Soft top, how to tell if its electric or manual?

[dapc]

As the title above really? Because I had a hard top i really dont remeber if it was manual or electric. or are they all electric? It looks like its a manual but i want to double check.

Thank you!

[Gazza]

Check in the boot, LH side behind the trim there should be a pump.

Easier than that, have you a roof switch on the console ?

[dapc]

The car has been scrapped, this is how I collected my parts so I really cannot remember if the thing had a electric roof.

[Davejue1]

Ring bmw with the Chassis number, it should be on the build list?

[t-tony]

If you don't have the hydro/electric motor gear to sell does it really make any difference? Surely the actual soft top would be the same regardless how it was raised and lowered. Unless there are extra brackets to accommodate the motors. If a car needs them they are there, if not you wouldn't need to use them?

[bentley-boy]

Hi All, As Tony says there is no difference between the hood/frame assembly between manual or power operation to my knowledge. I am thinking of converting my manual hood to power (simply for poseur value!) and when looking at what is involved I found the wiring loom for the motor/pump already present. Also the micro switch, it's cover and wiring loom is also present on the hood frame.All that is needed to convert is the pump / ram assembly together with a mount for it which was spot welded to the nearside inner wheel arch in production. Obviously the operating switch on the centre console will be needed too. So to sum up I think (certainly on my 2002 car) the hood on manual or power operation vehicles all have the wiring loom and micro switch fitted. . . . . unless anyone knows different!!

BB

[Robert T]

The roof IS identical regardless of whether it was electric or manual. Where the electric roof is fitted with a hydraulic ram to raise and lower it, the manual roof has a gas strut to assist with the opening and closing. The only telltale that might be left on a roof removed from the car is a microswitch in the hinge above where the passenger (left-hand) door would have been.

Edit: Beaten to it!

Cheers R.

[TitanTim]

As far as I know the electric roof was an optional extra on the 1.9 whereas I think it was standard on the 2.2 and 3.0 (postfacelift). On mine the original owner was a bit tight

Tim.

[gookah]

I converted my wife's Zed roof from manual to electric.... a doddle...

[dapc]

I would like to say thank you ever so much for all your reply's. so basically, the hoods are all the same whether electric of not. its just the rest of the stuff which the car should already have to make it work. excellent

and iv just checked the chassis number and yes, it says eletromech. thanks guys!

[fish]

So, have had a look at where my roof hinges and I see no microswitch sender and dealership confirms no electric roof etc..

To refit, I "assume" that the connection to the foot pedal is part of the loom?

So its a case of adding pump & bracket, adding the "button" by the alarm and changing the strut over of course….

On what I have picked up from the threads, it would be case of finding the wires to feed up the hood frame and adding the microswitch of course….

Then, with hood back, foot on brake and button pressed, the hood will drop back….(i.e. hood back so that microswitch is uncompressed etc…)…

Ian

[Robert T]

You are almost correct.

The foot-on-brake detection is done using the normal brake pedal switch. This should already be wired into the car's main harness.

The roof microswitch comes off the same piece of loom as supplies the heated rear windscreen. On cars fitted with a manual hood and no hardtop, this is normally found taped back on itself behind the passenger (left-hand) lateral trim panel (where the strut is/ram goes). You will need both the microswitch AND the cable that leads up to it - about a meter long.

The loom for the pump motor should already be threaded through to the boot - look behind the left-hand trim panel for this.

Cheers R.

[fish]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1997-2002-BMW ... 0112027%26

Ok…so is this the long wire seen here on the damper?

Thanks
Ian

[gookah]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1997-2002-BMW ... 0112027%26

Ok…so is this the long wire seen here on the damper?

Thanks
Ian

those are not wires, they are the hydraulic hoses that feed the ram from the pump. They are normally filled with hydraulic oil. There are no electrics to the damper/ram

[Robert T]

Interesting additional photo of a third brakelight on the above ad!

I forgot to mention that you will need to thread the hydraulic hoses for the ram through to the pump in the boot. This is what is pictured - the ram with two hoses attached.

The microswitch should have a base and lever piece and be attached to a length of two core sheathed cable, preferably with a connector on the end. Though the wiring isn't difficult, getting something to operate the switch at the correct angle would be. You could of course bypass the microswitch completely, but if you can get the parts, it is simple enough to fit.

Cheers R.

[fish]

ok, so the final piece of the puzzle being (I assume) is that the wires from the microswitch go back to…

A) the pump
B) the wires on the car, that are in the same loom near the heated rear window….

ok..just seen on post above…"The roof microswitch comes off the same piece of loom as supplies the heated rear windscreen…"….

ok, all kind of makes sense…I see on Real OEM that that the nuts and bolts are hollow to allow the fluid to pump the ram etc….

Folding top micro switch 1 54348407250

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=54&fg=10

My 2002 2.2 Sport does not have the microswitch built into the roof….