Hood on 98 won't go up

[mikecolquhoun]

The hood has been just fine, I have owned the car for 4 years. Yesterday evening I pressed the switch and nothing happened, the windows didn't drop down or anything. The hood shares the same fuse as the indicators and these are operating okay so it isn't that.

Any ideas?

Mike.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Try pressing and releasing a few times the microswitch on the top of the screen (where the hood latches).
It might have got stuck and therefore the car thinks the roof already is "up".

 

[mikecolquhoun]

Thanks Mark, I had already tried that but tried it again without success.

 

[BoxsterBox]

I know it's obvious but is your handbrake pulled right up?

Mine only works when it is pulled fully up. My handbrake used to pull up a long way but after one of the early services by Rivervale they adjusted it so it is much tighter and only pulls up a about half the factory setting. I remember at one of the early Boxster meets in '99 we parked up behind a Little Chef, I think it was near Caterham, in a steep car park and when we came out it was carnage as one Boxster had rolled down the carpark into the back of another which hit a wall or barrier.

 

[mikecolquhoun]

Thanks for that Simon, but didn't have any effect. My guess is that one of the switches, handbrake or hood clip is up the creek ... oddly enough the hood was up and down a couple of times during the day before deciding not too play ball.

Mike.

 

[Indi9xx]

Is the handbrake light on the dash working?

If not, then there is your problem, the handbrake switch is on the blink. Quite common on the Boxster.

Often it just needs the console above removing to gain access, then some contact cleaner and a little WD40 and it starts working again...

I had a Boxster in last week which had somehow accumulated about £20 in loose change in there, which was messing with the handbrake switch and causing the roof not to work.. The customer was very pleased that we charged him £20 in labour to sort it out and at the same time handed him just over £20 in loose change that was causing the problem!

 

[Steve Murley]

Mike,
We had this problem recently on my wife's Boxster, the handbrake was on, but no light on the dash panel showing, it turned out to be the switch on the handbrake, I got to it thro' the ash tray aperture. With ours, the windows did drop down as intended, so could be something else on yours. The other area to check is for dry solder joints on the pcb where the handle latch microswitch is.

 

[mikecolquhoun]

Thought I had checked the handbrake light, but thinking about it whilst at the office I couldn't recall it being on when I put the car away; I had been checking the lights for ones that were on that shouldn't be rather than the other way around. Anyhow I made arrangements to get the car booked in today and at 5am (which isn't too bad when it is 16C outside) on taking the car out of the garage I saw the light was on! Plus the hood worked. Decided to keep to plan, just as well as by the time I got to the first set of lights and used the handbrake there was no light and the hood didn't operate. Long way of saying thanks for the pointer. []

I have to say there is some excellent help on the web, e.g. www.rentech.org . For console removal it actually points you to a very good pdf for changing the gear shift that describes each step with pictures. I would have tackled it myself, but that would mean getting the part, the requisite Torx screwdrivers and probably most of the weekend!