Origami Problems: Keeping the E36 Cabrio top working

Great! Thanks for posting the fix! Most of the time we just assume the fix happened because the poster goes silent. If you have a few minutes and can snap and post a photo of the area you're referencing that will make it easier for the next person to figure this out.

I'm new to BMW but not new to forums. Not posting once you fix is poor form indeed.

fully auto. top wont go down when i push button, red light just keeps flasshin and i hear the motor, any ideas?

fully auto. top wont go down when i push button, red light just keeps flasshin and i hear the motor, any ideas?

You're so close! Read the documents in the first post. My bet is a microswitch, or maybe the motors.

i reset the motors and nothing

When the red led is flashing it means the top controller is sensing a fault. It could be that one of the motors has lost sync and the controller doesn't know its position or it could be a microswitch in the wrong condition.
When you "reset the motors" do you mean you disengaged them and manually moved the top to the fully down position and performed the resync procedure?

No I didn't manually put top down . I took back seat out pulled lever put it back in position and went to trunk and locked both Motors in place . With fully auto top I didn't think I had to put top down??? So I should put top down?? And do it again?

The top must be in the fully down position to run the re-initialization procedure. There are some instructions floating around that tell you to do it in the fully up position, but that's not correct. Go to the first page of this thread and to the very first post. Download the third file there titled E36 Convertible Adjust and follow the instructions on pages 18 and 19 to perform the re-initialization.

Mine is fully auto so it doesn't pop open like these directions say

Please make your own thread for more help on this. We don't want to make the sticky any messier.

What to replace if you're having an interference issue with the storage compartment lid and the top.

Has anyone had the problem with the top not fitting properly into the bed and it knocks the lid out of alignment? Tips on fixing this?!

Originally Posted by Bimmerlemar

Has anyone had the problem with the top not fitting properly into the bed and it knocks the lid out of alignment? Tips on fixing this?!

What do you mean but not fitting properly? Do you mean it hasn't folded all the way into the compartment before the storage compartment lid starts to close? If that's the case you need to resync the top. Instructions for doing that are in the trouble shooting PDF at the first post of this sticky.

Hi!

I have problems with my soft top on bmw...
I had it in a garage all winter and i took off the battery so it wouldn't run out of power..
And now when spring is coming and i took out the car from the garage the soft top won't work?

I thought i had to reset the soft top because of the battery..
But when i try to reset the soft top, NOTHING happens?! None of the motors are running it's like i'm out of power...

I have checked all the fuses including the the one by the battery in the trunk.

It's all dead, i don't know what to do...

Please help!

Tony

My guess is the microswitch for the trunk is malfunctioning.

Originally Posted by petriej

My guess is the microswitch for the trunk is malfunctioning.

Truth is my cables in my trunk burned...So the cables from the microswitch are off. So i can open my trunk without the microswitch connected. The soft top has still worked anyway even when the cables were gone. And when i press the microswitch i can still hear it click...

The only thing i did was taking off the - pole from the battery...

If it helps maybe...My right window is f*ed up, i have done a reset on all widows though.

Okay I have a !996 328i Semi auto top I'm so lost! I'm car illiterate! I had the back window part go up. Besides that I us it as a manual top! Please help me If anyone is in Maryland Please email me seanshepherd1992@live.com Maybe we can meet up and you can help me I'd pay you what I can! PLEASE HELP!

My top is now working thanks to this post. I will be back often!

Originally Posted by mrsean

Okay I have a !996 328i Semi auto top I'm so lost! I'm car illiterate! I had the back window part go up. Besides that I us it as a manual top! Please help me If anyone is in Maryland Please email me seanshepherd1992@live.com Maybe we can meet up and you can help me I'd pay you what I can! PLEASE HELP!

If the rear portion of the top lifts, but the opening stops at that point you've probably got a problem with the S4 microswitch. If you had a problem with the top motor or the controller I don't think you'd get the rear portion lift. S4 is located on the top frame on the driver side at the hinge point just above the point where the front and rear windows meet. Once the rear portion of the top has lifted, you have to lift the front high enough for S4 to switch and that tells the top controller to finish lowering the top. If S4 doesn't switch when you push the front of the top up, the controller thinks you haven't moved it and will sit there waiting forever.....

Hi!

I have problems with my soft top on bmw...
I had it in a garage all winter and i took off the battery so it wouldn't run out of power..
And now when spring is coming and i took out the car from the garage the soft top won't work?

I thought i had to reset the soft top because of the battery..
But when i try to reset the soft top, NOTHING happens?! None of the motors are running it's like i'm out of power...

I have checked all the fuses including the the one by the battery in the trunk.

It's all dead, i don't know what to do...

Please help!

Anyone? It's completely dead, what should i start with? the led on the switch isn't even blinking...It's completely dead.

/ Tony

Start with the trunk microswitch.

Hi

My soft top doesn't work...it happens nothing when i try to do the reset procedure...Anyone?

Please help!

/ Tony