Jim Yandell

2004 roadster here. When I'm opening the top, and it's going down, it sticks a few inches prior to completing the cycle. I have to toggle it back up once or twice before it goes down into the holding bin completely. Any thoughts? Jim

richcity

iTrader: (2)

I sometimes have the same problem. Usually does it when I first get in the car and everything is cold and when temperature is around 50 degrees.

na_350z

iTrader: (4)

I have the same problem... I have an 04 as well. When it sticks I do the same as you... toggle the switch back up a few inches and then it goes back down in the normal fashion. I haven't figured it out yet It seems as if the left side (driver side) hangs on something since the right side will continue to go down. I figured when I replace my top I can view the internals and see what's going on.

lannigan

iTrader: (1)

It seems to happen a lot to my car when it is cold. I think it has to do with the metal bars expanding/contracting due to temperature change. Start to close it and if it sticks just wiggle the bars a little and it should go down.

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

I'm in an 04 roadster as well. This happens to me when it's cold and I've spent a little time trying to figure it out. I've come to the assumption that the material is tighter when it is below 65 degrees or so, and it constricts. When it does this, it puts tension on the bars and joints that just isn't there when it's warmer.


I found some threads on here about lubing the joints, too. You may want to try that.

The owner's manual says not to operate under 32 farenheit, but I've found that 65 degrees is the cusp for me.

I'm thinking that if it's meeting a force of opposition, that means there's more likelihood of something breaking, so I try my best not to operate my top unless it's warmer than 65. I just didn't want to chance popping a seam, tearing my top, bending something, etc.

Jim Yandell

Thanks for the response guys, but I live at the beach in Southern California, and it never really gets cold here. The "sticking" problem has gotten worse over the last two years.
Last weekend, I lubed everything really well, but that didn't help.
I wonder if there is a service bulletin on this?

ASpecTL

iTrader: (6)

Pretty much what I was thinking. My 2005 does this as well, when I toggle the switch the second time, it seems like it almost gets like forced in.

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

In that case, you may have something "out of whack" or may have a motor going out (or getting weaker). If you've lubed everything according to the DIY instructions on here, I'd let the stealership take a look and give you their opinion on a diagnosis.

Jennifer 2

OP, if you look at the top from the inside of the car, you will note that the 2nd bow has two elastic straps connecting it to the 3rd bow. When opening the top the 3rd bow’s linkage pulls it into a folded position. The 2nd bow floats free on a simple single pivot; it relies on a slight tug from the elastic straps to guide it into a fully folded state. If the straps have become weakened this sequence may not happen correctly and the top will not fully fold down into the storage area

You can buy replacement straps from Nissan. Goggle Nissan NTB08-100 for a service bulletin on this problem.

My own 04 roadster top works fine and has never had any problems, but I’ve been planning to add a small strip of spandex to the elastic straps to give the top a snappier action.

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

Awesome Jen! Thanks for the info!

I've attached the TSB, but I've also seen some notes from Robbins (a manufacturer of the tops) regarding the TSB as well that are notable.

(TSB # NTB08-100 regarding "Top does not fully open" calls for replacing elastic bow straps. In our experience this has not fixed the problem. We have observed this problem most frequently in 2004 models, for which we have developed 'secondary elastic straps' to prevent. In most cases these help, but may not prevent the problem in all cases.)

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

Replacement bands can be purchased at Nissan Courtesy Parts or you can take it to the dealership for servicing. Labor estimates seem to be in the 1-1.5 hour range from what I've found.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/-p-600304.html

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

There is also a separate TSB if the 5th bow is not coming down and locking when you're putting the top up. I thought that it might be helpful to share it here as well.

NTB03-122 2004 350Z ROADSTER; 5TH BOW WILL NOT CLOSE
http://www.myzroadster.com/Files/tsb.../NTB03-122.pdf

dfresh713

iTrader: (2)

My '05 has the same issue. When I bought the car from the dealer, it wouldnt go down on the first try. The issue seems to be when it is cold.

na_350z

iTrader: (4)

I'm also in Southern Cali well more like Inland Empire but mine does it whether it's hot or cold doesn't really matter. I just leave the top down now. It's been down for the last 6 months it sits in the garage anyways and only used in the weekends. I can only imagine trying to raise the top after it's been down for so long.

I'm going to try that one fix mentioned up above see what happens.

Jim Yandell

Jennifer 2, if you invent this "add-on" spandex strap, let me know how you did it. Dealer repairs are expensive!

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

The straps are $13 if you use the link that I provided above from Nissan Courtesy Parts. No need to create them on your own, you can buy the actual ones and then follow the instructions in the PDF that I provided for the TSB.

Jennifer 2

Jim & Sparkle, the replacement straps are inexpensive, but the TSB for replacing them is more involved than I could do at home. It entails removing the vinyl top fabric from the front header and side retainers, then peeling it back to gain access to the rivets that attach the straps. Lots of opportunities to screw up for a klutz like me. This same elastic is available by the yard at sewing notions stores. I was thinking about creating a sleeve by sewing a bit of Velcro to the ends of some elastic and slipping it around the two bows over top of the existing straps like a sleeve to experiment.

On the other hand, I wonder if you could simply use a dermal or such to shave the tops of the rivets off without disturbing the top fabric. You have to find a way to deal with the rivet ends inside the bow so they aren’t free to rattle around after your finished, but this would be a much easier way to replace or switch to a stronger elastic. I don’t have a problem with my top, so I’m just thinking out loud here, what do you think of this?

Suffice to say, the opening and closing sequence of the top is a complex operation. However, it’s really only a secession of bite size steps. Southern California is full of auto trim shops that specialize in servicing and repairing convertible tops. If you have an expert observe your top they can easily point out the step in the sequence that is causing trouble. This is superior to just throwing some random fixes at it. However to my eye, if the top motors are all operating, but the top doesn’t fold itself completely into the storage area, the problem will most likely originate with the action of the 2nd bow.

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

It also sounds like Robbins came up with some additional straps like you are talking about. I'm just not sure how you would know how much additional tension is appropriate & how much is too much if you did it on your own?

I say that because the problem is usually intermittent, and I don't know how you would reliably troubleshoot whether or not your changes have really made any difference. For someone that has it happen every time, it would be much easier to work on this with just trial and error.

Jennifer 2

Ok, I checked out the Robbins site and if I was going to replace the top fabric, it would be an opportune time to upgrade to their straps. This would be easy since during replacement, there would be good access to the rivets.

Since my original top is still in good shape, I’m planning to simply wrap a bit of additional elastic around both center bows, the Velcro will let me adjust the tension. The least amount of tension, that provides a well synchronized action (even in cold weather) is the right amount.

If adding some extra elastic as an experiment helps the top folding action, it would be a good diagnostic aid to indicate that a more permanent fix would be worth the trouble (order some Robbins straps and install). I like doing things that I can whip up out of spare scraps on a rainy afternoon.

SparkleCityHop

iTrader: (30)

I'm a DIY guy too. Not to sound sexist, but I really like how there are some very knowledgable Z owners that are females on here.