Electrical Hood Problem

Post Mon May 28, 2012 2:18 pm

Hi All,

Thought I'd post the following looking for some advice and parts to get my soft top going again....Adi, please read on!

My roof has worked since I've had the car, but last summer, while I was raising it, there was an almighty bang and things stopped working.

I had to disconnect the drive motors to get the roof back up, and on my initial inspection, I found the main raising arm bent through about 45 degrees. I purchased the bits I thought were necessary from the dealers and had a good look over the weekend.

I found this...

This pic shows everthing as it should be.

The next one shows the postion of the roof (being raised manually) before it will not go any further.

A peak inside the storage compartment shows that the oval shaped hood raising plate slips off the one underneath it. When the roof is being rainsed this has to slide back over the one at the bottom, but jams against the round silver disc.

The loud bang must have been due to the plate hitting the silver disc. The next two pics show the damage...

The silver disc circled in red is what the top plate mechanism catches on.

Can anyone tell me how to tighten the silver disc so that it doesn't stick up so much - need a special 2 pin type tool for the holes. Also I require the oval shaped top plate (the one with the all the damage to it).

Once these are replaced, I can reconnect the motors and things should work again.

Many thanks in advance!

Post Mon May 28, 2012 2:45 pm

Thanks diable - I may have to do that!

Post Mon May 28, 2012 2:58 pm

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=219060

Limited knowledge of power hoods,but the above is the very best that I have seen.

Post Mon May 28, 2012 3:02 pm

Thanks Daimlerman. I have read Pete's thread with much interest. I need the bits I have shown in my pics to get my one working, I think.

Cheers buddy.

Post Mon May 28, 2012 8:53 pm

Hi Gert - followed your post on my thread to your thread! Seems like we've got the same ambition for that Holy Grail - a working electric roof! I've ordered a repair plate, so I'm a bit behind you and haven't come across your problem - yet! Out of interest though, can you confirm if your lever is the same as mine?

I was concerned that mine was bent upwards, but I'm not sure what it should look like.

Also, what should be on the end of the other lever? Looks like mine has just a washer held in with a screw, which has obviously been bent too:

Sorry for hijacking a little here. There should be a single thread for all electric roof problems so all the information is in one place.

Post Mon May 28, 2012 9:11 pm

Just had a thought after reviewing the ebay page where I bought my repair plate from. I dont fully understand how this all goes together yet, but most of the kits I saw came with one or two washers to adjust the height of something because of the additional thickness of the plate - could it be yours is missing? I quote from the translated german ebay listing:

In addition, 2 spacers to bridge the sheet thickness are included. Only one of the two fits (dependent on internal diameter) in the toothed guide cylinder.

Post Tue May 29, 2012 9:52 am

PeteE30Tourer wrote:Hi Gert - followed your post on my thread to your thread! Seems like we've got the same ambition for that Holy Grail - a working electric roof! I've ordered a repair plate, so I'm a bit behind you and haven't come across your problem - yet! Out of interest though, can you confirm if your lever is the same as mine?

I was concerned that mine was bent upwards, but I'm not sure what it should look like.

Also, what should be on the end of the other lever? Looks like mine has just a washer held in with a screw, which has obviously been bent too:

Sorry for hijacking a little here. There should be a single thread for all electric roof problems so all the information is in one place.

Hi Pete. That looks just like mine does. My one is missing the washer and screw on the top, which you are showing, but it is meant to be there.

I think I'll give the dealers a call today and find out how much they are quoting. I had hoped Adi would have come along and offered me the bits. I'll PM him too

Post Tue May 29, 2012 7:43 pm

correct. PM received. sorry, been too busy for zone business for a couple of days, still have a few parts to box/wrap/send, etc, etc.
i have pretty much all electric hood motors/brackets, hinges, etc here.
please let me know dealer prices

Post Tue May 29, 2012 10:26 pm

Adi, as you are more than already aware, the dealers aren't referred to as stealers for nothing.

Have you got the chicken drumstick type lever, please. If so PM me the posted
Price. Many thanks.

Post Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:07 pm

PM'd you Adi...

Post Sun Jun 03, 2012 8:06 pm

Adit, you not picking up your PM's or don't want to sell the part? Or don't want to sell the part to me, perhaps? Either way please let me know, as I can get it from another zoner, but thought I'd come to you first.

Post Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:21 am

I've been thinking about the roof mech not working, as described above.

Reading some of your comments, I have checked all the control arms to ensure they are working properly, but the "drumstick" shaped lever continues to catch the lower lever and circular disc I have highlighted in one of the pics above, when the roof is being raised.

I now think the fact that the round disc is sitting slightly proud may be due to damage to the mechanism which controls these two levers. See item #1 in the exploded diagram. Part #17 ( the disc) is rotating at an angle.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=54&fg=10

Is Part #1 easy to remove - has anyone done this? Please advise on the removal of this part, and also if it is available on ebay?

Many thanks in advance.