Hope I can explain this accurately and gain some insight into maybe fixing this myself as my trusted mechanic cannot get me in until August 11!
The other day I closed my top and it made a bit of a racket. It looked like the clamshell was jumping and maybe skipping in the gearset? It appeared to be only happening on the driver's (left) side. Once that was up and the top started going up, it went up just fine without issue until it was all the way up and then the clamshell went down with a racket again. However, even though the top was all the way up and I latched it closed, the windows did not go up the rest of the way and the display still says the top is not closed. I put the top halfway down again to see if I could see any rods, cords, etc that looked broken or out of place, but everything looks fine and tight, with the same symptoms of clamshell racket and jumping, but the top is smooth and seamless as before.
What am I looking at here? Can I fix this myself (I'm a decent shade tree, but have not fixed a convertible top before)?
Thanks in advance for any and all insight!
Fist check is to ensure the sacrificial ball joints are intact. There is one on each side, and they are plastic and designed to fail if something else is wrong. I'm thinking one may be broken, causing the racket. This would also cause one side to "lag" the other, as it's not being supported and moved at the same time as the other. This is a common point of failure and sacrificial, for a reason - so don't try to replace it with metal!
The manual details how to remove these (for manual operation) so you can use that or any of the other threads here (or videos on Youtube) to see where they are and what they look like.
If it's broken, then I'd start by disconnecting the other one as well, and moving the top manually up/down to see if it's binding or catching anywhere along the way. If it's not, then you can replace the joints (with PLASTIC for a reason!) and see if that fixes it - maybe the broken one just aged-out. But if it breaks again, then there is something wrong with the mechanism, which you'll need to identify (again, by moving it manually).
While there, you can also check to ensure both actuators (one on each side) are in the same position - they need to match each other through the motion. You may try raising and lowering while the joints are disconnected, to see that they move smoothly and in-sync.
That's the basic start. If you see something else, feel free to take pictures and videos and we can help further!
If the plastic cups are in tact, good chance it's the plastic gear in one or both of the tops' transmissions.
Lots of video available on exactly how it all works and how to remove, service and,or repair.
Replaced plastic cups with like, however opted to replace broken gears in transmission with aluminum. Supplier I used is no longer available .
Please update your challenges.
Eyes up, look ahead
Well, the plastic cups looked great (newer even). So I took out the Driver's side transmission (which is where the noise was from) and the plastic gear was broken into 4 pieces. I ordered a set of brass ones from Ebay and installed the driver's side one. Top worked great so I decided to replace the passenger side one as preventative maintenance, especially while the procedure was fresh in my mind. Works great now! Thanks to all for the help!
Awesome! Thanks for the update.
When I did mine, the other issue was the plastic cover for the motor. The tabs that hold it in place broke, so I left it off. BIG MISTAKE! The bracket that holds the motor put some gnarley wear marks on the cloth top, ugh! Super glued the cover in place, all good now.
Eyes up, look ahead
