2005 z4 e85 convertible motor replacement questions

[T1LT]

Hello all— hoping you can help me out. I have a 2005 z4 e85 and was planning to move the convertible top motor to the trunk. But after getting the original motor out, it seems that a previous owner may have done some work previously. The wires and cable are not long enough to make it to the trunk. I’ve check thoroughly and they are not stuck or tie wrapped or anything.

I feel like I could cut and splice the wires to extend them (good idea or bad), but there is also a cable that looks like it is acts as some kind of a release. It has a small horizontal rod at the end that connects to the motor (under the black plastic piece). It doesn’t feel safe nor strong enough to try to cut and splice that cable and I don’t see any way to get to the opposite end of it to install a new one.

I was hoping you could help me understand what that cable is for and what my options may be. I want to do this all through the trunk without removing the top. I’m currently thinking I may just have to put the new motor back in its original location and hope I could a few years out of it.

But open to all thoughts and ideas of a way to get it into the trunk.

Thanks!!

[colb]

The cable is probably the manual release cable that ends with the red pull handle under the top edge of the boot. The motor/pump end is connected to a plastic arm that when activated turns and presses a small ball valve into the pump to divert the fluid so the roof can be raised lowered manually. It is unlikely that the fluid pipes have been shortened or the power wires and the whole unit pipes and wires should be able to be pulled back into the boot to the recess on the left side of the boot interior. A slot has to be cut in the parcel shelf side mounting rail to allow pipes and power cables and manual release cable to pass into the new position for the unit. There is a bracket behind the side carpet that can be used to tie wrap the unit to keeping it as upright as you can. Mine is fitted behind the carpet and tie wrapped to the bracket.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NPhwOO654 ... dGlvbiA%3D

[T1LT]

Thanks for the info and the video. If you forward to 3:45 in the video where the motor is in the boot with the wires and cables still connected. There’s no way mine will make it that far out of the compartment and into the boot. I’ve done this procedure once before on another Z4 and didn’t have these length limitations. It seemed very unlikely that all the cables were changed previously but I can’t understand why they are so short in this car.

The cable in the photo with the white arrow is pulled out as far as it will go.

[colb]

My only thought on this is that maybe if someone has been in there before have they cable tied the wires/pipes down inside the original mounting cavity and preventing them being pulled back into the boot. Difficult to look down there and get a hand down there maybe lift that side of the roof up to get view to check.
Depending on where you are there is the option to use one of the guys on here that can repair and/or reposition the motor/pump to the boot. I point people to user Number5 on here as he is local to me and based in Bristol and an expert on relocation, carries spares so if parts are needed there is no waiting for parts, reasonable charges for what can be a nightmare job.