here is how you manually lower and raise the roof of a E46 convertible. also what the blinking red light means and maybe a hint or two about what may be wrong with your roof.
I was having the same issues , wire was fine no codes mostly got it down to a hydraulic issues so I did a full fluid flush empty the reservoir , manually open and close the top a few times empty the reservoir again and repeat the process until all the fluid is out filled with Febi zh-m and it works fine now no issues, so yeah I’m pretty sure that Concentrated dirt in the bottom of the reservoir causes issues within the Hydraulic system or the fluid just deteriorates overtime like any other fluid
Hey kris, you heard of the problem with the hydraulic control unit its unter the left site of the roof i think. Because my roof just open a little bit and hold in de middle like he go no oil pressure sometimes it works but the alst few days it just stuck in the middle in both ways open and close. Do you have a tipp? Or maybe you know how to change the control unit becusse its unter the roof?
My top is open and the light is blinking. When i hit the open button it just clicks and when i hit the close button it downs sound like it's trying to do something but nothing happens. Also my trunk release on my remote doesn't work. Please help
Do you have a thought on whether using the allen wrench or closing it with the button puts more stress on the plastic carrier in the latching mechanism above the windshield? Weird question I know but I pieced those carriers together and want them to go as long as they can without breaking. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks
I do have an opinion, but it's just my opinion. When you push the button, the gear just seems to stop when it's supposed to. When you use the allen wrench, you can keep on turning the gear until the latch breaks. Nothing stops you other than it getting a little tight. I broke a latch on my old 325Ci by using the wrench. I think I know better than to do that again, but I haven't had to use the wrench in a bit now.
Best video ever. I have an 05 330ci convertible ZHP. My top goes down very very very slow with assistance and to come back up same thing. What you think I'll need. A motor ?
It's just a thought. . Look at the hydraulic pump and see how much fluid is in it and if it's dirty. I think that is the only thing that would affect the speed of the roof
I have an 04 325ci. The top works here and there by pushing the buttons and there are no popping noises. Today, there are no lights on either of the buttons. Would it be a fuse issue, if so, how/where would that be?
It could be a fuse, but if sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, it sounds like a loose or broken wire. Your fuses are located inside your glove box. There are 2 white tabs on the top. If you turn them, your fuses will open up. 5 fuses control your roof. 6, 12, 35, 42, and 46. Some of those fuses control a few things and would cause lights on your dash to come on or other stuff to stop working. I would check there first though.
It's a rare occurrence when that happens that I know of, but if you push your top back manually and it won't go down all the way, yet turning your car off. The roof will usually just fall the rest of the way.
Mine can open but wont close by itself. So i tried to open it and then it got stuck in the middle. The wire you mentioned, i looked at jt on the driver side hinge. It looked perfectly fine. Once it stops in the mid open, i guess the motor completely stops and i cant fold the top. So i tried to see if the back cover will budge, it seemed liked the rear cover was also stuck but the motor gave jn and i was able to get it to almost close position. Then used the allen key in the back seat (rusted and barely moves) lock it in place. By then the blinking light turned off and i was able to use the close button so the stuck top would fold back in place. Man what the fuck it pissed me off so bad. Long story short, thanks for the vid. Ill be opening manually from now on too.
Mine has no problem when it comes to closing,but sometimes when opening,it opens half way and l have to finish by hand push...What could be the problem ?
One of mine does this, and I haven't tried to fix it yet. I have a few other things I'm working on first. If you look at the hydraulic motor in the trunk, it likely has dirt built up inside it. I believe the lines could be clogged if you can't find any other problems. It is 20 year old fluid.
@tatendanyoni9998 my plan is going to be to try to empty all the old hydraulic fluid out, put me fluid in, and hopefully, after a few cycles, it will clear itself out. If not, I may have to pull the lines and try to blow air through them, too loosen out any stuck debris. If you try this and it works (one of the comments below did this and it worked) let me know. I have a lot of things lined up to do before I get to that. Plus I work a lot.
I just went and took a look at mine. The plastic tab that you push down on, barely snaps around a post to hold it in place. Maybe sliding a screw driver in there and pressing down will unclip the center section.
There is a spring clip at the top that you have to press down on as you pull towards you. If it's really jammed, you might have to pry down with something.
