domrvt

iTrader: (2)

Just didn't want someone to read this and get misinformation.

Here's a pic of the bottom of the connector, press this tab to release the connector. Sounds like you already got it off.

What I did with the brushes is cut the old ones off and splice the new brush wires to the old wires. Just pull out the assembly holding the brushes in place so you can swap them out.

bluebadge

I managed to do it! took me until 2am this morning! but it's working better now than it ever did! I took some pics, start to finish and am going to post shortly.

Thank you for all your help, you have been invaluable! couldn't have done it without your help, cheers! domrvt.

BB

bluebadge

Here's my fix-ya for your 5th bow motor! this guide shows total replacement of brushes in the 5th bow motor from start to finish.

https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance...th-photos.html

Thanks to domrvt for his help! cheers.
BB

philtousi

Hello everyone ... first i want to thank domrvt and bluebadge alot because i red wverything you said and this week end i'm starting my mechanical training on my girlfriend 350z which seem to have the same problem a lot of people seems to have : ( sometimes when she try to open the top we only hear the click and then the yellow light turns on in the dash and we need to go push on the top to reset ) so to day i decided to go for the first step the service bulletin
BT03-04 that was on the thread i thought it would be easy to just lubricate and take the 5th bow closure motor ( not the one under the windows but the one under the lid that opens to store the roof) but it took me almost 3 hours to take off and clean and look at the brush etc... what a hard time to get the spindle back in the case with the magnet in the golden case .... SO MY DIAG NOW IS THAT I FOUND ONE OF THE PROBLEM BUT PROBABLY NOT THE WHOLE PROBLEM ... i found out that the auto-closure wire which is some kind of shaft that pushes and pull the track that closes the 5th bow looks like it has a mark near the end where it probably finish to pull the 5th bow and this is the famous drdrdrdrdrdr that my girlfriend told me she heard since a week or two when the top finishes its sequence of closing

so my question is where could i fin this part THE AUTO-CLOSURE WIRE

philtousi

so even if i found one of the problem i don't think i really found the problem why the roof doesnt open so during the weekend i'll try to remove the 5th bow motor the one under the window just like bluebadge did in his really nice diy and look to see if theres carbon or something that is loose because i really don't understand why sometimes it works really nice and fine and some other it doenst work at all and like you all know it just don't work when you really need it and its sunny ... so will wait for reply or help maybe i'll re-post during the week end if i'm tuck somewhere in my process

sluggoZ

iTrader: (129)

For the wire......just call your near-by Nissan Parts Dept.

philtousi

They only sell the motor with all its component 855 $ installed

philtousi

Hello let me explain you what i did this weekend to try fixing the famous 5th bow problem my girlfriend has with her convertible top . First i did the maintenance on the motor that controls the hatch to seal the 5th bow the one that is under the hard lid that opens to store the soft top ..took the motor offcleaned it looket at the brush and everything was fine with it and it worked well then i lubed all the parts in the hatch like it was mentionned in the service bulletin . Secont i retrieve the 5th bow motor with the help of the diy posted by bluebadge cleaned the motor lubed gear put everything back in place and everything worked well and i was really happy so decided to go for a ride parked the car all afternoon ( hot and sunny) then when i came back from my boat ride tried to open the top and guess what same ****in trouble just hear the click from the hatch release then the yellow light open in the dash

philtousi

Ok so then i tried to open the top like 10 times never worked but i thought about the fact that it was always happening when its hot inside the car due to sunny times with top and windows closed so i decided to try it at night when it was a little windy and colder and everything worked so well i thought it was new ... Im gettin so angry and frustrated when it doent work and so happy when it works i just dont figure out what is the problem

philtousi

Hello everybody im writting to you one more time because i still didnt receive any reply so i decided to take the 5th bow motor to an electric motor repair shop and they told me the brush were done and they replaced with brand new for 20$ and everything looked like working really nice for a couple of days because weather was cold and rainy but then today sunshine and hot temperature were back and the same problem appeared push the button to open the top and i only heard the click in the back of the seat and then nothing only the yellow light in the dash ... Reset by pushing back on the top then went for a ride with top closed and open windows to let the interior of the car vent a little and get cooler ... Then it worked just fine and when its late or colder i can tell you that it works out really really fine the sound of the rebuilt 5th bow motor is just like if it was new it doesnt sound weak anymore ... Just cant get what is the problem it probably isnt a big one but its a complicated one

philtousi

ok just went to the dealer today to ask a few question and i finally talked with a certified convertible top technician from nissan that finally helped me to find exactly what is the problem .... now i know exactly what is the problem but i don't know how i'm gonna fix it thats why i'm writting to ask for some help or to know if someone ever had similar problem

so heres the final diagnostic: when my top doesnt open ( usually when its hot and the car has been sitting in the sun with windows and top closed) i only hear the click and then the yellow light lit in the dash .... i thought that this meant that the motor under the cover (5th bow closure motor) was ok because i could go manually lift the 5th bow like 6 inches from the car then force it back in the little **** to close it. But the thing is that under the lid theres a motor a track system with switch and an actuator ,last time i took off the motor i never saw that actuator but the technician explained me that what i can hear is the actuator it just open and left the 5th bow free then the motor under the lid is suppose to lift the **** by pushing on the auto closure wire and the track system.

my problem is that theres some switch on this track system that are suppose to tell to the motor that the actuator has left the **** and that the motor should start to push on the auto closure wire and completely release the **** , then the next step is the 5th bow motor starts and move the 5th bow up so that the storage lid can open and then etc.....

so if someone can help me with those switch and track system to tell me which switch to look at or which relay or whatever i know the problem is there but i'm not really sure how to fix it ...

first ill try to retrieve the track system because last time i only retrieve the motor , then i'll look at the switch with a multimeter and make sure they all work maybe i'll take the motor to an electronic shop to have its brush replaced but i know its not the problem ... the problem must be a switch or a relay or connector because it only happen when the car is warmed up ... in the morning , at night or when its in the shade it works all right

take a look at this :http://www.myzroadster.com/Files/tsb.../NTB03-122.pdf
to make it easier to understand

domrvt

iTrader: (2)

You replaced the brushes on the 5th bow motor under the window glass so that's ruled out, right?

In the TSB you posted (http://www.myzroadster.com/Files/tsb.../NTB03-122.pdf), Figure 9 points out a position switch. Maybe that's what the technician is referring to. I would work through that TSB procedure if you haven't done so already.

Dom

philtousi

ok tonight i decided to took 5th bow closure motor off to have the brush changed in this one too and also to try to find someone that could help me rebuild or find a new auto closure wire ... during i took off the motor i took a look (didnt test with a multimeter cause i didnt had one in hand) at the switches in the latch system i was able to see only 2 of them without removing the entire latch system and actuator and i'm almost sure that if theres one of them that is defect it should be the actuator one ( the one that i cant see if i dont take the entire latch and actuator out ) because the signal that is missing when the top doesnt open is the signal that the actuator as released the top and the 5th bow closure motor should push on the auto closure wire to lift the top like 1 inches than the 5th bow motor takes the 5h bow up

so i'm gonna give a try at only rebuilding the 5th bow closure motor and try it for a week or two to see if problem is still there

Yesterday i took the car at 5 pm and its been a hot day yesterday and the top worked great so i really dont't know what too think but i'm almost sure i'm going in the right direction at looking in the 5th bow closure system it probably is a switch or relay or maybe i hope its not but it could be the control unit that sends signal to motor when it received a signal from the switches

take a look at this can be very helpfull for a lot of problem:
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/fi...top_info_5.pdf

philtousi

Ok so the whole job is done i decided to took the entire latch system and 5th bow closure motor and actuator ( everythind that is under the hard lid) got the motor brushes changed testel every position switch and functionnality of latch and actuator and everything is fine now i habve a new diagnostic because i know better how the latch works and i have been able to see what could cause my 2 problem whish are

1: when i try to open the top and the car is been exposed to the sun for a couple hours i hear the actuator release the **** that locks the top inside the hard lid hole where the latch is but the 5th bow closure motor which is suppose to move the latch system about a inch higher doesnt move at all just like if the position switch that is engaged when the actuator release the top wouldnt send the signal but i tested the switch and it works properly so my diad is that i should look at what receive the signal from this switch and then send the signal to the motor ... Maybe someone know where is the head control unit or relay that control this motor ?

2: when closing the top at the complete end of sequence the top **** ggoes in the lid and clips in the secure lock (just like a door) and then the position switch send the signal to say that the top is engaged in the lock so the 5th bow closure motor take the latch system about a inch down to completely seal the top... My problem is that when the motor seal the top its like if the position switch ( the one that send the signal to say that the latch is completely down meaning that the top is correctly sealed) wouldnt send the signal... so the motor continu to pull on the auto closure wireand thats the famous toc toc toc i hear at the end of sequence because the motor sproket just skip on the auto closure wire dent and if it continue my auto closure wire will be damaged and i just cant find any because it comes witth the complete motor assembly ... So one more time i tested this position switch too with my multimeter and everything looks like working good so final diag i have to take a look at the unit that manage signal from the switch and control the motor

A hint to where its located if someone has ever done maintenance on this unit or relay controlled by this unit would be very helpful

chadinark

Thanks for all the great posts on this. Very helpful.

Picture below shows where my 06 model gets hung in the opening process. It just about makes it and even once it stops seems to keep trying just a little but won't quite get there. I put it back up and try again and it might work fine, so not a huge issue at the moment, but I'm sure it will just get worse. I'd say it gets hung probably every 5th attempt. Bow or elastic band problem? Based on what I've read and also that TSB, I'm thinking the elastic.

Also, what type of protectant, if any, do you use on your tops? Does it hurt to run it through a touchless automatic wash?

thanks!
Chad

Spider Monkey

BAM https://my350z.com/forum/8409348-post5.html


The cleaner is applied with a soft sponge and the protectant is a spray. Buy a bottle of each, and never look back.

Best combo on the market and the only one promoted by the manufacture of our tops.

It is also cheap and you're buying from the community.

chadinark

Thanks! I see they make a vinyl and a cloth cleaner? Ok I feel really dumb but I've guess I've just always thought of my top as being some type of canvas or cloth... but I didnt realize they Zs came in 2 varieties? Do they?

Spider Monkey

Nope, they only come in vinyl that I've ever seen. He was speaking generically about his products.

I always thought they were cloth too, but the manual says vinyl.

chadinark

still wondering if anyone knows the root of the problem when the top gets stuck in this position? thx!

Blooster

iTrader: (1)

Looks similar to how my 5th bow issue started, but mine got worse very fast and then would not even start to open.