soft top issue

Top goes down fine. When I start to go up, my driver side fork just misses engaging the ram. The passenger side engages fine. If I put a little pressure on the fork it will engage and work fine. I cant find any adjustment for this.

I read the sticky on soft top problems and read that loosening the mounting bolts can help this issue. It said there were 4 bolts holding the top mechanism to the body. The only bolts I see are three per side. I loosened the driver side mount and moved it to a couple of different positions but it didnt seem to help. I thought about loosening both sides, but I figured I would ask if anyone else has solved this issue.

I know that wasnt the best explanation, especially without pictures.

Any advice on getting the fork to engage the ram better?

Thanks.

 

I went back out last night and played with it some more.....the car that is! I removed the top two mounting bolts. I put a large screwdriver in the assembly and rotated the assembly counterclockwise as much as possible. While holding the position, I ran the top up and down. It worked. So, my plan is to open up the mounting holes some more to allow more adjustment. I think that will make it work. I will let you know. I just think there is some other issue that is causing this, I just can't seem to figure it out. It is one crazy system to watch......and I watched it about 100 times last night!

 

I will take a couple of pictures tonight or Friday depending on when I get some time to work on it again.

I will try to explain...
There are three 13mm bolts that hold the ram assembly to the body, one is between the fork and the body, the other two are hidden behind the carpet and covers. Loosen all three of them, and rotate the assembly. This will move the round catch and hopefully it will line up better. There is a threaded hole on the front of the assembly and that is where I put the screwdriver. You can rotate it by hand with the top almost all the way down. The screwdriver isn't needed, I just used it because it I had to rotate mine more than the screw holes allowed. Hth.

 

Here are two pictures. You can see how the bolt hole is large to allow for adjustment of the assembly. Two other bolts on the backside. You really dont need a screwdriver to move it. I found it easier to use a screwdriver for holding it in place when tightening. I am going to mess with it some more tomorrow.

I replaced my recirculation motor tonight and put the liner back together. I never knew it didnt work until I read about them in the sticky thread! My internal gears were toast.
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It seems to be all fixed. Two things that made a difference.

One, rotating the ram mechanism as far back as possible shown in the picture in the previous post.

Two, there are three allen bolts that hold the buttress part of the top to the body. I loosened them up and pulled that section as far forward as possible, then retightened the allen bolts. The holes are slotted and give you an inch or so play. That seemed to raise the top a little and rotated the fork closer to the catch.

One other note. In the first picture (previous post) in between the two rear mounting bolts (you cant see them) there is a small allen bolt that seems to adjust the angle that the plate mounts to the body. That may help in certain issues.

I removed the pump cover to check the fluid. If you knock the fuse out of the pump while working on the top, it will stop working. If that happens you may spend a few minutes panicking as to why the system all of a sudden stopped working!

 

Thanks for the hi5. Four hours is $520. Next Fcar is going to be a fixed roof model.

 

Attached a diagram:

Part #33 is one of 3 allen bolts that hold the buttress part of the frame to the body. You can see in the diagram that the frame is slotted for adjustment. Pulling mine forward had the effect of raising the top which rotated the fork towards the catch. I used a short ratchet to get to them. Having the top almost closed helped access.

Part #37 is one of three bolts that hold the frame to the body in the area of the main cylinder. You can see three bolt holes in the photo. In between two of those holes is part #47.

#47 is an allen adjustment bolt. I assume it is used to adjust the angle of the mounting flange. You have to remove most of the trim and pull back the carpet and contort yourself with a flashlight to get a view of it.

Once you dig in it should make better sense.

If you are having the latching issue. I would try adjusting #33 part first. If that doesn't do it then loosen #37 bolts and move it around. Of course full fluid and well lubed joints are a must.

HTH
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Watson,
Have you adjusted any of those areas? How far off is your fork from engaging? Mine would catch on the first arm of the fork, so it was just barely out of sync. When I loosened everything up, especially #37 bolts, I could make the fork miss by a lot by rotating the part clockwise/forward. By pushing it back/counterclockwise it got real close to working. So, I opened up one of the holes a little to get it to rotate a little more. That along with #33 got it working.

I read a couple of posts on replacing the top, that looks like a tough job.

 

hmmmm....it did get warm today? Please post if you ever figure it out. It is one crazy system and if it gives me much more trouble I will go manual.