2005 350 roadster - Nismo With the top up, I push the button to lower the top and it either doesn't work at all, or it works as it should. I have tried wiggling the shifter while in park but that doesnt work. If I drive a short distance and stop, sometimes it works but not every time. It behaves the same way if the top is down and I try to have it close - it either works completely perfectly, or it doesnt work at all. I am thinking it may be a sticky relay? Any ideas?

 

Well, it's easy enough to test a relay. Did you go through the troubleshooting list in the FSM?

 

Actually I did better than that. I solved the problem but the solution was rather serendipitous. A friend of mine happened to be following behind me and she told me that my brake lights didn't seem to work very well if at all. I back my car up to a window and operated the brakes and the lights seem to be fine. Then I did it again the next day and I noticed that the brake lights didn't seem to be working. I got some electrical cleaner and cleaned the brake light switch and after a little bit of fiddling got the brake lights to work consistently. Then I realized that that brake light switch was probably connected to the convertible top circuit. When I tried to open the top, it worked and then I realized that not only did I fix my brake lights but I also fixed the convertible top problem. So problem solved.

 

Gotta love the system integration. Nice catch.

 

Follow up....there are two brake switches. The bottom one seems to be the cruise control cut off switch. The top one is the brake light switch. Coincidentally, by messing around with the bottom switch, I temporarily unstuck the top switch. In reality, I needed to work on the top switch, whih is what I did. The top brake light switch removes easily by twisting a quarter turn conter clockwise and pulling it out. Next, the wire harness unplugs and the switch is now free. I used electronic cleaner and push the switch in and out. I re-installed the switch and now the brake lights work perfectly and the top operates perfectly as well. You can tell that the brake switch is working because there is a "clunk" sound when the brake switch is engaging properly.