[hobrob]

I just took my Z3 out after a very long, cold winter. When I put it away the convertible top worked as it is supposed to. Now, the top motor comes on every time I touch the brake. Also, if I have the brake on (which means the top motor is going) the switch to move the top doesn't engage and the top does not move. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Randy Forbes]

Mice.

There are a couple of relays that are mounted right at the top's elctro-hydraulic unit in the trunk (immediately behind the left rear wheel). Easily accessible behind the felt side panel. I'd be looking for bite marks and bare wires touching each other.

Perhaps totally unrelated, but worth mentioning, is that I had an old (1975) Surburban, and every few years the turn signals would stop working. Replace the flasher, and all would be good again__for a while. One of the times, I took the flasher apart, and it was so jam-packed with (dead) ants, that it was forcing the contact closed. Must've been something in the insulating varnish that those ants just had to have! Mice are attracted to the vinyl insulation in the same way (soybean is one of the ingredients in PVC).