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The power up on my 03 is going bad. It starts up but stalls behind my head and won't close unless I grab it and give it some help. Closing it is no problem. No strange noises and had the battery tested, its good. Of course the warranty is gone, anyone else have this happen?

Must be the day for power roof problems. Mine is stuck in the up position and won't go down. Cycled the windows and cycled the storage thingey in the trunk, still no luck. The yellow light comes on when I press the open button. I know this was talked about on the old Z4UM, but forget what else could cause this. Anyone?

My closing problem has been gradual. From working normal to slower and slower and now needs help. I assume there is only one motor so wonder if there is just a drive retainer thats loose.

parndr wrote:My closing problem has been gradual. From working normal to slower and slower and now needs help. I assume there is only one motor so wonder if there is just a drive retainer thats loose.

Sounds like the hydraulic pump is not pumping as well as it should. The drains for the top get plugged and then the pump sits in water and gradually dies (if I remember right from GVfB's write up).

Yal wrote:

parndr wrote:My closing problem has been gradual. From working normal to slower and slower and now needs help. I assume there is only one motor so wonder if there is just a drive retainer thats loose.

Sounds like the hydraulic pump is not pumping as well as it should. The drains for the top get plugged and then the pump sits in water and gradually dies (if I remember right from GVfB's write up).

Sure wish we'd saved all that stuff.

The How-to to unblock the drains is still kicking about somewhere, just can't remember where.

Anyone know ???

Rich R wrote:The How-to to unblock the drains is still kicking about somewhere, just can't remember where.

Anyone know ???

Thanks for the reminder, Here it is: Drain Plug DIY

Thanks, will have a go at the drains on my next day off, now about that motor..................

parndr Welcome To The Forum...

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that your top isn't working....
Sounds like the Hyd. motor..
Take it to the dealer and have it tested (mine was going to charge me $100.00 to test it) and if it is the motor the complete top needs to be removed to replace it.
Mine died earlier this year and was covered under a CPO warrenty so I do not know how much it cost to replace it.
Don't waste your money on a Chilton or Haynes repair manual they do not show anything (I bought both).
If you want to tackle it yourself you can go to the BMWTIS web site and for a charge (I think it's $30.00 for 24 hours) you can have access to BMW service manuals and they show how to replace the pump.

There is also a Service bull. out there stating the factory was going to change the way they sealed the units as this was a factory defect, maybe if enough people fight it BMW will cover it?
They also said they opened up the drain vents on mine, but I do not know how much....

I'll try and attach the service bull. in a seperate post and good luck with your top....

Appreciate everyones help.

parndr wrote:The power up on my 03 is going bad. It starts up but stalls behind my head and won't close unless I grab it and give it some help. Closing it is no problem. No strange noises and had the battery tested, its good. Of course the warranty is gone, anyone else have this happen?

I had a similar problem after the liner was replaced, It took a visit to a different dealer to finally get it fix. They cleaned, lube and adjusted the top mechanism, and now is working just fine, very smooth. Hope this help

O.K. everyone, how do I attach a file I have stored on my computer? It is in PDF format??
Thanks for your help!!! [/img]

My car is at the dealer right now and they're replacing the motor (under warranty). Do I need to check the drain right away, or is this something I shoudl just check once a year?

thx

There's next weekends job then, unblocking the drains...