3 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHLoud clang and now the top won't go up/down? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Reported repair
Repair right arm
Reported resolution
1
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that report a fix
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Reported fix
I fixed the right arm but the clamshell wasn't closing / fitting properly.
Loud clang and now the top won't go up/down? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Read full discussion summary
Leading evidence: 'Repair right arm' (1 discussions report resolution; 0 report an unsuccessful attempt). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'arm' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Repair right arm' (1 discussions). For that action, 1 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. The most frequently reported fix is 'Repair right arm', supported by resolution reports in 1 discussions. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
If the right arm has broken and needs replacing, be sure to check the left arm for straightness.
Loud clang and now the top won't go up/down? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
arm
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Identified cause
1
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that suspect a cause
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suspected cause
The metal sound you heard was probably the arm on the right breaking and flinging itself loose.
Loud clang and now the top won't go up/down? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Replace be sure
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
If the right arm has broken and needs replacing, be sure to check the left arm for straightness.
Loud clang and now the top won't go up/down? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Run top will still try
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
The top won't want to move but the transmission running the top will still try.
Loud clang and now the top won't go up/down? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Coverage and how to read this overview
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
3 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
986Forum: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261027T011819Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
Hello,
I have 2007 Boxster and I live in the North East.
I put the top down at a stop light and when it was almost all the way down I heard a loud clang, kind of behind me and on the passenger side.
Later, I pressed the switch to put the top back up, and the rag top only moved a few inches then stopped. The metal cover piece that lifts up and down seems to be moving fine, but I had to grab the ragtop and pull it back in place by hand.
So if I were to guess, I'd guess that the loud clang was a cable or belt snapping, and with that belt broken the top won't move.
Does someone here know about the mechanism that operates the top, and does my guess sound correct? IF so, is this something I can fix myself?
Thanks!
A 987 top has 2 arms (1 on ea side) that support the top and control the up / down movement. The metal sound you heard was probably the arm on the right breaking and flinging itself loose. There's a plastic cap on the end of the arm that's designed as the weak pt and is supposed to break when something gets out of line. However, the next weak link is the arm of the turnbuckle and it can bend if the end cap doesn't break. These arms are attached to the metal arches of the clamshell and the inner body of the car.
DON'T run the motor to open or close the top if an arm has broken. The top won't want to move but the transmission running the top will still try. It's made up of plastic gears that will grind to smitherines if the top isn't moving but the trans is. Raise & lower the top by hand until you get the arm situation figured out. When opening by hand, be careful and watch the clamshell to be sure it's not bending into a pretzel.
The good news is you can buy the end caps if they're broken or an entire arm. If the right arm has broken and needs replacing, be sure to check the left arm for straightness. The left can bend because it's trying to do all the work of both arms when the right one broke.
The right arm had broken on an 09 Box S I had as a Wheeler Dealer car. I fixed the right arm but the clamshell wasn't closing / fitting properly. That's when I checked the left arm, which was found to be bent. Here are some pics of the arms - 1 good, 1 bad. The pic is of the bent left arm I'd removed.
Only other comment is to examine the foam trays under the arms for rips if the arms in fact have broken. The foam is crucial to directing water from rainfall, etc.... so it drains and stays outside the interior of the car. If they are ripped, water flows into the main cabin and will deposit below the seats into the carpet area. On the drivers side, it actually can ruin the ECU, but it isn't pleasant really on either side. Hope this helps.
BTW, my comment is for sure relevant for the 986, not 100% sure about 987.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
