how to manually operate/open the bow/convertable top?

marcol968 · Post by **marcol968** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:12 am

I would just like to thank everyone involved in helping me with my new Mclaren Mustang! I surely do appreciate it. i am sure i will have many more questions while trying to get my car looking like all of yours. I have always liked the look of the ASC Mclaren. Now i own one. I will try to get my electrical finished then maybe I can drive with the top down.
Thanks Donald

tfs2121 · Post by **tfs2121** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:25 pm

you have me dreaming of driving a mclaren on the beach in hawaii... not on oahu... maui or molokai.

any luck with getting the top down? i think i have heard others talking about unbolting the motor in the trunk to get it to release.

knsstang · Post by **knsstang** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 4:47 am

My care does not have velcro on the top. It is glued together ( speaking of when I was told to look up inside my car while sitting and I should see velcro.

86capri62 · Post by **86capri62** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 1:22 am

Take a look at the passenger side engine compartment close to the shock tower my 86 has a fuse that was added to the wire that feed the top release system.
Sandy you're right! The capri is different. Just a hook with no electrical device, plain and simple lever and it works fine.

Sandy · Post by **Sandy** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 3:43 am

THE problem with the Fords (as I see it) is three-fold:-

#1 -The big fat screw (as I like to call it) is aluminum. Aluminum is a metal. The thing that spins around is a hard nylon plastic.
These often do not get along.

as in warm-to-cold climatic changes, the Nylon plastic will contract, not allowing the the thing to spin and make correct contact with the BFS (Big Fat Screw) ~
#2 - The whole shabang is driven by a worm gear. this was High Tech in 1946 ! It's as crude as a crank on a Model T Ford.
$3 - User Abuse. 99% of users do it all the wrong way,as either they never recieved their ascMcLaren Supplemental ascMclaren owner's Manual, or did & never read it

You are to release the top from the windshield header FIRST, by carefully rotating the pot metal (they bust easily) arms and then gently but firmly with 2 open palms push up on the black plastic header panel (The thing the metal arms you just pivoted out of) until it's freed a bit (1 inch)
THEN with the emergency brake ON, you then push on the switch, behind the driver's seat.

By first releasing the header, you take the pressure off of the BFS !!!

Putting top up..do the BFS FIRST !!! Gently place in hole and Put your right hand's open palm on the convertible top fabric right about where the BFS would be underneath and very gently exert a little ... A LITTLE pressure, while with the left hand you reach around and push downward on the switch behind the driver's seat back.

When washing the car, always spray the hose from front to back, never ever stand behind the car and fire the water AT the back of the convertible roof, as the water will go under the hem of the roof, and INTO the hole where the spinning nylon pull down cup lives. BIG BAD as my 24 YO used to say when age 3 !
When the BFS stars to pull down have your fingertips under the top's hem, round the back, as far as you can reach, while still holding the button. When the top's hem begins to tighten on your fingertips....S-T-O-P !!!!!!
NEVER EVER NEVER EVER PULL IT ALL THE WAY DOWN...NEVER !! ALWAYS LEAVE A LITTLE LEEWAY, because it will ALWAYS be a bad boy when top is UP & you wanna put it down. By leaving a wee bit of leeway when she does NOt work...IF IF IF you have left some leeway to reveres the travel, it WILL free itself !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND BE OKAY!!!!!!!

plumkrazy · Post by **plumkrazy** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 12:15 pm

THEN with the emergency brake ON

So in order for it all to work you also have to pull up the parking brake? It must have some type of safety switch , kinda weird

not sure I have heard about that. but then agian I dont have a conv. YET

Sandy · Post by **Sandy** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 1:07 pm

I was told (I have never taken one apart).....that on the back (or bottom) side of the thing you pull up (the E. Brake) when the other end that you cannot see.. goes down, that there is a button on the base and a 1 inch X 1 inch metal "plate' that pushes that button in. As a safety measure, and unless that button is pushed in, the top will not work. This may apply to only one or only a couple years....THAT part I do not know, only that was what was told to me.

86capri62 · Post by **86capri62** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 1:17 pm

Sandy this is a perfect explanation. If someone does not understand he's just dumb!!!
No hand brake switch on my 86 capri! I also bought a new mustang vert in 87 and there was no such switch. These were probably added by ASC.

Sandy · Post by **Sandy** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 2:43 pm

Yes, I was told by an asc Foreman at Autry Ave about this being added by asc - It's (I understood) a "soft spring loaded plastic button, so that petite females do not have to be a WWF heavyweight in order to engage the button/spring. As I recall the then depressed button allows the popping open of the Tonneau cover, to gain access to the well in which to lower the top.

Now...here comes an owner in 10 minutes to tell me that he just tried his with the E-Brake NOT engaged and lo & behold...his tonneau popped open !

Remember, I am just the messenger....
Maybe your button broke?
Maybe Joe took a coffee break & 4-got to install.
Maybe they ran outta the buttons that day
Maybe the foreman had a dream and imagined this.

Only telling what I was told.....Oh. this pertains to 87-90 McLarens ONLY

86capri62 · Post by **86capri62** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:13 am

Sandy, I'm teaching and I always take care to say MOST OF THE TIME when I explain something. Because there is always someone or something to prove that what you said is wrong. There are always exceptions ! And our cars are of those!

Sandy · Post by **Sandy** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 12:13 pm

Re-reading what I wrote, let me point out that the button on the unseen end of the E-Brake that depresses when you engage the E-Brake, only allows the Tonneau cover to pop open. It has NO affect to the BFS unscrewing itself from the hole to seperate FROM the tonneau cover.

Yes, IMHO the 84 85 86 Capri may not be as "fancy" in it's way of working the top, but it's way more reliable. I mean worm-gears went out when the Edsel was being sold!

Pencil trick:

You should ALWAYS leave enough room to roll a standard pencil (or cigarette) UNDER the convertible top between the bottom edge of the material and the tonneau cover near the center, to the left/right of thr BFS.
That way, if you wanna put down the top, and the BFS does not unscrew itself to allow you to do so....you have the option to push the button the OTHER way, as you would be doing if putting UP the top. This will free up the BFS, thereby allowing you to reverse and put top down. If you have left yourself NO ability to reverse the direction, by holding the button until the spinning cup and the BFS "are tight' then you have no ability to reverse to free things up.
NEVER EVER pull that top ALL the way down. Roll a standard pencil between the hem of the top & the tonneau.
Wash car from front and sides, never spray water from back of car aiming at back plastic window. Hose off trunk lid & tonneau from the side toward the other side, same with the back window, sde to side. as little water as possible. NO high pressure.

mrheehee · Post by **mrheehee** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 8:53 pm

On my 88, the wire that feeds the solenoid that pops the tonneau cover also feeds the motor. I took apart the gearhead on the BFS motor and it has a large nylon gear, but the "teeth" that actually grip the screw are steel, they are held in place by a spring.

I don't know if I have the E-brake safety switch, but while troubleshooting I wired around all the switches I could find trying to get it to work. Be **very** careful if you ever do this because the trunk lid and tonneau cover will hit each other, which would at least mar the finish.

I took Sandy's advice on not running the top down all the way and it saved me from untold misery - believe it.

If there was some way to adapt the Capri system I would do it, just to have it fully manual - no motors.

86capri62 · Post by **86capri62** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 2:47 am

Well the capri also has the motor for the tonneau cover too. Just no motor for the BFS. The hook system is simple because of no power motor but you would need all the parts to replace it because there is a lever system that is possibly complicated to built to get all the right angle and measures. The hook is first engaged in a latch that is then actuated by a lever that is moved by the motion of the tonneau cover going down to its final position by the motorized tonneau latch while you hold the button. Finally it's not totally simple!!!!

ProTouringASC · Post by **ProTouringASC** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 1:02 pm

So I was doing a little research, and here is a bit of what I have found.

Here is a picture of the top motor from Hank's site:

And here is a picture of a power window motor from Ebay:

Hey look, they're the same! So, why does the top motor sometimes fail to operate?

Well, as we pull the top down, the amount of current needed to operate the motor goes up. This can create a layer of "soot" between the brushes and armature that insulates the brushes from the armature thus keeping the motor from turning when we go to release the top later. This is very similar to what happens when a power window motor stops working, and explains why hitting the top just above the screw will cause it to work. Knocking the motor about causes the brush to make contact with the armature and suddenly the motor runs again.

Rewiring the system so as to eliminate a voltage drop as will help. As voltage goes down, the amount of current needed goes up. I think I will try this approach first, and report on how it works once done.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

Sandy · Post by **Sandy** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 1:16 pm

hitting the top just above the screw will cause it to work....

Care to borrow my 4 pound ball-pin tungston steel hammer ?

ascMcLaren Enthusiasts

how to manually operate/open the bow/convertable top?

responses appreciated