Fixed Convertible Top / calibration/repair/journey

Hey everyone, just signed up, glad to be here. Apologies for the mega post but trying to offer end to end solution as I�ve seen lots of posts about convertible top operation issues. Just picked up a 99 C2 Cab for a �runaround beach trip� car for a home in FL. Vehicle is overall great condition for the age (124k miles on the clock) and came with a factory hard top. After the test drive when i asked if we could remove the hard top to check the condition of the soft top i got a �wellllll�..we can� so i assumed it was heavy/hard etc. They then told me the soft top didn�t work but i was already sold on the car for the price/condition and we worked out a deal where they knocked off 3k based on a motor price of 1200-1500 online. The mechanic told me they knew from Porsche the parking brake switch was bad but after replacing that the motor would start/make noise and then nothing. Hoping i wasn�t getting in over my head with the 3k credit we put the hard top back on and i drove home and dug into forums. Hoping i can help some others with top issues after i went through basically everything. 1. I tested the new brake switch. It was getting power/sending signal 2. Removed the back panel and put the clamshell into the �service position� and removed the carpet again. From everything i could find�motor was getting power which required the switch up front to be working but it was timing out and nothing was happening. I could manually bring the top forward and if i let it fall/nearly closed the motor would work to close but it wouldn�t latch so it seemed the motor worked but couldn�t get it started. 3. Dug into the front/top latch after finding lots of posts about the micro switches inside AND the access panels were off. I wasn�t sure why - they either started trying to dig into the issue or they were removed to manually close when the brake switch failed. My car has the latch/hook cover but the back end was snapped. I could manually depress the switch and get the windows to operate and i could �bump� the motor and push the latch up and it would latch/windows go up. I 3D printed a new sleeve for the latch and super glued and that fixed that problem so i ruled out the front latch motor at that point. 4. The top would then go down completely but the clam shell wouldn�t close completely. This is where I went down the rabbit hole. 5. I tested the switches on the side flaps and they worked as well but the flaps were VERY slow to raise when opening the top and would timeout. I could bump the switch again and one would eventually make it but one wouldn�t. I used the tool to manually set the flap right at the switch limit and then i could cycle the top closed but would end up at the same spot opening it. Started to think the motors were going bad since the switches worked. I went as far as to remove the side flap assemblies and clean/grease the main screws but still the same thing. 6. After combining lots of advice from multiple forum posts i stumbled upon a 1 minute YouTube video about putting the clamshell into service mode/manually operating. This may be obvious but I did realize that main �bolt� is reverse threaded to the point that it is - i was stopping as the clamshell closed and not going past the �hard stop�. Thought i had broken something but i removed, thread locked and did the 3-4 turn install and started to put the pieces together. 7. Found the official Porsche Service Manual and all i could think to try next was the �repair� after manual operation. I didn�t open the front latch housing since it �worked� but i pulled off the potentiometer from the motor and was at 6ohms vs the 6.2. Thought i had finally found the problem�.but the top still wouldn�t raise. 8. Put back together�.same thing. Now i was convinced i needed to have the top calibrated. Picked up the Durametric OBD tool (and a garbage windows laptop from amazon since the software won�t run on Mac�.). Once i got both i was able to connect to the car and verified the �Operation Timeout� fault code in the convertible top module. I was able to clear it but i couldn�t get the calibration to do anything. Tried a few different methods after more forum searching and the car wouldn�t respond to the commands BUT i knew it was communicating since it would read the data, etc 9. Found someone else who mentioned the pressure release valve that has to be opened to manually close/operate the top. It was open�2 turns to close it and it worked! Now i had full range of motion but it still wouldn�t close the clamshell and i was convinced it was the side flaps. I could open the top and then manually move the flaps to the switch and then it would close. Annoying but a temporary fix before i wrote a check to the Porsche dealer Finally i opened it back up again as i was losing hope and found the little arms on either side that have a 90 degree arm that sit inside the arms on the clamshell. I had seen people talk about them in the forums but there was never anything tied to them being an issue. I set them both back where they belong and closed the top and wished i could open it without getting out of the car to close the flaps. Two days later we jump in the car and i hit the button to open the top. Was talking with my wife and not paying attention because i was assuming I�d have to try to bump the switch to close the flaps and maybe manually close them. But�.the top closed�.completely. I raised it back up and lowered again and paid attention. The entire thing worked flawlessly and the side flaps closed perfectly AND were moving significantly faster. I haven�t dug into where those arms fit into the system/process but they were both taken off (maybe for the manual operation?) and resetting them was night and day change in how it worked. Sorry for the epic post�hopefully some of this troubleshooting helps someone/saves them money. Happy to answer any questions as I�m borderline certified 996 convertible top master tech as this point as i had the whole system essentially apart at one point or another. Also can share any/all of the service manual if anyone needs something. Love the car, happy to be here

Awesome description of what you checked, Always good to see what folks run in to..

My 2001 4 has a clamshell (metal lid) stuck in the open position -- meaning the top is down and the lid is snug next to engine. When I turn on the ignition and push the button with the emergency brake pulled, I can hear the motor turning but clamshell/lid will not budge and top won't go up. I tried the manual screw behind the back seat and it won't turn any further clockwise and never "released" or made the sound and lid never raised. It is a reverse threat, so the counterclockwise instruction is essentially tightening it and I did not want to break it as your post/thread described, So I then removed the allen wrench screw but dropped the screw down into the housing. "****" is my only reaction at this point. Does anyone know how to get the lid open if it's literally stuck? I think the rear latch is stuck on the lid and don't want to force it? Any ideas on how to open the metal lid?

Quotes source post: 18808744

The cables from the motor that releases the clamshell are broken. That is why the manual operation failed. Sadly, it�s a common problem for those of us with a cab. With the right durametric tool, I think you can issue an unlock command. For me, the solution was a $3000 walletectomy at the Porsche Dealer. The replacement part was $1000 of that.

Take a look at this thread for some ideas: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...more-pics.html

I love me an epic convertible top tale! Mine hasn't worked correctly since I had a new top put on. Of course, I am sure it wasn't calibrated, so the latch tries to close too early. And, the cables are a little loose, so I have to get out and push them into the bead a little by hand, but... Oh well!