SwissJetPilot

These instructions will show you how to depressurize the hydraulic system, raise the top back into the closed position and manually secure the latches. No diagnostic or trouble shooting information is provided.

The RAC video for manually raising the convertible top can be seen here:

I have included a complete write up in PDF with screen shots from the RAC video.

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Basic operation of the convertible top system

The convertible top is raised and lowered by means of a hydraulic pump which drives two hydraulic pistons on either side of the top frame. The hydraulic pump is located under the floor of the trunk on the left side, between the spare tool area and the bulkhead. Once raised, the roof is then secured to the top of the windshield frame with two latches driven by an electric motor assembly located inside the forward edge of the convertible top.

The convertible top motor assembly has several key parts; the electric drive motor, the motor gear, the latch actuator, the spline shaft and the actuator arms which move the roof latches to secure the top. When the electric motor is engaged, it rotates a worm gear which rotates the motor gear which then rotates the latch actuator by means of a spline shaft that connects the two. The spline shaft is a common shaft that goes through the motor gear and the latch actuator. The latch actuator then rotates and moves two latch arms which engage the latches and secure the roof to the windscreen frame.

As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, this is why the spline shaft has to be removed and why the crank arm spline-end has to be fully inserted into the spline hole. The spline-end of the crank arm tool must pass through the motor gear and only engage the latch actuator.

There are any number of reasons the top won't move from a bad motor, failed hydraulic pump, faulty sensor, a leaking hydraulic cylinder or just the misfortune of hitting a bump when you attempted to open the top while driving. Any one of these could be the cause. But right now you need to get the top up and secured and that's what these instructions will help you do.

1 - Safety first!

1.1 Car in park.
1.2 Set the handbrake.
1.3 Lower the windows all the way down.
1.4 Turn off the ignition and remove the key from the ignition.

2 - Get the Tools and Depressurize the Hydraulic System

2.1 Lift up the trunk cover and get the tools from the spare tools kit (1) Screwdriver (2) Crank Arm Tool also known as the “Key” or in German “Schlüssel”
2.1.1 The Screwdriver is located on the left side. This is a double-ended screwdriver with Philips on one end and a flat blade on the other.
2.1.2 The Crank Arm Tool is located on the right side, towards the rear under the air compressor. Remove the air compressor and you fill find the crank arm tool is directly underneath.
2.2 Find the hydraulic relief screw - it’s accessible through a star-shaped cut-out in the carpet located at the left-forward section of the trunk towards the bulkhead.
2.3 Insert the flat blade of the screwdriver into the hole, and turn the screw ½-turn counterclockwise. NOTE: You don’t have to insert the screwdriver very far into the opening to find the pressure relief screw, approximately ¼ to ½ inch is enough and you should be able to find it. It’s a bit tricky to find since it is almost impossible to see, so be patient despite the awkward position.

3 - Secure the Convertible Top Flaps

3.1 Disconnect the actuator rod ball end on the underside of the side flap by “popping” it off. The flap is spring loaded and will automatically go into the “up” position. Snap the actuator rod ball into the molded feature located on the underside of the flap. Be sure you secure both the left and right flaps and actuator rods.

4 - Raising the Convertible Top

4.1 With two people, grasp the top positing your hands under the front and rear corners. Working together and at the same time, raise the top up and forward into position until it is resting on the windscreen frame.
4.2 If you have to raise the top up by yourself, get into the car facing backwards, and straddle the center console with one knee on each seat. Reach under the center of the top and carefully raise it up and out of the stowed position with both hands. While the top is both heavy and awkward, with constant pressure and steady motion, it can be raised and closed this way.

NOTE: The securing latches will be in the closed position so the top will not seat onto the windscreen frame as it normally would. Under these conditions, this is normal.

5 - Accessing the Top Motor Assembly

5.1 Back inside the car; remove the access cover panel from the convertible top motor housing. To avoid scratching the plastic, you can use a credit card and insert it into the left or right forward panel corners (closest to the map lights) and pry it open. Note: Some roadster models will only have an access hole-plug, not a cover panel.

6 - Remove the Spline Shaft and Securing the Top

6.1 The crank arm tool has two ends;
6.1.1 One end has a screw-and-cup designed to remove and reinsert the spline shaft from the motor gear and latch actuator.
6.1.2 The other end has a spline-end with a shoulder feature. This end is designed to pass through the motor gear and only engage with latch actuator which will then close the locking hooks and secure the roof.
6.2 Locate the spline shaft inside the motor assembly. One end will be sticking out from the motor gear about ¼”. It will have a small threaded hole in the center. The spline shaft is about 2-1/2” (7cm) long over all.
6.3 Screw the screw-and-cup end of the crank arm tool into the spline shaft. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN! Once seated into the cup, pull the spline shaft straight out. IMPORTANT - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ROTATE IT! Doing so may result in shearing off the little threaded stud inside the spline shaft. Just pull it straight out.
6.4 Leave the spline shaft attached to the crank arm tool, and turn the tool over to use the other end.
6.5 Fully insert spline-end of the crank arm tool into the same opening where you just removed the spline shaft until the tool is fully seated. It should go all the way into the opening with the shoulder of the tool against the motor housing.

If the crank arm tool fails to seat or cannot be fully inserted, see Section 7.

6.6 To open the latches, turn the crank arm tool clockwise.

If you encounter significant resistance - STOP!

If this happens you are only engaged with the motor gear, not the latch actuator. If you attempt to force the crank arm tool, you may end up sheering off the spline-end of the tool or severely damaging the motor gear – or both. If the crank arm tool won't go all the way in, go to Section 7.

6.7 To close the latches, turn the crank arm tool counterclockwise to secure the convertible top to the windshield frame. If everything is okay at this point, continue to Section 8. If not, then follow the instructions in Section 7.

7 - The Crank Arm Tool doesn’t go in all the way!

There is a possibility that the motor gear and latch actuator can become misaligned after you removed the spline shaft. That's why you can't fully inserting the crank arm tool. This can happen because there is a rubber stud on the end of the motor housing that fits into a hole in the frame. When the spline shaft is removed, there is enough pressure from the rubber stud that entire motor assembly can shift slightly to the left, resulting in misalignment.

7.1 Press the spline end of the crank arm too back in as far as it will go until it stops, and at the same time, push the motor assembly hard to the right. This may take considerable force to push the motor assembly to the right, but it can be done. You may have to "wiggle" the tool (don't attempt to rotate it) but it should go in. If not, then just stop and proceed to the next step.
7.1.2 Go back into the trunk and take out the double ended Torx driver. It is located next to where you found the screwdriver.
7.1.3 Remove the handle from the screw driver and place it onto the end which has the larger Torx driver.
7.1.4 Insert the smaller end of the Torx driver into the Torx screw that's holding the motor assembly in place and turn counter-clockwise slightly until you notice the motor actuator assembly is loose. The mounting screw is the large black screw shown to the right of the spline shaft opening.
7.1.5 Re-insert the spline-end of the crank arm tool as far as it will go and push the motor hard to the right while pressing the crank arm upwards in an attempt get it into the latch actuator. You don't need to rotate the crank arm too, but you may need to 'wiggle' it to help get it fully seated into the actuator.

If you have gotten this far and still can't get the crank arm tool fully into the actuator stop and go to the next step.

7.2 If no amount of wiggling and pushing is working, the next step is to completely remove the motor drive assembly to allow direct access to the actuator splines. This is actually very easy so don't panic.
7.2.1 Use the torx driver and completely remove the mounting screw. As the motor drive assembly starts to become loose, be aware there is a 1”-diameter washer located between the motor drive assembly and the actuator. The washer has felt on one side and the felt side goes against the motor drive assembly. Do not attempt to disconnect the power plug!
7.2.2 If the motor doesn’t come lose on its own, gently pull it to the left and slightly down. The motor housing has a rubber stud on the right side that fits into a hole in the top frame (you'll see it once the motor assembly is out of the way). Once it’s free, you can carefully let the motor drive assembly hang by the electrical wires.
7.3 The latch actuator is now fully visible and accessible. Do not remove the retaining clip. This is what holds the spline shaft in place.
7.4 Insert the spline-end of the crank arm tool into the latch actuator until it is just past the retaining clip.
7.5 To open the latches, turn the crank arm tool clockwise. To close the latches, turn the crank arm tool counterclockwise to secure the convertible top to the windshield frame.

8 - Final Steps

The top is now closed and secure! Good job.

8.1 Reinsert the spline shaft until fully seated and unscrew the crank arm tool by turning it counterclockwise.
Note: If you had to remove the motor drive assembly, re-install it in the reverse order of removal. Be sure the clip and washer are in place and tighten the mounting screw until it is snug. Since the splines were misaligned to begin with, it may be difficult to reinstall the spline shaft. But since the top is now secure, leave the spline shaft on the crank arm tool so you don't lose it, and you can sort this out later.
8.2 Replace the cover panel (or plug) by inserting the forward edge first and then push the rear edge into place.
8.3 Go back to the trunk and close the hydraulic pressure valve.
8.4 Put the tools back where they are normally stored.

You can drive safely.

9 - Operating the top

9.1 If you were able to put everything back together (including re-inserting the spline shaft) you can attempt a system-reset by trying to open the top again and cycling the top through its normal operation.
Note - if you have an error "Soft Top Not Secure" or a flashing yellow indicator in the instrument panel, you may have to have the error codes reset by the dealer or by someone with a VAGCOM.
9.2 If, when you attempt to re-open the top, the motor unlocks the latches but the top doesn't go back down and you can hear a humming sound from behind you, you may not have closed the pressure relief valve.
9.1.2 Stop! Close and secure the top.
9.1.3 Go back into the trunk and verify the pressure relief valve is actually closed by turning it clockwise.
9.1.4 Open the top as you normally would but remember you will need to reconnect the actuator rods on both flaps. Get the top down until it is seated in the stowed position, and just before the flap actuators have a chance to engage, reconnect the actuator rods on both flaps.
9.1.5 Continue to open the top normally until the operation is complete (e.g. flaps down, windows up, yellow indicator light is off).
9.2 If you were unable to reinstall the spine shaft, it can be reinserted but you may have to go back through the process of pushing the motor drive assembly hard to the right while attempting to do so until you can fully seat the spline shaft and then fully tighten the torx mounting screw. This isn't easy, but with patience it can be done with the tools you have been using. It's a real PITA but saves paying a technician to do it for you. Just remember - do NOT attempt to rotate the spline-shaft while it's still on the end of the crank arm tool or you may snap off the little threaded feature. I recommend you remove it from the crank arm tool and attempt to insert it by holding it in your hand to avoid the risk.

I also recommend you check that all these tools are in your trunk and are serviceable. If you are missing the screw driver or the crank arm tool here are the part numbers: (1) Crank Arm Tool aka - Releasing, Key Blank, Emergency 8J7825381A (2) Screwdriver, 1J0012255I. I couldn't find the Torx driver part number, but be sure you one just in case you have to remove the motor. Also, it's a good idea to check that the crank arm tool screw-and-cup feature has the little threaded stud. If it's not there, chances are it's been broken off inside the spline shaft. If this is the case, have a pair of vise-grip pliers handy so you can pull the spline shaft out of the motor assembly.


What to do If the Crank Arm Tool doesn’t go in all the way -

There is a possibility that the motor gear and latch actuator internal splines can become misaligned after you removed the spline shaft. When the spline shaft is removed, the motor assembly can shift slightly to the left, resulting in misalignment. It doesn’t take much, even if the alignment is off by 0.5mm, it can prevent fully inserting the crank arm tool in to the latch actuator.

If you haven't fully inserted the crank arm tool, you're only engaged with the motor gear and not the lever actuator. Any attempt to rotate it while engaged with the motor gear will result in either damaging the motor assembly or snapping of the end of the tool.

Solution:

1. Go back into the trunk and take out the double ended Torx driver. It is located next to where you found the screwdriver.

2. Remove the handle from the screw driver and place it onto the end which has the smaller Torx driver.

3. Insert the larger end of the Torx driver into the Torx screw that's holding the motor assembly in place and turn counter-clockwise slightly until you notice the motor actuator assembly is loose. The mounting screw is the large black screw shown to the right of the spline shaft opening.

4. Push the motor hard to the right. (See note below)

5. Push the crank arm tool spline-end into the spline opening in an attempt get it into the latch actuator. You can't rotate the tool, but you may need to 'wiggle' it to help get it fully seated into the actuator. If it won't go in, push the motor assembly harder to the right.

6. Once the crank arm tool is all the way in, and has properly seated against the motor housing, you can now open/close and secure the top.

7. If the crank arm tool is difficult to remove, push the motor to the right again and withdraw the crank arm tool.

8. When re-inserting the spline shaft, the same situation may occur. Again, push the motor to the right, and insert the spline shaft.

9. Unscrew the crank arm tool from the spline shaft, and tighten the Torx mounting screw.

Note: If pushing the motor doesn't work, unscrew and remove the Torx screw and pull the motor assembly to the left and down. Don't disconnect the power cord! Let the motor assembly hang by the power cord so it's out of the way. You can now insert the crank arm tool spline-end into the lever actuator to open/close and secure the top.