minivipergirl posted back on 20 September 2011 - 05:19 PM here http://www.theminifo...ebasto-sunroof/ that she had an electric Webasto sunroof that stopped working and "appeared to have a problem with the cogs" as it wouldn't close or open properly and it got into a cockeyed position.
Here's a photo from that post:
Broken Electric Webasto Sunroof.jpeg 9.29K
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In the post were instructions to strip down the whole top to effect a repair, but when my electric Webasto Aero-top 1 (rear motor) unit...
...also got into the same state several years ago and I was able to fix it with much less effort and so I wanted to share how I did:
1. First release the headliner inside the cockpit all the way around the opening
2. Remove the cover cap in the back to expose the hand crank fitting in the motor but more importantly also let the headliner fall down away from the motor to give yourself working room
mini-ragtop-motor.jpg 25.2K
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3. Unscrew the three (3) bolts that hold the motor in place (the three holes in the next photo)
mini-ragtop-motor-3-bolts.jpg 31.41K
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4. This will expose the drive cables with their (hopefully) regularly spaced teeth - they are the two "spiral looking" items in the photo
mini-ragtop-drive-cable-access.jpg 26.91K
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5. If your top has only "jumped" a few teeth, you can now manually align the top into the "squared" position (I took two measurements at about 6" open, but I imagine that fully closed would be very sensible too)
HINT: while the top can be manually moved, I recommend asking a helper to slowly slide it through the full open and closed positions while you sit inside and inspect the cables for missing teeth - they will pass in opposite directions as you look at the mechanism in the above photo
HINT #2: I also recommend cleaning and lubricating (greasing) the sliding channels front to back until the top moves VERY freely - it is less work for the motor when it is good and "slide-y" and less likely to bind up and jump teeth
6. After aligning the top, now fit the motor back up, gently wiggling it into final position before snugging down the three bolts so that its gearing will gently mesh with the teeth on the cable - don't force it up into position or it will bind up!
7. Attempt to open and close to see if you are fixed...
If the top does get out of alignment on your new attempt, then either the cable teeth or the motor gearing might be stripped and then the bigger tear down described in the original FAQ and a replacement of the drive cables will likely be necessary, but hopefully this will be as quick a fix for you as it was for me!
My top has remained aligned to this day, several years after this fix because I keep it well lubed, opening it completely at least once in the Spring and once before Winter sets in and making sure it moves freely.
Sadly my top is beginning to shrink inward on the sides - for everyone else with shrinking tops - if you are having trouble finding someone to re-skin yours, note that I am considering these chaps (https://www.sunroofs...om-size-ragtop/) as a manual full-on replacement sometime in 2020 since the size of the Aero Top 1 is so big (outer size: 1235 x 925mm; cutout 1134 x 834mm) compared to any current Webasto offering, so a custom sized replacement might be the only way to go without fitting a new roof or welding panels back into the existing roof. If I find the sunroofsource product to be good value, I will post again.
But I am going to try and contact the Peter Harvey, Sandwich, Kent Mobile 07956 292376 mentioned here: http://www.theminifo...shutting-fully/ first because my electrics are working well and because the poster (Billy) had such good things to say:
I have removed mine down to the black outer cover with the 2 black metal end plates still glued in place.
If I send that off it will be sent back with the metal fixing plates bonded to the new cover.
This guy used to work for Webasto and has over 30 years experience
Edited by [email protected], 14 December 2019 - 09:09 PM.
