OK maybe not the usual cabrio top problem...
Pressing the button to open the sunroof and cabrio top I get this:

1. Sunroof slides back
2. Windows go down
3. Sunroof slides back the remaining inch or so
4. Hood claws (to A-pillar) open
5. Cabrio top/frame does not open/fold back

So it's not the usual problem with the parcel shelf not being seated correctly (otherwise the claws would not open).

Now the interesting part...
Once the claws have opened, if I push the upwards (firmly!!!) on the bar where the sunroof motor is mounted while pressing the open button then the cabrio top will open and fold back into the trunk.

Thoughts? I'm thinking it's a defective (or misaligned) hall sensor but which one? Or is there another common cause of this problem I can diagnose/correct?

Regards,
Colin.

 

Its the rear claw and rear latch system on the the top, not the fronts. I dont have a pic, but put your top back a little past where you push up. Then look for the match , thats a hook under the top on the side rail right between #8 and #7 on the diagrams. hit it with some grease p, pb blaster and move it with a flat head screwdriver back and forth. Its part of #1 cassette.


http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=54_0342


You can go through it all here again, to make sure nothing was missed


https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-position.html

 

Thanks for the advice - I'll take a look at it this evening and let you know how I get on.

 

Welcome, glad to help a fellow R52 owner

 

No success :(

Assuming you meant the small claws at the cabrio frame's main/upper hinge (see photo - item A). They didn't seem sticky to me and moved easily through their 1/4" spring-loaded range (but I gave both sides a good dose of PB Blaster anyway). I also removed the peg plates they lock into (item B in the photo) and still no joy :(

Or... did you mean a different catch (i.e. not item A in my photo)?

So, is there anything else mechanical I should look for, or is my hypothesis of defective/misaligned hall sensor looking like the most probable cause?

Cheers,
Colin.




A = Hook/catch in R52 cabrio frame




B = Pin that the hook/catch locates into

 

This may be off a little but want to ask anyway. The scissor joints are not binding? I shoot a bit of dry lube on each from time to time.
Topless motoring IS motoring at its best.

 

The frame joints seem to be moving freely, but hitting them with some lube is a good idea.

 

Yea, those hooks, the convertible top " sunroof section", has to slid back enough on the second movement which then pushes that rod to unlock those rear claws. Its at the point where you have to press the top button again to open the top. Your top must not be moving enough back on that short second slide action on the convertible top. Is it moving back at all ?

 

My sunroof does slide back in two stages...

1. Sunroof slides back <<< first stage
2. Windows go down
3. Sunroof slides back the remaining inch or so <<< second stage
4. Hood claws (to A-pillar) open
5. Cabrio top/frame does not open/fold back

However when I press the button to initiate stage 5 (i.e. when the cabrio top should start folding back) I do hear the sunroof motor trying to start up (i.e. a short whirring sound from it for a second or so). I'm wondering if that's an indication that either:

• the sunroof hasn't fully gone back (maybe stretched cables?, but hopefully just a case of lubing/adjusting something), or
• a hall sensor isn't triggering (defect or misaligned) making the control module think the sunroof hasn't fully retracted even though it has

Hmmm... any further thoughts?

I have a feeling this weekend will involve time spent stripping off trim and peeling back the canvas to get a good look at the frame, cables, and sensors. I did that almost 2 years ago when this problem first started to happen... and although I couldn't see anything obviously wrong that time it started working again when I put it all back together... lasted maybe 6 months before the problem came back and I've 'lived with it in frustration' ever since :(


Cheers,
Colin.

 

My bet is the hall sensor is triggered to early or the sunroof section needs adjusted. Or the long bar that slides and unlocks the hooks in the rails are jammed or gunk build up, they set in the rail system itself and per the MINI parts system is not a separate part, you will have to dig into it , I greased those and the cables plus those claws and mine works perfect even at 260k Miles.


Right before you second stage and put the top down the motor does work a little to get moving, mine does the same thing. But if its hung up , it will try to work more.

 

OK, sounds like I'll be spending some "quality time" with the Mini this weekend

 

yea, the top has allot of moving components and you have to dig in sometimes. The top is like a dance , it has to be done right or it falls apart.

Once you open it up take a video of operation and pics. I will be here as the the Convertible Guy.

 

So I spent most of Sunday working on the top... and I think I've fixed it

Note: this doc is pretty useful in figuring out and adjusting the guts of the cabrio frame http://wtxmc.org/MiniCooperDocs/CONV...P%20REPAIR.pdf

Bottom line... after I'd stripped back most of the canvas I found that the thin wire bow (that hold the canvas just in front of the motor assy) was missing it's plastic 'spacers'... those little plastic items that sit between the frame and the wire bow. Without them I think the ends of the bow were protruding into the frame rails and probably catching on the sliders that draw the sunroof back. Looks like you can't buy those spacers on their own, but only as part of the fitting kit... at $168!!!

Time for a little improvisation... I drilled out a couple of nuts to use a spacers, plus made some alloy plates to keep the bow ends from popping out. See photos below...

Then using the doc I mentioned above (the last few pages) I adjusted the position of the hall sensors to make sure the sliders were moving/stopping at the correct locations.

Aside: Looks like a previous owner must have had problems with the top and had it 'repaired' (evidence of hall sensors having been repositioned, a few cracked plastic items, etc) so I guess either they forgot to refit those plastic spacers to the wire bow, or they had disintegrated sometime in the last year or two. Why oh why do companies save a few cents by using fragile plastic parts instead of an alloy ones! Worst example of that are the plastics that break on the front claw and set you back $230.

Anyway, looks like the problem is solved... now I just need some sunshine


Regards,
Colin.



Wire Bow... missing spacers!




My solution

 

Brilliant. I bookmarked this thread -- just in case. Ya never know.

 

Nice , i knew it was something near that claw. Yea the bow is on its own , no little tabs.

" hall sensors having been repositioned " that makes sense.

Great pics and a great job, congrats you are a MINI convertible top specialist now.