Well, I had the typical issue with my power top of the rear window not raising high enough to allow the boot to fully open without hitting the rear window and getting stuck. Everyone told me it was time to replace my Tension Straps. So, I was getting ready to bite the bullet and replace them. Meanwhile, I saw a thread an another E36-Only forum about making an adjustment inside the Soft Top Well that will allow the rear window to raise higher. I made the adjustment and new the top works flawlessly and I saved $500-1,000 dollars from not doing the straps!!! Hoo-Ray!!!!!!

I also finally figured out / got around to wiring the Mountng Kit (for my removable hardtop) to work, allowing the rear defroster and rear map lights to work. It went perfectly and the defroster and lights function just fine!!

Man, everything is going really well regarding tinkering with my E36 lately!!

Glad to hear everthing is going well, its so sweet when that happens.

congrats! It's awesome when a project goes well and you end up saving cash with a little research and elbow grease.

I am on the watch for a hardtop at a good price so that I can join in on the fun of wiring it up. :)

What adjustment are you referring to?

I have my top that does that too (sometimes). And I have seen a couple references to top not going up all the way and the boot hitting.

The last rod goes up far enough every time. But it's the second from the last and the window which doesn't go forward enough sometimes. Is this what you had as well? The last/bottom rod in mine does not need any adjustment. It's just the window that needs to be tugged forward sometimes to make sure the boot clears.

And if so, could you post the adjustment you are talking about? Any videos? Pictures?

Its the rod that is more twords the cente rof the car. There is a nut on the und that allows it to be adjustible. I sinched my rod all the way in and now the window lifts much higher!!

Nice!

You're lucky that worked as adjusting the bars is not the solution for everyone. There's a stop on the frame that simply doesn't allow the rear beam to raise any further.

It's a long story to tell, but basically, if the tension straps are worn, they act on the top of the beam, while the stop is at the bottem. So even with the frame all the way against the stop, the top of the roof not folding correctly (caused by the straps) can still push it forwards enough to make the lid hit it.

There's also tricks to tighten (make a loop) in the straps to shorten them. I simply used a 10 cent paperclip and it worked.
Problem is it slides off after one correct open/close procedure, but I'll work that out next summer. :)

congrats! It's awesome when a project goes well and you end up saving cash with a little research and elbow grease.

I am on the watch for a hardtop at a good price so that I can join in on the fun of wiring it up. :)

No need to wait for a hardtop to join the wiring fun. If you don't have the install kit fitted yet (the one you need to wire up) better get that started, so when you find the hardtop, it's a simple job of putting it on the car and you're done! :D

<<SNIPPED>>
There's also tricks to tighten (make a loop) in the straps to shorten them. I simply used a 10 cent paperclip and it worked.
Problem is it slides off after one correct open/close procedure, but I'll work that out next summer. :)
Paperclip... ?? !!
I did same thing with nylon zip-ties about 2 months ago.
Quick, EZ, and "permanent".. until I need to take a bigger loop - when I can cut old one out, and make a bigger loop with a new tie.

What's a zip tie?

can someone documentate this procedure with photos, so that others will exactlly know, how to solve this problem.

can someone documentate this procedure with photos, so that others will exactlly know, how to solve this problem.

PeCi - I didn't use paperclips or zip ties, but I did document my fix here

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=764739

I tried using zip ties to shorten my straps, but I didn't seem to get enough lift (or i just didn't shorten enough). The elastic on my tension straps is completely shot, so that's why I added the bungee cords. No problems for several months now.