Out top was working perfectly, then after arriving home we pressed up and top went up 1/3 of the way then stopped. Further inspection, appears pump and cylinder are fine as we are able to feed power directly to motor and make top go and and down with no biding issues etc. So we tested holofex sensors and they seem to work well. Took top module apart and there are no smells or burnt circuits. Trunk tray sensor bi passed and switch tested all works well. We can press the down top button and it goes down, then windows roll up as always, but when we press up it goes up smooth then stops 1/3rd of the way up and blinks red on switch. Press down and town goes down again, then up and it goes up again. LOL lubed all joints, car running while testing, etc. Again we are able to complete the top up with direct 12v power to motor and back down. We also direct 12v to lock motor and it does work fine, locks and unlocks. ANY IDEAS? HELP, I am about to trade this car in next weekend and this happened.... HELP. Thank you in advance. We did check all wiring in top going to sensors for pinching damage etc but all looks good even inisde headliner.
I’ve had many problems with my Z4’s convertible top motor. BMW, in all of their design/engineering brilliance, located the convertible top hydraulic motor in a location that allows for water to pool and submerges the motor in water from rain or washing your car. Eventually, this motor is going to fail. It is not designed to be submerged. I relocated my top’s motor to the trunk of the car, thereby keeping the new motor dry. I also placed a spongy rubber mat under the motor to support the motor and protect it from vibration. Make sure you check the motor for hydraulic fluid. If it doesn’t have enough fluid, the performance of the top will suffer. This goes for the hydraulic lines. They must be in good condition. I have replaced all but the front locks of the convertible top. Guess those will go bad next! BMW is fully aware of these problems and have consistently refused to do any sort of recall, shop fix, or even give you a discount on the parts needed to fix their poor design. If you pay the dealership to do the work, have deep pockets lined with cash. It will cost you. This work can be done yourself. It is not that hard, but is time consuming. Having a friend to help you remove the convertible top will help, but others have been able to remove the top’s motor without completely removing the top. On US cars, the motor is behind the driver’s left shoulder, in between the driver’s compartment and the trunk compartment. Take your time and good luck!
That sounds like the best way to protect the motor and pump, but what about the water retention problem. Did you engineer a fix to prevent water from building up and ruining the carpet?
I've previously owned X2 E85 Z4s and was aware of the motor issues with blocked drain tubes, I didn't realise the hydraulic pipes could rot too! I now have the E89 Hardtop Z4, did BMW learn from the previous model and make the roofs more reliable? Thanks for your video.
Ho thete need help? E30 hydro soft top, ones i press the button for soft top motor starts but doesn’t do anything? Do i need some sort of bleeding or refilling what can it be? Please help thanks
Terrible design, as was BMW putting the stereo amp in a similar location on early X5s. Sunroof equipped ones whose drains block deposit water in the 'well' and short it out. What were they thinking!
Bon, il n'y a même pas un con d'ingénieur de chez "deutch qualitat" qui aurait pensé a faire une gouttière dans le fond de chaque caisson abritant le moteur pour au moins éviter de se retrouver avec une mare dans le fond de la bagnole??Juste pour info, on a ça sur les deux chevaux ...qui sont sorties en 1948 !!
Out top was working perfectly, then after arriving home we pressed up and top went up 1/3 of the way then stopped. Further inspection, appears pump and cylinder are fine as we are able to feed power directly to motor and make top go and and down with no biding issues etc. So we tested holofex sensors and they seem to work well. Took top module apart and there are no smells or burnt circuits. Trunk tray sensor bi passed and switch tested all works well. We can press the down top button and it goes down, then windows roll up as always, but when we press up it goes up smooth then stops 1/3rd of the way up and blinks red on switch. Press down and town goes down again, then up and it goes up again. LOL lubed all joints, car running while testing, etc. Again we are able to complete the top up with direct 12v power to motor and back down. We also direct 12v to lock motor and it does work fine, locks and unlocks. ANY IDEAS? HELP, I am about to trade this car in next weekend and this happened.... HELP. Thank you in advance. We did check all wiring in top going to sensors for pinching damage etc but all looks good even inisde headliner.
I wish I knew what the resolve on this issue was incase I experience the same.
Wow, great informative video! Thank you for taking the time to make this. Would be amazing if you made a video on how to remove the roof! ;)
Do you have a video removing those cylinders?
I’ve had many problems with my Z4’s convertible top motor.
BMW, in all of their design/engineering brilliance, located the convertible top hydraulic motor in a location that allows for water to pool and submerges the motor in water from rain or washing your car. Eventually, this motor is going to fail. It is not designed to be submerged.
I relocated my top’s motor to the trunk of the car, thereby keeping the new motor dry. I also placed a spongy rubber mat under the motor to support the motor and protect it from vibration.
Make sure you check the motor for hydraulic fluid. If it doesn’t have enough fluid, the performance of the top will suffer. This goes for the hydraulic lines. They must be in good condition.
I have replaced all but the front locks of the convertible top. Guess those will go bad next!
BMW is fully aware of these problems and have consistently refused to do any sort of recall, shop fix, or even give you a discount on the parts needed to fix their poor design. If you pay the dealership to do the work, have deep pockets lined with cash. It will cost you.
This work can be done yourself. It is not that hard, but is time consuming. Having a friend to help you remove the convertible top will help, but others have been able to remove the top’s motor without completely removing the top. On US cars, the motor is behind the driver’s left shoulder, in between the driver’s compartment and the trunk compartment.
Take your time and good luck!
That sounds like the best way to protect the motor and pump, but what about the water retention problem. Did you engineer a fix to prevent water from building up and ruining the carpet?
I did the same job plus i drill bigger circle to prevent the clogging problem
Thanks very useful
we zed owners need to get a lawsuit together that is unacceptable design
I’ve seen several videos on replacing the BMW pump/motor with a Mustang 2009-2014 unit. Less cost and quicker operation.
@Logan Jack ruclips.net/video/8dWMaZv-WQ4/видео.html
I've previously owned X2 E85 Z4s and was aware of the motor issues with blocked drain tubes, I didn't realise the hydraulic pipes could rot too! I now have the E89 Hardtop Z4, did BMW learn from the previous model and make the roofs more reliable? Thanks for your video.
Hello, when changing all of this and putting new oil do you need to bleed the system or not?
if you have these failures, replace it into the trunk. after that no more water problems
Can you do that?
Yep, several people across the UK can do it for you, about £80 @@jonnyjacot4248
Ho thete need help? E30 hydro soft top, ones i press the button for soft top motor starts but doesn’t do anything? Do i need some sort of bleeding or refilling what can it be? Please help thanks
What a sh***tty design ! I have the same problem with my Z4. I think BMW should sell replacement roof motors w/o any profit, to show goodwill.
Terrible design, as was BMW putting the stereo amp in a similar location on early X5s. Sunroof equipped ones whose drains block deposit water in the 'well' and short it out. What were they thinking!
thats scandalous
What a terrible issue.
Bon, il n'y a même pas un con d'ingénieur de chez "deutch qualitat" qui aurait pensé a faire une gouttière dans le fond de chaque caisson abritant le moteur pour au moins éviter de se retrouver avec une mare dans le fond de la bagnole??Juste pour info, on a ça sur les deux chevaux ...qui sont sorties en 1948 !!
Avec un fouille d'érable sera suffisant pour bloquer quelle que soit ton troué