Targa Roof Closing Problem

[Ferrari355spider]

I would like to thank everyone who replied with help and information with the last problem I had with the rear window wiper working continuously, which miraculously, now appears to be working as it should, until the next time I drive it, no doubt!!

Whilst this problem has gone, at least for the time being, I now have another problem, CARS!!

I opened the Targa roof, which opened perfectly, but didn’t want to close.

It was only when I gave it a helping hand by pushing it, did it finally close. I tried the roof a couple of times, but the problem still persists.

Any thoughts and suggestions, would once again be very much appreciated.

What is the best product to use to lubricate the roof runners? Maybe that would help, as the roof hadn’t been opened for six months.

Thank you

 

[Graham-S]

First thing to check is how clean the channels are and if there is any grease etc hindering the movement.
I can't remember what I have used in the past but may have been the lithium white spray grease
You don't want anything thick that will clock up the worm screw. If you take out the back parcel shelf you can get to the 3 motors. 1 for the blind and the other 2, 1 for each side
You can put an Allen key in the motor and manually move the glass but need to do them in tandem to keep it straight
I have lots of Porsche Tech articles on the Targa and other bits that show in depth info on the Roof

https://tinyurl.com/ycksqehb

Graham

 

[Shootetm]

I have just taken the roof off my Targa ready for a respray and reviewed a lot of material about roof mechanisms. The main historic failure appears to be that people have oiled or greased the metal drive cable which subsequently acts as glue to any dirt and debris that gets blown in making it worse. The message is to not add any grease or oil to the cables or runners, I have used silicone lubricant spray as it tends to evaporate leaving the silicone lubricant but I can't say that that is the correct lubricant either.
The mechanism relys on the sliders, that are attached to the metal cables, running smoothly in the metal Targa roof rail and the other failure which Graham alludes to is that the two cables can get misaligned (probably as a result of sticking) so the roof "crabs" - you can adjust this by taking the motor cover plate off but, if your roof has historically worked fine and if you haven't had any jumping that may have affected teh alignment then this shouldn't be the issue. If you do this you will be able to visually see the state of the drive cables. The sliders themselves have plastic feet on them that provide the alignment and smooth frictionless movement.
Having taken teh roof off I do not believe there is any way to replace the drive cables without removing the roof as they slide out at the back of the Targa roof rails near the seat belt mounts.