was able to re-attach one of the tension "ropes" at the broken rivet point. Unfortunately, in the process I lost the small screw that attaches the tension cable to the bottom of the folding frame arm (near the engine). I've tried finding a replacement at my local dealer, but they have not been able to identify the part. The parts catalog shows the tension rope but not the fastener required to anchor it to the folding frame. Hoping someone can help me figure out how to replace this screw without me spending all summer exploring salvage yards. Here's the screw and its location (image swiped from a post in the thread above): The screw is a button top with a star drive, M5x1.25x8 Any suggestions on where I can find this non-standard fastener will be hugely appreciated!!!!!

www.boltdepot.com will have something that will fit

I also found that Lowes has a really good selection of specialty bolts / screws. It shouldn't be hard to find either there or online as Amargari suggested. It doesn't necessarily need to be a Torx head either. Btw, I almost dropped mine too into the engine bay. A long telescopic magnet saved the day. Let us know if you find one and where.

Thx for the suggestions, but unless I've measured incorrectly, this little fella does not exist in the wild. M5 screws are always 0.8 thread pitch. M8s are 1.25 pitch, but that screw is way larger diameter. I could not find it on bolt depot and I've been through every bin at Lowes, HD and my local neighborhood hardware store. Nothing like it on ebay or Amazon, unless I'm just not looking for the right dimensions (that's why I included the images of the measurements). This is a pain!

I gave up on finding the correct screw to re-attach the tension rope at the bottom of the frame. Apparently, a star drive, M5x1.25x8 is as rare as hen's teeth (even if you don't worry about the star drive aspect). Since I had a rivet tool to fasten the top tension rope anchor, I figured it must be strong enough to hold the bottom end too. I had to purchase a different rivet size (5/32" long) to fit the rivet to the screw hole. The only thing I'm concerned about is that the tail end of the rivet extends a bit on the inside of the folding top arm. With a screw, there is nothing protruding on the inside of the arm. Its really doesn't extend too far, and from what I can tell about the mechanical operation of the top, I don't think the end that sticks out will hit or interfere with anything. Just wondering if anyone with a bit more experience than me can confirm if this can be left as a (semi-)permanent solution, or if I need to continue searching for a matching screw. Rivet installed, head side nice and clean, and the cable mount can rotate a bit. Rivet Tail extends beyond the frame piece. Is this a potential problem??? Here's the other side with the original screw.

Hey it might not matter at this point but I think I figured out that bolt. What's even weirder is apparently bike components use them too:

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How do I get the top separated and able to access the spring attachment point??

In this video, around 6 minutes, he takes the top off and shows the plate that the cable attaches to. You need to backup in the video to see how he disassembles the front piece and side rails. The video is a boxster but the disassembly for the 996 is the same. I followed this for the broken rivet on my 996 and it turned out quite well. Good luck! You Tube

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I looked quite a lot at the pin the rivet set in. I'm nearly certain the rivet is a hammer-style that was indeed inserted from the outside and hammered into place. This rivet is a different style than the typical one a DIY'er uses. Mine broke off pretty clean, and I could see that the pin was not open on the inside end. I found the broken off top portion of the rivet, but the inner port is not to be found. I would guess Porsche simple didn't seat the rivets in far enough first time around.

I'm reviving this thread because it saved my sanity. My driver's side was off track for several years and I was too lazy to fix it. When the passenger side let go last week, I finally gave up and started looking for a solution. This thread had all the answers and I want to thank every single one of the contributors for helping with this problem. Now I have to fix the hydraulic pump, as it's dumped all its fluid from going up and down too many times today. But, that's another thread.

Glad it helped! I just bought a new canvas top so next write-up/video will be on how to (not?) replace the top

There seems to be a few issues surrounding top operation that are I think covered in this thread, but not sure if I'm in repair or replace land. My new to me 1999 has side folding in issues, and some of the top material pulling away from the tension wires. It seems the elastic band that goes across the whole top is pulling so hard it's yanked the tension wire up under when closing. This has kinked it inwards and i have to manually push it into the lower rail (in pic) just before it latches. The fabric has also pulled away from the tension wire (I assume this is not fixable less an upholstery shop). I don't see any broken rivets like above- is the wire just stretched? and thus not fixable? Is the elastic in middle of top just too tight? Overall, the material seems in great condition - rear window too is tight and not too hazy. (and while I'm here - what specific fluid should I get for hydraulic pump for top - going to remove carpet and check that this weekend)

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Ben8jam, Did you ever find the solution to your top problem...?

Thanks so much for the information. Turns out the rivet had snapped so the cable was just hanging, I was able to fasten it back in position and all is now functioning as it should and no more gap in the soft top! All in all it took me about an hour to do the whole job.

I think Porsche might have changed the design at some point. My 02 C4 needed a 3/16" dia rivet. Everything seemed factory assembled, and I bought my car when it was only 9 years old, so I'm doubting a previous owner upped the rivet size. Anything is possible though. Also 1/2" seemed a little long. I'd probably try 3/8" long if I did it again. I followed this helpful youtube video. You Tube

Realized I had responded to a thread in the Turbo forum and it was helpful in accessing the spring. Cross posting it here in case helpful. I just need to get a rivet tool and learn how to rivet... https://rennlist.com/forums/996-turb...l#post19727471

Whatever you do, don't use too short a rivet grip. Struggled for an hour with a medium 1/4" grip because i wasn't paying attention. It is tricky to get the rivet in there, then hook the spring on, then the backing piece (reused nut type connector). You can only get a single finger in there and have to keep the nut aligned with the spring loop, and it was frustrating. But it is done... a little ripple in fabric but will live with that.