BMW Z4 Convertible Roof Problem

[jconthewing]

Hi, I am having problems with my 2007 Z4 Convertible Roof. Last weekend I had the roof down and when I got back home it would not go back up. The red light flashed and did nothing else apart from the windows dropping half way. I had to manually pull it back up and lock it into place usuing the allan key.
How do I work out what the issue is?
Can someone help please?
Thanks

[90turbo1]

behind the drivers seat on the plastic panel you will see a grill panel that removes, behind this is the connections to the power top motor.

its three wires, ground is in center I believe (brown wire) and two positives. test the power there first if youpress the button and you have power there the pump motor is shot. no questions about it.

to replace the pump motor you need to remove the complete convertable top from vehicle. There was a few updates about this the cavatiy in the body where the pump motor sits is pretty sealed on bottom so when water gets in there it has no where to go, filling up and burning out the motor after a short while.

good luck

[jconthewing]

Great, many thanks for that. I have found out that it is definately the motor that has gone and needs replacing. Having read through a lot of posts about this common problem I contacted my local BMW dealer and asked for a quote. To my surprise they quoted me £780 inc vat for parts & labour which I don't think is too bad.

[gahjeen]

behind the drivers seat on the plastic panel you will see a grill panel that removes, behind this is the connections to the power top motor.

its three wires, ground is in center I believe (brown wire) and two positives. test the power there first if youpress the button and you have power there the pump motor is shot. no questions about it.

to replace the pump motor you need to remove the complete convertable top from vehicle. There was a few updates about this the cavatiy in the body where the pump motor sits is pretty sealed on bottom so when water gets in there it has no where to go, filling up and burning out the motor after a short while.

good luck

Does this particular tech note regarding update to the motor cavity include a fix to the problem of allowing water to drain or preventing its build-up in the first place?

[Bmwha]

I relocated my motor to my trunk in a nice black felt box. Tired of the freaking water.

Jet Black 6 Speed '03 Z4 3.0i, Atlanta Blue 6 Speed '03 Z4 3.0i, Maldives Blue '97 Z3

[gahjeen]

That's an excellent idea. Can you detail the DIY protocol on how to relocate the motor from OE to the trunk area. Photos would be appreciated of actual location and how it's held in place. Thanks.

[Bmwha]

No prob. I'll have it here in the next day or so

Jet Black 6 Speed '03 Z4 3.0i, Atlanta Blue 6 Speed '03 Z4 3.0i, Maldives Blue '97 Z3

[gahjeen]

Thanks. Looking forward to it.

[montaillou]

To my surprise they quoted me £780 inc vat for parts & labour which I don't think is too bad.

That is a good price as, in the past, I remember seeing prices about double that. The parts aren't all too expensive and if you're handy (and have a weekend on your hands) there are write ups out there (1 or 2 of them here).

[Kenta]

Also, I've found a bit of white lithium grease keeps the joints well lubicrated, and is moisture resistant.

[bruce8910]

I have had my roof motor fixed once last August by BMW under warranty (thankfully) anyway t has started to sound like it is straining again. It still goes up and down fine but it is shouting and screaming while it does it.

I took it into BMW this morning and they said they don't expect it to be rusty after 6 months. So they think it could be that the hydraulic fluid needs topping up in the motor. As they want to charge £728 to take off the roof I thought I would do it myself. I have seen shipkiller has an excellent guide to taking it off but I was wondering if it is possible to top up the fluid and if anyone knows how this is done?

[Shipkiller]

To top off the hydraulic fluid, the top must come out of the car.

[chickdr]

To top off the hydraulic fluid, the top must come out of the car.

This is a piss poor design...

[Shipkiller]

This is a piss poor design...

Do you feel better now???

[bruce8910]

Once I have the roof off and the motor out is there simply a top up cap i remove on the motor and pour the fluid in. or do I have to put the fluid into the hoses to ensure the reservoir is full?

Thanks

[Shipkiller]

The pump is self-priming. All you need to do is fill it up and cycle the top.

[bruce8910]

Perfect thanks for your help shipkiller

[tribe]

I have the same issue with low hydraulic fluid. Been too lazy to take out the top. Anyone try bimmerspecialist . com? They have FEBI/Bilstein (54 34 0 394 395) hydraulic top fluid for $11.99.

[Shipkiller]

New pumps come pre-filled. If you need more fluid, then the BMW part number for a bottle is: 54340394395

Looks like the same part number.

.

[tribe]

Received the Febi hydraulic top fluid. Really great price as it is 1 L ($11.99) compared to 250 mL (~$28) from the dealer. Also, the fluid is made in Germany.

[chickdr]

Just stating a fact. I am sure they could have made the pump accessible without removal of the top(or at least provided an access port to do so).

[Shipkiller]

Maybe, but I bet not. BMW went to great lengths to increase chassis rigidity on the Z4 over the Z3. Adding a access door would decrease some of this chassis rigidity that we ALL take pride in. Additionally, if you put an access hatch, now you have to weatherproof it. Any leakage, then the owner would be pissed off about 'this' bad design.

Since when this was all designed , BMW most likely did not have any data that said that this issue would creep up. Now it is a non-issue with BMW since 99.9% of all E85's are out of warranty.
Do you REALLY think BMW really cares about the owners.... just be bottom line.

.

[tribe]

Finally pulled the top out of the car to check the fluid level. I am having an issue where when putting the top up, it will only go half way. Conversely, when putting the top down it doesn't move the first half, but will the second half.

The TIS for checking fluid says to check when the top is "closed". I first interpreted this as down, but later thinking about it maybe it should be when the top is up. In the down position, the fluid is close to the minimum, while in the up position the fluid is above maximum. Anyone know for sure what closed means? I'm hoping it means down, as this would explain the issues I'm having with the top.

If the issue is not the fluid level, any other ideas what could cause this issue? Also, anyone try testing the top while out of the car (apply power to the motor?).

[Pyewacket69]

Finally pulled the top out of the car to check the fluid level. I am having an issue where when putting the top up, it will only go half way. Conversely, when putting the top down it doesn't move the first half, but will the second half.

The TIS for checking fluid says to check when the top is "closed". I first interpreted this as down, but later thinking about it maybe it should be when the top is up. In the down position, the fluid is close to the minimum, while in the up position the fluid is above maximum. Anyone know for sure what closed means? I'm hoping it means down, as this would explain the issues I'm having with the top.

If the issue is not the fluid level, any other ideas what could cause this issue? Also, anyone try testing the top while out of the car (apply power to the motor?).

"Closed" means top up, as in the cabin area being "enclosed".

[tribe]

When I replaced the motor last year I had the top in the down position, which i can see now could cause the system to be overfilled. I wonder if this is causing the issue? Hopefully overfilled does not cause mechanical damage.

As I manually cycled the roof with the motor bypassed I can see the level change, but it never fills completely, so it is hard to imagine overfill causing damage. Anyone with experience on this?