Taking out my suspension to get it ready for my coilovers and I've run into a couple of snags..

1. The brake lines won't slide off the bracket on the strut. I took the little clip off and the lines won't budge..I can't see anyway that they are still on their. Do I just have to take the brake line apart at this point or is there something I am missing?

2. Convertible top won't come back up. Not sure if it's the car battery or the motor for the top but is their anyway to manually lift the top? which leads me to my next question..

3. to get to the top of the struts I'm assuming you have to remove something near the vert top right? Didn't look like I can get access through the trunk.


Sorry for the noob questions :/

 

1. Front brake lines need to be disconnected. Rear slide off.
2. Look in owners manual. involves removing rear cover and using screw driver to disengage motor.
3. Remove rear cover and side plastic surrounding it.

 

You have the 4 piston front brakes and there is a hardline that is attached to the caliper and it supported around the strut, it is possible to get it to move, just a pain in the ***.

The only way I know of is to remove the motor arms, but check the fuses and verify the switch works properly before taking drastic action.

You have to remove the interior behind the seats to gain access to the rear struts. The mounting point is inside the cabin not at the trunk. They are at the very back though.

 

Thanks everyone. Managed to get the brake lines off..stll not sure why the top just stopped working..worked fine since i got the car a month ago.

Unfortunately I don't have the owners manual

Also forgot to mention - the car beeps when I push the button for the top to come up. It beeps a few times then it does like one long beep and then stops? I also can't hear the motor even trying to work..*sigh*

 

Links to online scanned copies of the FSM are available in the FAQs. Or just google search it, a number of different sites have the same manuals posted.

 

Top to manual mode.

Remove rear spare tire cover.

To the left and right (looking towards rear of car) there is a motor on the left and right under the plastic covers on the side.

The plastic covers have small holes (a few actually), look through them and you will see a HEX PHILLIPS screw. Compare it to the other side to make sure you have the same screw. Turn the screw (i forget which way, it has a stopper so you can only go one way) until the screw stops (don't force it past that). Do the same for other side. Motors are now disengaged. Do the same for both only turning the screw the opposite way to engage motor.

Make sure your E-Brake light comes one when you pull the parking brake. If not, the top won't come down. Also, if neutral switch is bad top will not come down.

If you are replacing the rear struts, you will have an even better view of what I speak of when you remove the side plastic covers : )

 

Ok so feel free to flame me cause I totally deserve it I didn't realize that the ebrake needed to be on to put the top up and down lol I feel reallly REALLY effing stupid right now...wow...haha..thanks for the advice for the FSM..if it wasn't for that I probably would have NEVER figured it out.

Seriously..wow..haha I should just step away from the car :P

 

I take it it's your first vert : )

 

lol yeah pretty much..it just didn't occur to me to do that..the only other vert i have any experience with that had a power roof was an s2000..and that one just has it so if you are going a certain speed you can't operate the top or something? I guess I Just didn't think that this one had it's only little quirk to.

Oh well..I'm learning as I go along..that's what project cars are for right? Even if it wasn't something that was broken

 

Now all I gotta do is figure out how to remove the rears to install these bad boys