How is your top

OldGuyFla · 03-21-2016, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp4z

2010 with 60,000. Have top down 95+% of the time. Top ripped by each door last year, just like in the bulletin. They wouldn't touch it because it was out of warranty. Now it won't close/open properly. Dealer tells me $7,000 to replace hydraulics; but they fear the top will tear more when they put it back on. So, they say $16,000 for new top.

Ouch!

barncobob · 03-25-2016, 02:56 PM

trade in time, get a hardtop coupe

FLUJOKE · 03-29-2016, 12:48 PM

Sweet. Now that you're ahead of the curve trade it in for the coupe b4 you get more trouble down the road. Seriously it's the best advise I can give. Take care

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OldGuyFla · 03-30-2016, 10:50 AM

Any avid roadster driver wouldn't trade it in for a coupe.

FLUJOKE · 03-30-2016, 09:27 PM

I did and I was more avid than avid. Trust me after it being in the shop for a third time and over a month+ in total waiting time I had enough. That's going to be one expensive bill to fix it from 3k cheapest to 6k avg to up to 17k. NOPEEEEE!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OldGuyFla · 04-01-2016, 06:16 PM

Yes I hear you. That is why I got an extended warranty, now I'm good for 7 yrs.

littlejuanito · 04-01-2016, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldGuyFla

Yes I hear you. That is why I got an extended warranty, now I'm good for 7 yrs.

How much did you pay for that warranty.

FLUJOKE · 04-01-2016, 07:05 PM

My extended warranty didn't cover top issues I believe

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OldGuyFla · 04-04-2016, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlejuanito

How much did you pay for that warranty.

I don't know exactly but it was just over 2K. I got it from the dealer that sold me the car. It is a third party warranty. I made sure that they said it covered the top (not the canvas) all else.

T-MAC · 04-06-2016, 09:21 PM

I purchased the Security+Plus Gold Preferred coverage as the vehicle was CPO. This warranty covers the major components as outlined on the chart and is directly through Nissan. It does not cover the canvas top; however the top itself is relatively inexpensive compared to the frame/electronics/other mechanisms.

Link Below for Coverage Chart:

https://owners.nissanusa.com/content...ge%20Guide.pdf

Lookup · 04-08-2016, 10:45 AM

The top on my 2010 recently stopped working. One day it closed half way and then stopped. I closed it manually and it would not open again. Then the top open warning light started coming on, mostly when I hit bumps. Now the light is on continuously. That makes me suspect it's an electrical problem.

Does anyone know what it takes to open the top manually so I can lay eyes on the wiring harness and hydraulic components before I start spending money at a shop?

TopHydraulics · 04-09-2016, 03:55 PM

Hello Lookup,

the good news is, you can probably fix the problem without going to the dealer! While it is fairly easy to latch the top manually, manual unlatching requires a few tricks that are hidden in the shop's manual. I am currently drafting a DIY for manual unlocking, and I will share it with the forum as soon as it's done.

Meanwhile, push down a little harder on the rear bow (the soft top section with the rear window in it) to see if that will latch down the rear bow completely and make the pesky warning light go away.

Klaus

TopHydraulics · 04-10-2016, 10:42 AM

The 370Z roadster's top hydraulic system consists of one pump, and eight hydraulic cylinders connected to the pump via sixteen tiny hydraulic hoses. The exciting news is that all the hydraulic components can be repaired for very reasonable prices. All eight convertible top hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic hoses, and the hydraulic pump for your 370Z are sold by Nissan only as a complete set, part number 97093K or 970931-ET0A. No need to buy a complete hydraulic system, when you can have your components upgraded by Top Hydraulics for far less money! Nissan Dealers do not generally know this, because Nissan does not get the components supplied separately, and thus the dealers are only trained to replace complete hydraulic systems. The easiest cases to diagnose are leaking hydraulic hoses or leaking hydraulic cylinders, because you will find the leaked hydraulic fluid somewhere, once you have partially opened the top.

This may all seem complicated at first, but we will break it down into bite-sized chunks with pictures (with the help of forum members), and (in time) we will come up with a fairly easy to use decision tree and DIY for diagnostic and repair. At least, that's the goal, as time permits on my end and as forum members/readers are willing to chip in with pics and descriptions of their repair progress. (My introductory post from yesterday is still "under moderator review", as oftentimes happens when a new member writes something lengthy with links in it. I don't blame the moderator at all for taking a day to read through it, especially when I created that post on a Saturday. Moderators' work is much appreciated!)

Top malfunctions can be electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic. I haven't heard of mechanical problems on 370Z tops yet, so those will not likely play any major role in the future. On the electrical side, there could be bad switches/sensors, or bad wires (wires going either to the position switches on the latches or wires going to the travel sensors on some of the cylinders), a bad pump motor, or a bad top controller. The top control module (ECU/computer/controller) is mounted next to the hydraulic pump, directly under the soft top storage compartment. I have not heard of a bad soft top controller on a 370Z yet. If there is a fuse blown, then that's typically for a good reason. We would need to look up if a 10A or 15A fuse is used only for the soft top controller, or if it is shared with some other consumer that actually caused it to blow. The hydraulic pump has a dedicated fuse, probably 40A. If the pump fuse is blown, then it is obvious that you need a pump rebuild.

The switches at the latches (rear bow latch that latches down the rear window section and front latch that locks the top to the windshield) are a reliable sort of micro switch that normally does not go bad on its own or from a lot of use. If one of those switches is not giving the proper signal, then that is most likely either because the latch did not get actuated far enough, because there is dirt around the switch (unlikely), or because the wire going to the switch is compromised.

There are travel sensors on some of the cylinders. Those travel sensors are clipped onto the cylinders' bodies. When there is one sensor only near where the shaft comes out of the cylinder housing, then that sensor detects the cylinder reaching the extended position. If there is only one sensor near the bottom end of the cylinder, then that sensor detects the cylinder reaching its retracted position. Sensors on both ends obviously can detect the cylinder's general position status. The sensors themselves rarely go bad. If there is an electrical problem, it almost always is a bad wire going to a sensor or a micro switch. Bad wires can be found and fixed, and that's not rocket science! Again, with the help of forum members, we can create a good DIY for the most common failures and their fixes. Let's get some momentum going!

Next, I will post some basic instructions on manual unlocking the top, so that you all can do the basic checks of the system without going to the dealer, even if the top is stuck in the closed position.

Klaus

TopHydraulics · 04-10-2016, 05:52 PM

Okay, here is a first draft for a DIY to manually unlock and open the 370Z roadster top. This may be the toughest part of the whole DIY diagnostic and repair, but I hear that it is not that bad once you know what you are doing. Thus, an improved DIY for manual unlocking would be great, and a video would be awesome! We need more photos and comments in order to create a really good DIY for this important step. Lookup, I hope that you can help us out with this.

To manually unlock the top, you need to unbolt the striker from the rear bow (the section with the rear window in it). It is located centrally under the end of the rear bow frame. This striker is the part that hooks into the rear bow lock, which is mounted under the tonneau cover tonneau cover = storage compartment cover). I will describe the process of striker removal below, but first some pics...

Striker unbolted from rear bow, but still inside the rear bow lock:

Striker removed from rear bow lock - see the striker, its two mounting bolts, and the clamp it is screwed into:

Striker as normally mounted on the rear bow:

Rear bow lock as mounted under the soft top storage (tonneau) cover:

Rear bow lock striker removal:
1) Remove storage lid deflector. That's the piece between the roll bars. Simply remove four mounting nuts and bolts. See attached pdf. Would appreciate comments and photos.
2) Remove "soft top cover inner": lift up "cover inner" marked as item 1 in attached pdf, and remove three inner clips marked as item 2. Would be nice to find a more descriptive name, and comments and photos would be helpful.
3) Remove both rear lock striker bolts (marked as item 3 in attached pdf) from the service hole. Would appreciate comments and photos.

Lift rear bow and front bow simultaneously. Now you can unlock the storage cover manually as described in your owner's manual (attaching and pulling on the cables in the trunk - would be nice to get some pics of this). Let me know when and if you need help.

Now you can start discovery, which we will get into in a follow-on post. You will have to attach and lock the striker and the rear bow lock again if you want to drive the car with the top up (or keep the rear bow lock removed and attach a bungee for temporary use).

Hope this helps, and looking forward to your comments,

Klaus

Lookup · 04-11-2016, 09:48 AM

Klaus, this is very helpful and I really appreciate it. As it turns out, I discovered oil leaking from the top above the driver's side door. A photo is attached. So I am no longer thinking that the problem is electrical... I will see what I can figure out with the instructions you provided. In the meantime, if you're able to add the pics you mentioned, that would be very helpful.

03-30-2016, 10:50 AM	#34 (permalink)
OldGuyFla A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Indian Lake Estates Fl Posts: 1,049 Drives: 14 370Z TS Roadster Rep Power: 19127	Any avid roadster driver wouldn't trade it in for a coupe. littlejuanito, Dbeckwith and WI_Hedgehog like this.

03-30-2016, 09:27 PM	#35 (permalink)
FLUJOKE Track Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: earth Posts: 770 Drives: car Rep Power: 2067	I did and I was more avid than avid. Trust me after it being in the shop for a third time and over a month+ in total waiting time I had enough. That's going to be one expensive bill to fix it from 3k cheapest to 6k avg to up to 17k. NOPEEEEE! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk OldGuyFla likes this.

04-01-2016, 06:16 PM	#36 (permalink)
OldGuyFla A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Indian Lake Estates Fl Posts: 1,049 Drives: 14 370Z TS Roadster Rep Power: 19127	Yes I hear you. That is why I got an extended warranty, now I'm good for 7 yrs. littlejuanito likes this.

04-06-2016, 09:21 PM	#40 (permalink)
T-MAC Base Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 10 Drives: 10 370z Vert PW/6MT Rep Power: 9	I purchased the Security+Plus Gold Preferred coverage as the vehicle was CPO. This warranty covers the major components as outlined on the chart and is directly through Nissan. It does not cover the canvas top; however the top itself is relatively inexpensive compared to the frame/electronics/other mechanisms. Link Below for Coverage Chart: https://owners.nissanusa.com/content...ge%20Guide.pdf WI_Hedgehog, OldGuyFla and vman12 like this.

04-09-2016, 03:55 PM	#42 (permalink)
TopHydraulics Base Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Beautiful Oregon Coast Posts: 18 Drives: Roadsters and Verts Rep Power: 697	Manually unlocking the roadster top Hello Lookup, the good news is, you can probably fix the problem without going to the dealer! While it is fairly easy to latch the top manually, manual unlatching requires a few tricks that are hidden in the shop's manual. I am currently drafting a DIY for manual unlocking, and I will share it with the forum as soon as it's done. Meanwhile, push down a little harder on the rear bow (the soft top section with the rear window in it) to see if that will latch down the rear bow completely and make the pesky warning light go away. Klaus Bummer, Spoiler and OldGuyFla like this. __________________ Top Hydraulics, Inc -- Upgrading/rebuilding convertible top hydraulic cylinders and pumps for Nissan 370Z roadsters and over 30 other brands. Manufacturing new, superior hydraulic hoses for convertible tops. http://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/en/73-nissan-370z-09-13

03-25-2016, 02:56 PM	#32 (permalink)
barncobob A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: hangtown, CA Posts: 1,164 Drives: 16 370Z auto Rep Power: 590	trade in time, get a hardtop coupe

03-29-2016, 12:48 PM	#33 (permalink)
FLUJOKE Track Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: earth Posts: 770 Drives: car Rep Power: 2067	Sweet. Now that you're ahead of the curve trade it in for the coupe b4 you get more trouble down the road. Seriously it's the best advise I can give. Take care Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

04-01-2016, 07:05 PM	#38 (permalink)
FLUJOKE Track Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: earth Posts: 770 Drives: car Rep Power: 2067	My extended warranty didn't cover top issues I believe Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

04-08-2016, 10:45 AM	#41 (permalink)
Lookup Base Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 4 Drives: 2010 370Z Rep Power: 10	The top on my 2010 recently stopped working. One day it closed half way and then stopped. I closed it manually and it would not open again. Then the top open warning light started coming on, mostly when I hit bumps. Now the light is on continuously. That makes me suspect it's an electrical problem. Does anyone know what it takes to open the top manually so I can lay eyes on the wiring harness and hydraulic components before I start spending money at a shop?

04-10-2016, 10:42 AM	#43 (permalink)
TopHydraulics Base Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Beautiful Oregon Coast Posts: 18 Drives: Roadsters and Verts Rep Power: 697	The roadster soft top hydraulic system is not that complicated The 370Z roadster's top hydraulic system consists of one pump, and eight hydraulic cylinders connected to the pump via sixteen tiny hydraulic hoses. The exciting news is that all the hydraulic components can be repaired for very reasonable prices. All eight convertible top hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic hoses, and the hydraulic pump for your 370Z are sold by Nissan only as a complete set, part number 97093K or 970931-ET0A. No need to buy a complete hydraulic system, when you can have your components upgraded by Top Hydraulics for far less money! Nissan Dealers do not generally know this, because Nissan does not get the components supplied separately, and thus the dealers are only trained to replace complete hydraulic systems. The easiest cases to diagnose are leaking hydraulic hoses or leaking hydraulic cylinders, because you will find the leaked hydraulic fluid somewhere, once you have partially opened the top. This may all seem complicated at first, but we will break it down into bite-sized chunks with pictures (with the help of forum members), and (in time) we will come up with a fairly easy to use decision tree and DIY for diagnostic and repair. At least, that's the goal, as time permits on my end and as forum members/readers are willing to chip in with pics and descriptions of their repair progress. (My introductory post from yesterday is still "under moderator review", as oftentimes happens when a new member writes something lengthy with links in it. I don't blame the moderator at all for taking a day to read through it, especially when I created that post on a Saturday. Moderators' work is much appreciated!) Top malfunctions can be electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic. I haven't heard of mechanical problems on 370Z tops yet, so those will not likely play any major role in the future. On the electrical side, there could be bad switches/sensors, or bad wires (wires going either to the position switches on the latches or wires going to the travel sensors on some of the cylinders), a bad pump motor, or a bad top controller. The top control module (ECU/computer/controller) is mounted next to the hydraulic pump, directly under the soft top storage compartment. I have not heard of a bad soft top controller on a 370Z yet. If there is a fuse blown, then that's typically for a good reason. We would need to look up if a 10A or 15A fuse is used only for the soft top controller, or if it is shared with some other consumer that actually caused it to blow. The hydraulic pump has a dedicated fuse, probably 40A. If the pump fuse is blown, then it is obvious that you need a pump rebuild. The switches at the latches (rear bow latch that latches down the rear window section and front latch that locks the top to the windshield) are a reliable sort of micro switch that normally does not go bad on its own or from a lot of use. If one of those switches is not giving the proper signal, then that is most likely either because the latch did not get actuated far enough, because there is dirt around the switch (unlikely), or because the wire going to the switch is compromised. There are travel sensors on some of the cylinders. Those travel sensors are clipped onto the cylinders' bodies. When there is one sensor only near where the shaft comes out of the cylinder housing, then that sensor detects the cylinder reaching the extended position. If there is only one sensor near the bottom end of the cylinder, then that sensor detects the cylinder reaching its retracted position. Sensors on both ends obviously can detect the cylinder's general position status. The sensors themselves rarely go bad. If there is an electrical problem, it almost always is a bad wire going to a sensor or a micro switch. Bad wires can be found and fixed, and that's not rocket science! Again, with the help of forum members, we can create a good DIY for the most common failures and their fixes. Let's get some momentum going! Next, I will post some basic instructions on manual unlocking the top, so that you all can do the basic checks of the system without going to the dealer, even if the top is stuck in the closed position. Klaus Kirkster, Bummer and OldGuyFla like this. __________________ Top Hydraulics, Inc -- Upgrading/rebuilding convertible top hydraulic cylinders and pumps for Nissan 370Z roadsters and over 30 other brands. Manufacturing new, superior hydraulic hoses for convertible tops. http://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/en/73-nissan-370z-09-13 Last edited by TopHydraulics; 04-10-2016 at 10:45 AM. Reason: Added diagram