In response to a request for pics, unfortunately I didn't take any. But check out this thread about cleaning the window motor:
https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance-and-repair/361241-how-to-repair-stuck-broken-window-motor.html
The motor looks exactly the same.

And to access it, just pull up on the black plastic cover over the motor. See this graphic to get a better idea:
http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?i...z5thbowkp1.jpg

 

well.. seems my top motors finally gave out. My top is halfway open now and am going to the dealer first thing in the morning to see whats up. I cannot afford the thousands in repair right now so I'm just going to have them manually close it and thats it. *cry*

 

I think it states in the manual how to close the top manually if you want to save some $$$. Let us know how this turns out for you.

 

It does state in the manual but I do not dare go through the procedure so I took it to the dealer for a manual close. They charged me an hour of labor ($130). Can't afford to fix it right now.

 

I have had two issues with my 05 Touring edition roadster's top.

Last February I had the top corner seam seperation problem which resulted in the top being replaced under warranty (I bought the car with 4400 miles on it in March 2007). I had a bit of a problem initially getting the dealer to respond but when I spoke to the right service advisor it was an automatic replacement.

About two months ago I noticed that the top started getting a problem raising and lowering. Mine had the issue where the rear curtain would hesitate (the rear postion of the top with the window installed). It was just intermittent hesitation until a month ago when I pulled into my parking space at work and the rear curtain stopped half way down. I fiddled with it and ended up pushing it down manually until it latched. After work I tried the top and it worked normally.

On Wednesday July 2, 2008 I was at a doctor's appointment that was about a mile away from my dealership when the rear curtain portion of the top stopped working entirely. After the Dr appointment I took it to the dealership and had them look at it. Since it was late in the afternoon and the following day was July 3rd and they were fully booked they asked if I could bring it back the following Monday. To make a long story short the car now had 36,225 miles on it and since I told them this had been a problem for a while they decided to cover it under warranty.

It took two additional visits over the course of two weeks (I work 150 miles away from the dealership) but the problem is fixed. It turned out to be what Nissan calls the top deck assembly (PN: 97100-CE41A). It is also referred to as the 5th bow actuator assembly that has been discussed here before.

For the record it's the assembly that's under the plastic cover directly under the rear window. There is a motor in it that is apparently prone to failure if what you read here is any indication of a larger issue.

Last Wednseday 7/16/08 I wrote a message to Nissan, on their web site, about the convertible top and have not received any response as of this writing (other then the automatic responder that a rep would contact me).

I cannot fault my dealership's service department since they have been up front and helpful but I wonder what my attitude would be like if I had to pay to have it fixed. It's a shame that such a great car has some convertible top issues.

I have planned to get a new Z roadster next year but I have to consider the reliability factor heavily. I put a lot of miles on my car and need something that's not prone to frequent service issues. Other than the convertible top my car has been great to own and drive.

Ed

 

I'd be very interested in details on the fix. So far the dealer in Vienna, VA has replaced 3 plates, Folding -R, Folding -R and Rail-rear, part numbers 97178-CE40C, 97178-CE40B, anbd 97178-CE40A respectively. After picking the car up the top wouldn't go down later the same day. Toggleing the switch helped once, but I've taken it back. Are there any microswitches that direct operation? That would be my hunch.

 

Here's an update on my top fix. I removed the 5th bow motor several weeks ago and cleaned it, then reinstalled it. It worked well for a week or two, then back to slow operation before finally quitting. I took it out again and decided to replace the brushes. They were very worn down, so I assume they were not making contact some of the time. Here's a window motor pic for reference, looks exactly the same: http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMGP3741.jpg

It looks so much the same that I was tempted to buy a 350Z window motor from Autozone and try swapping the brush assembly. But that was about a $100 part. So I went cheaper and just replaced the brushes. The motor is made by Jideco but I couldn't find any replacements online. I measured the brushes and the closest in size I could find were starter motor brushes for a 1992 Honda Nighthawk 750. I ordered them for $20 here: http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics....JIb25DQjc1MFND

It took a lot of filing but I eventually got it cut down to the right size. I also had to cut down the copper leads because they were too thick to fit in the brush assembly. I spliced the leads into the existing brush leads and put it back together. The motor is working again, 3 days and counting.

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Domrvt,

You are the McGyver of fixing roof issues! Since you are also in SD, if I have any more problems with my top - I'm just coming to you!

~KK

 

Time to make a 5th bow motor rebuild kit and tutorial!

You could make some bucks on that.

 

____________________________________________________________ _____
'O4 Touring Coupe: FLAWLESS AT! 13k!! $2O,5OO!!! NO feathering!!!! In love
for the past 7 months!!!!!

 

another car who cares? lol