Weird electric hood problems! (with pics)

JoeyD · Post by **JoeyD** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 10:13

Sorry for starting a new thread,i did post this on my other thread but got no replies so thought id start a new one with some more hope!!

Right....i have searched for this problem and couldn't find the same symptoms!

So.... The hood is electric. on opening,if i dont help it fold at the start,ie a simple helping hand, it goes down straight back whilst up in the air with no folding! no problem really...im guessing its just down to it being too tight or maybe stiff. Anyway, once i help her back/fold she goes up and down perfectly. no lag,,no hesitation etc! So i dont think its pump related. The problem is that once it comes to settle down, ie open, the drivers side is setting higher than the passengers.For example, its like i have a couple of books on the drivers side and its stopping her go down any more. Its weird because if i put her in manual mode she goes down perfect and sits perfect!! When i say she sits higher i dont mean half way up or very noticeable, its just flush with the body work but the passengers side sits inside the hood compartment as its supposed to be!!

Any ideas?!!

JoeyD · Post by **JoeyD** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 11:37

Ok so, Here is the 1st picture. This is if i dont give it a helping nudge to fold

After a little nudge it starts to fold...

And it settles like this! high on the drivers side. All the metal work and interior has been checked. no obstructions. if i turn the hood to manual it folds and sits perfectly!

Heath · Post by **Heath** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 12:23

Although mine is a manual roof I know that when you unclip your roof you are supposed to push it up a little which should start that first fold at the front. I am sure the microswitch is supposed to stop it doing what it does in the first picture

Heath on Tapatalk

JoeyD · Post by **JoeyD** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 13:20

Sorry i should of mentioned the difference between 1st and 2nd pic! They are both from the start. so 1st pic with no nudge or push up as you say. 2nd pic is WITH the push up. they dont happen at the same time. So if i push it up whilst i am sat down, ie at the beginning then it is fine. But she sits weird!! How would a micro switch or elcetrics make it sit or not fold weidly? i thought the power would just operate up and down feature? folding and the sitting of the hood would be down to the hinges and flexibility of the hood??

Post by **Robert T** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 13:24

Heath is correct. The roof must have the front portion lifted for it to operate corrrectly - it sounds like your microswitch has been bypassed for some reason as normally the roof will not operate until the front portion has been hinged up - it will push up and stay at an angle of about 30 degrees.

The not sitting correctly when down problem is interesting - if it sits right with the hydraulics disengaged, then all I can think is that the ram is not being retracted fully, but the odd thing is that its is the free end of the roof that is not sitting right, rather than the side with the ram on it.

Can you feel anything trapped that might be stopping it? You have a pre-facelift so it shouldn't be the hood lining (we don't have one!). If you press gently does it resist and where does it resist on the passenger side or the drivers side?

Cheers R.

JoeyD · Post by **JoeyD** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 13:49

Ahhaa!! my hood always operates! i mean only when the engine is off or handbrake or brake applied! but if it is still hinged i can make the motor work. when it is down it can work too. It has its operating range, for example when it is effective, but out of this it isnt effective. so when it is down,the motor can keep working but not do anything! when it is up past a certain point it does nothing! no problem for me. it works fine! i think!!

So, when she is down, the drivers side side sits up, it feels bouncy. i can push it further down but it feels like there is a bouncy resistance.thats the best way i can describe it!! nothing wrong with passengers side at all.

Titan · Post by **Titan** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 14:25

The fact that you can get to operate the pump at the position in Pic #1 indicates that the hood microswitch has been by passed.
As a result I suspect you have sprained or bent the mechanism at the ram side which is why it won't sit down properly in the folded position and what the microswitch interlock was designed to protect against.
When you operate it manually from the centre handle above the rear view mirror you are reversing the forces in the mechanism at the top of the ram and straightening it without realising that you have done so.
If you can compare yours side by side with another Z it should be apparent what is going wrong.

JoeyD · Post by **JoeyD** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 14:54

hmm im confused! i have been out on it most of the day, put it in manual and electric mode. cant see a difference at all in the operation or that something is bent!

Post by **Robert T** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 15:16

I fear Titan is correct. Operating the roof incorrectly has bent something and when the ram is used to pull the roof down it pulls it down too far, thus lifting the opposite side of the roof. When you operate in manually you push the ram down, so it finishes up sitting in its natural position.

Just to be clear on the roof operation:
* The roof can be operated with the engine on or off - as the motor takes a fair bit of power it is advisable to operate it with the engine running to avoid draining the battery, but it is not crucial
* The brake pedal must be pressed in order to operate the roof - it works of the same switch that operates the brakelights - the handbrake has nothing to do with it
* The roof microswitch should prevent you operating the roof until the front portion has been lifted by hand - yours is not doing this so you need to check the wiring to see if some enterprising pillock has bypassed it - if they have, then that explains a few things

There a number of components in the roof frame that can be damaged by what is actually quite a powerful hydraulic ram - not least of which is snapping the top ball joint off the ram - to avoid further damage you need to find out what is bent and fix it, otherwise using the power mode might be doing more harm than good.

Cheers R.

chrisp_1 · Post by **chrisp_1** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 16:10

My thoughts having looked at your pics is the r.window is obstructing the folding action - you can see the peak/fold clearly in the pics.

The guy I bought mine off said that he always got out and pushed the window flat after initiating the initial fold, that said weather has been so sh*t up here since I've had mine that I'm still unfamiliar with correct procedures - however on mine I don't need to operate the brake at all to make it work,... that must have been bypassed too

, brake lights are fine [last time I checked]

JoeyD · Post by **JoeyD** » Sun 01 Jul, 2012 16:49

Right, been out to do a bit more searching. every bar seems in good order! but the hood sits raised on the rivers side in manual or power hood mode! sorry for the confusion.
The rear window flats out and isnt obstructing it. i made sure of this by having someone else lower it and i was watching it etc!

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