k4mik4ze,
Thanks for the details. It's a good bet to test for a wire fault. Even in my case when the roof did not respond at all to the start button it turned out to be a shorted wire near the cover hinge.

Wow, in reading this I am wondering if that is what is my problem with my top no longer working. Thank you for this information and will have a friend who is a car expert read this.

If not viewed already, I posted a few pics of the trouble area and fix earlier in this thread. Good luck. Keep us posted on your findings. Thanks.:tup:

So, the wiring harness to operate the soft top failed on Thursday. Was driving around with the top down but thankfully it did not rain. Took it to the dealership. After 3 hours of diagnosis, 1 hour to fix the wiring and about $50 for 3 wires and a wiring sleeve the cost was just under $600 CAD. I'm just glad it was a wiring issue and not a cylinder issue. :ugh2:

My problem was the exact same problem as yours and in the same exact location, the driver's side wiring. :tup:

Joining the broken roof club!
 

Roof failed on our 2010 370 Z Roadster (57k) this weekend. Checked the usual suspects: battery, fuses, truck closed - so will take a look at the wiring harness for breaks and insulation cracks. Really not happy as the extended warranty just ended!

Any advice/coaching welcome, as well as any recommendations for a good alround mechanic to help in South Orange County.

When you say it failed, what exactly happened? Roof is closed and wont open, roof is open and wont close, roof partially opened or closed and just stopped?

By failed I mean - roof is down and wont go up - metal cover opens, but roof does not even attempt to come out of housing.

Is there a switch that tells the car that the cover is open? If so, that's the first thing I'd check.

What Southark said. Id also try to give it a little yank while someone actuates the roof switch. Could just be as simple as tight/rusted hinges on the top.

Thanks for the suggestions guys - will give it a shot

Scottish

Just is case you haven't looked here, it might help https://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/370Z/Coupe/2010/RF.pdf


Dan

Update
 

Well, after a couple of months of playing around and getting very educated about this problem, I still have an electric/power roof that doesnt work! As well as the associated problems of the visible and audible warning light/buzzer, and the electric trunk release not working (all because the CPU thinks the roof is in mid cycle).

I took it to a local convertible specialist who looked at a few items and ended up taking it into Nissan for a CPU diagnostic (costs ~$250 FYI). The diagnosis from Nissan (dealer) was an error at the "5th bow assembly". Nothing mechanical, but either a broken wire in the harness somewhere, or a problem with the CPU itself. Either way, the recommendation from Nissan was a complete replacement roof kit (roof, harness, hydraulics, CPU, etc). Estimate was for $15,850 plus $1,200 labor. Needless to say I am not spending $18k on a 2010 car!

Nissan USA were particularly useless when I raised this with them and basically said: out of warranty, tough luck. Did a little research on this one and apparently this is a known problem with 370Z cars with Nissan with apparently around 600 cases in the past 5 years. And apparently very few people go with the Nissan suggested $18k repair, not surprisingly.

Really not happy about the situation, at all!

PS - there are manual processes to: 1) open the trunk from inside the car using a key (behind the passenger seat); 2) open the hood manually using the cable release in the trunk and a socket set to release the roof up by the rear view mirror - this method is recommended by Nissan only for emergencies to open of close the roof in the event of electrical failure, but what the hell - I now have a Wrangler with a manual lift off roof and a 370Z with the same!

Estimate
 

Adding estimate from Nissan

scottishpaul,

Provided the Nissan dealer's diagnosis is correct, half of your battle is already over from what I can see. The 5th bow is the rear most one below the rear windshield, and they're saying that where that 5th bow hinges and swings up to allow the top storage lid to open, there most likely is a break in the wiring harness.

It is a common fault in ALL convertibles from ALL manufacturers that are opened by hydraulics or electric motors. The wiring at the bow hinge points gets flexed and bent every time the top goes up or down. Eventually the flexed wires will break, and the top stops working.

OldGuyFla gave you a link to the factory service manual section for the Z, download it, read it, study it, and you'll get an understanding of the system ... and know where to look for the wire breaks. It should be a very simple repair once you've located it. Use the same type and size of muti-strand wire and lengthen the broken section a bit, and you most likely have a fix.

And if you're not a DIYer, you live in California convertble country and there will be a 1000 specialist shops that can trace down and fix your issue, particularly if you arm them with a copy of the FSM section (factory service manual) OldGuyFla gave you a link to. Just check around and find a good one that has worked on Z's before.

And should your issue be hydraulic, Top Hydraulics in Oregon can remanufacture your failed rams, lines, or hydraulic pump for a lot less than Nissan wants.

There are lots of threads in this forum on just this top issue. Do some homework, educate yourself, and you'll be armed towards getting your top fixed for a lot less than Nissan has quoted. Good Luck!

Gene