maineman

you need the manual..................

http://www.bentleypublishers.com/aud...998-ebahn.html

This is the best for your car .

hubturn

You can manually lower the top, of course. Typically the trunk wiring bundles get broken wires that you may or may not be able to visually see. They can break internally due to flexing when you open and close the trunk. This is the usual suspect and it relates mostly to the trunk lock. There is a specific sequence of events that must occur for the top to operate. These four pages give that overview. (attached) There are feed back switches to inform the system that these events occur. If they do not occur, you get the flashing conv top light in the instrument cluster and the top stops its operation. This wiring diagram is typical, but there are some slight variations by year, so take that into consideration. If you know someone that has a vag-com, that will help point you in a direction. This system takes thought and patience to trouble shoot but it is very do-able.

hubturn

Two more. Hope this helps.

maineman

Exellent pdf's ......Where do they come from?

hubturn

These pages are from "The New Audi Cabriolet" an Audi Service Training manual. It is not as detailed as the Bentleys manual, but it must have been used for training overview of the systems. I believe this manual is the only one that describes the sequence and operation of the convertible top, and is mostly devoted to that system. Of course the Bentleys has the wiring diagram, and there are a couple of differences between them. I bough mine from SJM Autotechnik, but I looked and they don't have any more. I have seen one on ebay occasionally. It is 44 pages long. I have a similar one for the 097 transmission on the Cabby.

greasegun

My 98 cabby the top wont go down. When I unlatch the windows go down but the boot cover will unlock but will open only 4 to 5 inches and thats it. Tried to open and close manually to see if it will reset but same thing. I suspect the fuse for the boot cover, where can i find it? How will i diagnose this?

cheers

maineman

where I'd start.
Did it work before?
Your year cabby also has diagnostics for the top but I believe you'll need a vag com to use it.

greasegun

Hi
It was working fine until yesterday. The only thing I did was put my stuff in the trunk, after that the top won't open automatically. I can put it down and up manually. The sequence of opening stop after the boot cover unlatch. It's a 98 year and I don't have a vagcom, I have the wire but no software. Thanks to all.

Loudgoldwing

Mine did the same thing to me last fall.

There are sensors mounted in the roof storage compartment. When you were putting stuff in your trunk, you bumped the "upside down hump" in your trunk, which is basically a carpeted "bucket" that keeps your various goods in the trunk from interfering with the top's proper function.

Most likely, over the fall you had a small leaf or a spider violate the territory of your top's storage area. Now, whatever it is in there was jarred loose, and is hanging in front of one of a series of sensors in your top's necessary "clean space." These sensors need to give a "clean" reading to your top's deployment computer in order for the top to function properly. This is primarily to keep fingers safe, and to minimize damage in the case of a small bolt or hinge working its way loose.

The easiest fix is to get the top "half up" so that all of the covers are open, and all of the top's hinges are part-way bent. Take the diagram posted below, and gently clear any debris from the little 1/2" black shiny circle-shaped sensors located on and around the frame of the top, as well as the inside of the carpeted "bucket" where the top is stored.

Given the point at which your top stalls, I would pay close attention to the area near each of the two "arms" of the tonneau cover that opens upward to expose the stored top. It sounds like one of those sensors has a little leaf on it, and the hinge-mounted sensor is thinking that something is in the way. In order to prevent what it perceives as impending doom awaiting the mechanism, it halts the opening procedure.

The most important thing here is: THIS IS NOT A BIG DEAL!!! This is just a safety feature of the vehicle, and part of about 30 (literally, not figuratively) conditions that need to be met in order for the top to deploy correctly and completely.

If you are completely lost later today, send me a PM, and I can talk you through this over the phone when I get home from the office.

Cheers,
LG

maineman

I'd bet money it's broken wires in the trunk harness. Especially after you say it worked fine before you put something in the trunk.
I had the same thing happen to mine and I repaired the harness and the top has worked ever since.