California Top motor gear replacement

[spidertri]

Pro/E...*shiver*. UMD still forces us to use that, But I have been using Inventor and Solidworks and its so much better, imo.

[96cali]

when your deep into it for 11 years and had good on the job training you accept how cumbersome it is and that you have to plan 4 steps ahead to create something the right way.

[S52Commander]

I was soo hoping for a solution to this problem BESIDES spending $400.oo from what I got I will be having to spend $400.oo??

What is the part number for it when I talk to parts ppl 98 Cali top?

Also, just the other day besides it not running that "key" used to open and close it broke into that silly motor. :-/ what a year for that top.

Anyway, ANY info on this would sure help... also what do fellow cali-ti'ers do if they just stop working? everyones telling me to fill it in since I've put $3k already into it.

[pnosker]

You need to lube up your rails with lithium grease or similar, get a new motor (getbmwparts.com) and get a new "key." I think the key is cheap though.

[zzdelta]

Does anyone have a picture of this gear, or measurements, or something that would help me get a better idea of this? I am trying to get mine to work, but do not have the motor or gear assembly. I have the next best thing though, an Engineering Degree!

[pnosker]

Next time I'm home (after the end of this semester) I will take some pics. I know an engineering degree is helpful (my parents both are engineers), but I looked long and hard for an answer and couldn't find one. Nobody was prepared to make a helical cut gear for me .

Unless you have access to a 3D CNC machine with a very small bit, you might just have to get the motor.

[S52Commander]

Well, I may know someone that can machine it, but it's slim seeing as you need a very small bit. If that doesn't pan out maybe gromafab.com can do something about it? I'll check.. Otherwise, I will just buy a new one. Should I buy 2? Seeing as this is such a problem ..it only looks like it'll get worse?

[dave45056]

Measure the gear OD, the distance between centers, face width and bore. I have many contacts and expertise in gearing. Just no Cali top.

[S52Commander]

@PNosker....How's the roof still running?!

[spidertri]

He sold his ti.

[Artem]

Hey guys, I have been triyng to repair my roof for a long time now, and after spending tons of money on it, I have abandoned the projects after replacing the sliders and all the other pieces in there, regreasing everything and countless other efforts....

The one big final issue is the motor gear, I believe it may be worn out as it jams only on one side and I do not think it has anything to do with the sliders themselves, so what I would like to do is to remake the new gear using A286 superalloy that I have lying around in scrap and possibly have it machined here. I got access to mills and lathes and such, so I wanted to know if anyone has a model of a GOOD gear - I am 100% sure if i take dimensions off the gear that I have and make it, it will act the exact same way.


I have been maintaining this car with a bunch of minor upgrades, such as better E36 vented front brakes, Coil-on-plug conversion, replacing the radio with a "denford" headunit, and replacing the stock amp/cross-over box with a small switching "home-made" box with OEM connectors on one side and standard 9-pin connectors on the other side, an A/D/S 40W x 4-channel amplifier and a set of 2 A/D/S cross-overs and 2 Infiniti cross-overs.

I try to keep this car as stock as possible and not drilling or cutting into anything, not even the trunk lining or any of that, and this roof thing really gets to me for not working and I am willing to try whatever necessary to get it working again, and as I have access to all sorts of stainless steel, titanium alloys and A286, I am hoping to make a new one and try it out so that maybe it would finally work again.

So, if anyone has a drawing for this thing or a model of it so i can make a drawing, it would be greatly appreciated.

[jca]

Originally Posted by bobvilas

My motor runs and runs and runs and runs...but my top doesn't go anywhere! I can manually crank it open and closed no problem. Gears? if so, sign me up!

How long does it take to open or close the top manually. Is the crank conveniently located?

[bobvilas]

takes a lot of turns to open the top manually. The crank is just a "S" shaped allen wrench.

[neilmev]

Where is the motor located and how do I check to see what the problem is? Thanks.

[neilmev]

Has anyone ever tried to remove the motor from the equation? It would be nice to manually open and close the top and not have to worry about the motor breaking again or the gears becoming worn. Is there anyway this can be done cheaply?