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Old 04-05-2021, 04:40 PM   #143 (permalink)
Cryogenius
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Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 7
Drives: 2010 370z RdsterTour
Rep Power: 8
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Default Update on soft top malfunction

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cryogenius View Post
Hello gang, I am back at it with a new set of symptoms on my 2010 roadstar. Here are the details:

1) Soft top has been in storage (top down, or open) for about a month. I start engine, no warning lights and all seems good until...
2) I hit the CLOSE button. The storage lid opens about an inch and gives up. Roof open light stays on. The lid drops back down due to gravity but the light stays on.
3) I hit the OPEN button. The motors turn and the lid closes completely. Roof open light goes out and all seems good.
4) I repeat the process again with the same results.
5) I manually raise the roof halfway, start the car and hit the CLOSE button. The soft top closes and latches as it should, and the roof open light goes out - no warnings.

I have not tried to open and close the top again. I do notice that the soft top is hitting and pulling down the storage compartment cover when it opens - which I believe is a sign of weak bungees. I have heard of the top not opening when the bungees are weak, but have not found anyone with difficulties getting the top to close.

I saw no sign of hydraulic fluid leaks in the storage compartment.

Question: Would weak bungees cause the top to rise only an inch or two and then give up? Has anyone else experienced this problem and solved it with new bungees. I need to replace them anyway, but I still wonder if that is the problem. I think I am good on the electrical because the top can be hydraulically latched open or closed without roof open warning lights at the end of travel.
Update: I went through the sensor diagnostic procedure given by Top Hydraulics on their YouTube video, and found that once again I had a broken wire which I had previously repaired. Symptoms different this time, but it was the number 76 connection again (5th bow striker sensor). Top now works but I still may take on the bungee replacement as a preemptive measure.

Update No. 2: Started the bungee replacement procedure but chickened out when I got to the "cut old bungee cords out" step. They all seemed to be in good enough condition and there was no way to recover once they were cut other than to muddle through the remaining 5 or 6 hours of work (per SIDE) if I could even figure it all out. I put it back together and the top would not open because the fifth bow was hitting the back lip of the storage compartment. It looked as though the lid was about 1/4 - 1/2 inch proud of the compartment edge and therefore would not go in. I did more research and found that there is a known problem of a pin coming out of a drag link channel, and the channel needs to be opened back up (NTB14-064). This took about 3 minutes to accomplish once I saw that this was indeed the problem on both sides (note: 3 minutes does not include the manual opening of the soft top because I had already done that). Hint: I used a large screwdriver with a square shaft and put vise-grips on the shaft for more torque. Be careful! The metal you are bending is relatively soft and does not need THAT much encouragement. Top now working again. Here is the file on the Nissan Technical Service Bulletin, and a illustration that I did showing before and after.

https://f01.justanswer.com/05muranos...4-064_370z.pdf
https://flic.kr/p/2kSmzWD

Last edited by Cryogenius; 04-11-2021 at 01:40 PM. Reason: update on diagnosis and repair
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