1998 Porsche Boxster Roof fix

A 1998 Porsche Boxster came in to the shop today with the problem that the motorized roof did not move. For someone that has never troubleshot a roof system before, this can be difficult.
First thing you need to know is there are a couple of conditions that have to be met for the roof control module to send power to the motor. In this vehicle you need to have:
the ignition in run
the parking brake set
the vehicle speed needs to be 0
and the roof lock needs to be disengaged
Once all of these things are met you can push the button on the dash and the motor will run. If the motor does not run your first move is usually to check the fuses. If the fuses are good you "want" to blame the motor. That's what I wanted to blame at first, however the task of opening the roof without the motor, to gain access to the motor, seemed daunting to me. So I decided to be absolutely sure the motor is bad.
With access to the relay panel and relay & wiring diagram in hand I began looking at all the sensors and switches to make sure they were providing the proper signals to the relay (which is not so much a relay as a whole control module). The signals in question are all ground, everything checked out except for the roof unlock signal. I was getting a roof lock signal but once unlocked I was getting no unlock ground at the module.
Hope this helps someone else figure out their roof problem.
Thanks for watching!

[@rossmanngroup]

Paul uses less flux on a car part than I do on an ISL6259.

[@krakenmetzger]

I don't know who you are but I saw the link on Rossman so subscribed. Damn he got me programmed

[@robertpolkamp]

+1

[@RamkrishanYT]

He's a different paul Not Paul Daniels, but a Paul regardless

[@gdubleu]

He's Paul the bald guy thats works for Louiss

[@loudsubwoofer8492]

great job! you the man! i voted for you to fix cars.

[@ngtflyer]

The dealer would have replaced the switch, relay, motor and other moving parts and charged the owner 30% more than anyone else for those parts. Nice work!

[@Spector_NS5_RD]

Porsche's PPBUS had a cold solder joint.

[@SHINdanny]

Porsches are endless moneypits as they age... :D

[@hillbilly494]

Nice Video, and good thing to inform about checking all the switch inputs. My issue was the handbrake micro-switch. It was always open. It is easy to get to, just remove the ashtray/coin pocket and window switch panel in the console. From here you can see the little switch on the handbrake handle. All I had to do was pull the handbrake up, push the switch down and let it "snap" back up about 3 times and then the switch was working again. Just some dirt in the wrong place. I checked the switch function by watching the DVM (on Ohms) which was plugged into the double relay socket between ground #22 and the handbrake switch #15. One clue to the process was I had no Conv top error light showing. Of course I had checked the top Lock switch (repaired here), the B-pillar switch, and the dash control buttons first, requiring over 1 hour and 2 beers. If I had to do over again, I would look at the Handbrake switch first due to the easy factor.

[@A2000MHz]

I hate it when it turns out to be the last place you look! If you can't open the switch you found bad to clean it I suggest replacing it, it'll probably fail again unless you get a qtip and alcohol on the contacts... My video here would have been a 3 beer and probably a shot at the end if I wasn't at work...

[@bentleybloke]

Might have been good to re solder the other switch just in case. Might have similar cracking and break soon.

[@justinlabarge8178]

Dude, this video is 2.5 years old.

[@bentleybloke]

Justin LaBarge yes I get that. He had the opportunity to re flow the other bar at the same time. Like coil springs are replaced in pairs as the other spring is same age and possibly could fail in the near future. Just thought it would be common sense to be fair. Jobs stripped down. Why do it twice, especially as the fix was so easy cheers

[@jimd3643]

Great video ! Very informative , Thanks !

[@A2000MHz]

Thanks for watching!

[@HylianOverlord]

Rehot switch, Paul.

[@pinkmillk]

The bigger the glob, the better the job! 😂

[@sergiorossi8908]

Great video! Would like to know how to troubleshoot for the sensors. Mine top is not opening up. Most likely, the switch that you showed on this video but would like to know for sure before I go through the trouble of removing it and be wrong. I tried swapping relay and nothing change so, again I am assuming that the relay was not the problem. Thank you Paul S.!

[@A2000MHz]

You need to use the last image in my video to translate the pin numbers on the relay to what switches they go to, use a test light like the Power Probe to test each switch from the relay plug and see which one is not changing. You can also power/ground pins 25/27, those are the pins that go to the motor, to check if the motor is working. It also helps if you can get the wiring diagrams like the one I was working on top of on my desk.

[@美優美結実優美夕みゆ]

Paul fix my CAR!!

[@odiffat]

when sensors are connected to the relay? only handbrake, speedometer and the roof switch? are they NO or NC? what connections to they have on the relay socket and what results should i get when measuring resistance between 12v?

[@reinbeers5322]

Heh, that's why I prefer hand-opened tops. Always work.

[@vmartin350]

I'm in the same boat except everything is working but the top will not go down (will only go up). I'm able to put 12 v. to the motor it works fine. I would really love to have the pin outs to the double relay.

[@Dylan-xc8yz]

They're shown at the end of the video man

[@NorthernS0utherer]

Did you try reflowing the GPU it may be a macbook

[@NoxavRagu]

richtig geiles auto )

[@thecyberquake618]

Not enough Flux

[@Daniel_cheems]

Haha nice and young and fresh

[@A2000MHz]

Feels like so long ago

[@michaelfl122]

14= roof closed/locked

[@petesmith13]

Didn't use Louis amounts of flux... you sure its not going to break again in 5 min

[@SPAZTICCYTOPLASM]

Should have just bought a 1996 Toyota Celica - T Scotty Kilmer.

[@termy3934]

Should have just bought a V8 -Every American car company

[@youtubeisbroken241]

Scotty Kilmer is a wash up. He knows his way around early 2000s vehicles and older. But he’s so bias, opinionated, and out of touch with modern cars. I had to unsubscribe. Half the things he says are just FLAT OUT WRONG

[@SHINdanny]

@@youtubeisbroken241 but he has a fancy scanning tool, that costs $5.000 a few decades ago

[@SPAZTICCYTOPLASM]

@@youtubeisbroken241 He's not wrong about modern cars being trash though. Old Toyota and Honda is objectively the most reliable, robust and easy to repair set of cars you can own.

[@youtubeisbroken241]

Dangerous Amoeba he is certainly wrong about modern vehicles being trash. They are slightly more complicated than e generation before them. SLIGHTLY. My wife and I have a five year old and three year old car. Though both are under warranty, nothing has broken in the 65k and 25k miles. And when they do break, my scanner I bough for 1200.00 will be more than adequate to repair even the most complex of issues. Vehicle build standers are fluid. European cars from the early 2000s and earlier were known for electrical problems and fluid leaks. That’s not the case now days. Ford had electrical issues until the modern generation. Toyota and Honda still rank among the top in reliability. But there are very few brands currently struggling with dependability. And the electrical systems and computers are getting better and better at detecting the causes of problems, making it easier for repairs.

[@osjproductions5856]

The first step to any solution is flux.

[@loudsubwoofer8492]

it's pronounced 'porch - ah'. all letters are pronounced in german. just saying.

[@youtubeisbroken241]

Only orthodontists and snooty business owners pronounce the “ah” in Porsche Oh and strippers.

[@deadprivacy]

No the correct name for a porsche is "dickhead chariot"

[@timdinch5598]

Fixing hairdressers cars?

[@SchwertKruemel]

Its PorschE not Porsh, unsubbed

[@xxxBush-Did-911xxx]

Get rid of this endless money pit!