I had the same issues, as i started this thred, I got busy and packed away for Winter, will be pulling out soon and having this gone over. Top Hydraulics really helped me alot in some trouble shooting. If i need any parts I will be buying from them. No need of this $7000 repairs, when it can be done for $700

I don't really have the technical skills to do this work myself, and for now the top is working after a big fight with Nissan. However, if I have further issues do you think a competent repair shop could work with these guys to address any other hydraulic issues? Early on I also had some electrical issues, have you experienced any of those, or just hydraulics?

Keep us updated, it will be good info.

They have helped me get my roof open, but the weather got cold so i stored it away for winter. They do the hydraulics as far as I know, but he seems to know about the electrical parts as well, someone helping this much needs to be mentioned. here is his site..

Rebuild/Upgrade Service for 2009+ Nissan 370z Convertible Hydraulic Components - Top Hydraulics, Inc

I think mine is electrical, as the pump seems to work great once it operates, and there is no fluid leaking anywhere.

My top has had 5 major failures. The wiring harness was replaced. From reading this and many other threads the factory has the wires installed without enough slack causing them to rub on the fram and other parts resulting in breaking or shorting.

The hydraulics were damaged during the electrical repairs. Most dealers do not know how to work on soft tops. Dave West Jr. From Alabama Auto Top Specialists along with Klaus Witte at Top Hydraulics were wonderful to work with in repairing the hydraulics. The dealership had one line bent at 90 degrees!

My latest problem is the exact one that started this thread. A million thanks on directing me to 15amp fuse in the battery compartment to silence that darned warning buzzer along with the official Nissan parts list.

Another dealer wants to replace my top for $20K. The car isn't worth that much. It looks like the actual cost is closer to $11K. The dealer would give me $5K for the car which tells me if the book value is about $18K that they have at least $7K of profit built into the repair!

Since I have all the repair invoices and can clearly show the problems started while under warranty and are repetitive I have retained an attorney and am going after Nissan to repair. Nissan flatly turned me down when I called them to ask for some financial assistance.

What a shame, such a nice car and they cannot get the top built correctly.

Sorry man. I traded in my roadster for a coupe. Too much trouble and cut my losses b4 it messed up again.


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Hang in there, folks, don't give up. Every single convertible has failing components, not only Nissan 370Zs. Where there are moving parts, things will wear out. The good news is, there are some helpful folks on this forum, and (barring unforeseen circumstances) we will sooner or later create a pretty good DIY for convertible top troubleshooting and repair. That will help your wallets big time, and it will keep up the value of 370Z roadsters. The more details we get from 370Z roadster owners with malfunctioning tops on this forum, the more complete the DIY guide will be.

This early in the car's life cycle, most failures are likely from faulty installation, which affects hydraulic hoses (if you find oil anywhere) or wires (being pulled too tight or chaffing). Such failures will almost always be around hinges (storage cover or roof top frame). For example, there is no need to replace a whole wiring harness if you can identify which wire is bad, and simply repair that wire.

In the long run, there will predominantly be leaks from the hydraulic cylinders, which happens to every modern convertible with a hydraulic top (except for the few with manual or completely electric tops, which are rare by now).

Almost all hydraulic cylinders are easy to get to on the 370Z, so hydraulic cylinder replacement is definitely a DIY job for almost anyone with some determination. Top Hydraulics is already offering core exchange for the pump Nissan 370Z Hydraulic Pump Rebuild/Upgrade, and we will be adding core exchange for the cylinders shortly. With core exchange, you get parts from Top Hydraulics' rebuilt inventory first, then you swap them into your car and ship back your originals for core refund. That way, you can get the job done in one go, once you have identified which parts are bad.

Klaus

http://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/diag...70zdiagram.jpg

Wow that is cool you guys offering support.

All fixed. Was just a couple broken wires right under the roof cover lid

Wires and hoses failing at storage cover hinge
 

chad.mcvay, congratulations!

Thanks for attaching the photos. Those wires were damaged at the storage cover hinge, where there is some flexing and pulling. We see a lot of hydraulic hoses fail in the same area (line 71 or line 72 going to the rear bow lock cylinder).

Judging from the photo, either the wires were zip-tied very tightly together, or something pulled very hard on that stretch of the harness. Did strands of the green wire (rear bow latch open sensor) and the brown wire (ground) actually make contact and thus give the controller the signal that the rear bow lock was open?

Klaus

Rebuild/Upgrade Service for 2009+ Nissan 370z Convertible Hydraulic Components - Top Hydraulics, Inc

Well that's good news Chad. The dealer fixed mine so I did not get a look at the wires before they were repaired and taped over but it was in the same area. I noticed that there is no hydraulic line attachment clamp in your pics (see my earlier post in this thread). We have the same year car. Is this still TBD or missing? I am thinking that the way this clamp is used may be part of the problem.

I actually left it at the mechanics and he fixed it and sent me yesterday photos. He said the wires were really tight right there. There was a holder but he took it off and taped it all where you saw it. There us more slack now and the tape has flexibility son we should be good. The rood worked part way then stopped. If you moved it by hand some it worked more. Then quit. So if anyone has these issues try this. KEN B posted pics and I had the exact same issue. I'm not adding a 4 year extended warranty to my car so this bs is covered and all other parts are covered. Well worth the $2500 for peace of mind. If anyone else wants one let me know. I work at a car dealer.

Like everyone else I'm having issues on my 2010.. I too had the chafed wiring. That was repaired only to find that the magnetic sensor on the driver side roof cover on the hydraulic is intermittently reading open/close and causing issues where the top doesn't open and close correctly.. My idea was to try and route these wires from the driver side to the passenger side in hopes that it'll get the correct voltage and in a sense bypass the right sensor. I've included photos of the part and the wires I'm talking about. Advice?

This is really too bad. It's been a great car other than the now seemingly unending top issues. I don't know if this is just a first year 2010 issue or not, but Nissan should be taking some ownership of what's obviously and fundamental design flaw. I'm over 4k in repairs and quite frankly I now cringe every time I put the top down/up for fear of yet another issue copping up. Seems my only recourse it to the sell it while the top it still working correctly.

It's ashamed, cause I love putting the top down and driving what is otherwise a fine car.

It really is depressing.. Nissan is trying to pull that same garbage on me, quoted me 11k to fix it.. The part that went bad is literally a plastic piece with a magnet and two wires... Everything else with the system is fine (hydraulics, wiring, etc)... But this one little piece ON the hydraulic is what is causing the problem.

I'm going to try and cut the wires, and splice into the passenger hydraulic in hopes that the voltage will be enough to bring the top back to normal. Seems pretty silly that the car thinks the top is open because of this sensor yet nissan doesn't think it's a good idea to sell these individual parts? I promise you it's no more than a $50 part.

They should be ashamed of themselves. The dealer even had the audacity to tell me that "our techs have families, they need to eat, of course the intense labor is going to run a lot" ....blah blah. You know what I said? It's pretty sad it took NISSAN (apparently) 26 hours to diag a NISSAN car.

Wish me luck in my adventure to try and fix this. I refuse to spend thousands on a car I have already spent thousands on... This is my THIRD Z roadster this has happened to.