so i have read the threads and not really seen what i am seeing. the threads were very helpful in terms of learning all the troubleshooting techniques and that got us so far but the gremlins remain

two main issues
- roof working properly but quarter windows do not come up
- BEFORE going for a drive the roof will open and close properly. then i go for a drive and it wont close after i park (even with engine running). however 30 min later if i try again the roof will raise (rarely the quarter windows though)

so here is a summary of troubleshooting so far:First off, if I do the full reset (including disconnecting the battery for 10+ minutes) it always works perfectly after that. If I do not drive it, but keep trying to open and close the top, for many days it will continue to be perfect.

As soon as I drive it, it goes back to not working correctly. If I drop the top and then drive it with the top down, when I stop and try to put the top up, it almost always will then not go up at all. I hear the whining of the pump, but nothing at all happens (sometimes the error on the dash shows "hood not latched")

Sometimes when I drive it with the top down, when I stop and put the top up it will go up, but the rear windows will not go up. After getting it into that state I have checked the input signals for the various top related sensors via the wires coming into the convertible top ECU. I did find that the tonneau cover latch signal was intermittent, and I cleaned the contacts and lubricated the latch assembly. After doing so I have not seen that be an issue (and the thump that would happen when the tonneau cover would latch is gone as well). But, that did not help with the issue once the car is driven.

Yesterday I drove it to the office after it had been working perfectly for over 5 days in my garage. When I got there the top went up once, but the rear windows did not close. I put the top down and tried again and on the second attempt, it did not go up at all. I drove it back to my garage and after it sat overnight this morning I tried it again and it went up perfectly twice in a row with the rear windows closing as well.

At one point I was thinking that the battery might be low and I was finding the top to be more reliable with the engine running, but that has not proved correct as I still have the issue after driving it, even with leaving the engine running when I try to put the top up. I did test the battery with a Snap-On battery tester and it is not horrible, but is a bit weak under load (drops to 10.8 volts when the load switch is on on the tester).
thanks in advance for any thoughts

 

So, the battery test did not help. I tried charging the battery to its limit just before driving it a short distance, but the rear windows still failed after the drive. I then tried a different battery and that did not work either. The only interesting piece to it was that in both cases I did not have the issue where the top would not come up at all after the drive (as I had seen in some of the prior tests), but not coming up at all or coming up but not closing the rear windows both occur at about a 50/50 chance.

trying another experiment today. will keep updating

 

ok ... still in process but seem to have found something temporarily acceptable for the window issue before i can get a professional to look at it.

scenario : enjoy life (i.e. drive with the roof down). when i stop and raise/close the roof the rear quarter windows do not raise ( everything else is fine ). If i let the car sit for about an hour and then raise the roof everything works as expected.

 

Bump on this. Why hasn't anyone said anything?
Tommy, the Search in the forum usually works sufficiently, and Google usually points back to this forum.

 

Have you tried resetting the windows . When power is disconnected you must go through this procedure.

 

I recently had a similar problem see "Yet another Convertible Top Problem".You may be able to follow the suggestions to have the sucess I had, good luck

 

Here's the link you forgot to include:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...roblem-263056/

 

Alas yesterday my convertible roof problems returned! Today will be spent trying to reset it. I have ordered Steve Klonsky's (www.thejagwrangler.com )
Roof Cantrol with rear window option, so when that arrives I will fit it and hopefully it will avoid the issues.

 

thanks. have tried all the suggestions. the only thing that seems to work is to wait some time after parking before attempting to raise the top. after a long drive yesterday the roof ( and quarter windows ) came up perfectly after only waiting 15 min

 

Your top is now working properly, which means that everything is in sync. The long drive you took enabled the alternator to sufficiently charge the battery to operate the top. It didn't operate properly previously because the battery was weak.

Do you need a new battery? Maybe. You can have it load tested for free at your local national chain auto parts store.

 

I have done battery tests and run experiments

the issue is that if i try to raise the roof as soon as i park the quarter windows will not go up. if i wait 15 mins then the quarter windows come up when i raise the roof.

 

What's the harm in getting a second opinion? All it will cost is your time and some gasoline. And maybe a new battery.

Your car's symptoms point to a weak battery. How do you know how well it can hold a charge? A battery that has been fully discharged has been compromised and will never be as strong as it once was.

If you're convinced that your battery is good, try this: First thing in the morning, before you start the engine, use your voltmeter to check the voltage at the battery terminals. If it's less than 12.6 volts it's weak and should be replaced.

 

I would suspect a broken wire. As you move the top and tonneau up and down, watch where the harness bends and unbends as the top and tonneau raise and lower; those are the places where you can eventually get a broken wire from metal fatigue, and then connection to the relevant sensor becomes variant based upon temperature, gravity, bumps recently hit, etc.

If you can position the top / tonneau to a place where you see the intermittent activity on the sensors (sensor changes state as top or tonneau moves), stop the top there and jiggle the harness at the places you suspect could be trouble and see if you can find the spot where the sensor state change correlates to movement of the harness - that is where the break in the wire is.

See my post on another thread about finding the broken wire in the latch sensor harness where the harness bends and unbends as the top deploys.

 

thanks for the suggestions. will follow up

 

Dunno about that broken wire theory. A broken wire isn’t going to fix itself after sitting for 15 minutes.
Battery, maybe, but again, it’s going to gain charge by sitting 15 minutes?

 

How is the hydraulic fluid? I haven't reread the thread that's referenced.

 

fluid level is perfect. no issues there.

my understanding of operation is that once the front of the roof is latched it sends a signal to the controller and the controller directly drives both rear windows. and then a few seconds later sends a signal to the front windows to raise (i don't think it directly drives the front windows). since the front windows always come up i have to assume that "latched" signal is being generated / received by the roof control module. (plus i never get the "not latched" message on the display)

in the back of my head i wonder if there is some thermal issue where the roof control module has a temperature cut off where (if exceeded) it does not drive the quarter windows.

 

slight update. i have not had time to get a professional to look at it ... but i have tried a few experiments.

after several days of experimenting with increasingly shorter wait times i was able to narrow down the window of how long i need to wait before trying to raise the roof.

if i try to raise the roof right at the end of driving then the rear quarter windows still do not come up.

HOWEVER if i turn off the car, wait 1-2 minutes, turn it back on and THEN raise the roof the rear quarter windows raise.

 

As others have stated these are typically symptoms of insufficient voltage or current.
This is another situation where there is a lack of empirical data. And so it is difficult to help you.
What battery size? Rated for how much CCA? What is the charge of the battery when cold, in the morning? (And the car NOT running!)
Do you have additional electrical systems plugged in?
We with experience have learned to check the electric system first.
Additionally, there are pin point tests listed in the workshop manual.

 

Maybe I should share my experience: I revived my XK (and its' roof) from being on its way to disassembly.
I had already replaced the outer roof cover by a good used one with a solidly fixed rear window.

The roof did not work, and I found simply the connector to drive the windows and the pump solenoids to be disconnected.
Obviously, somebody had been there before me...

Once refitting the connector, the roof started working, but not to the fullest extend:

1. When closing, the roof does not close completely, leaving about an opening of about 10 cm (4 inch) above the windscreen frame.
The rear windows do not come up, because obviously the roof is not latched properly yet in the closed position

2. When fully opening, all operations complete correctly, including latching of the tonneau cover. However, the "roof not latched" message comes up.

I can complete the closing operation by hand, using the hex allen key to close and latch the top to the windscreen frame.
I do have to manually pull down the roof top lid a bit to start engaging the windscreen frame.

When properly latched, I can subsequently operate the "close" button to finalise the closing/latching operation.
After the single completion beep, the rear windows do come up and close properly.

Now, my idea is that possibly the stretching wires through both sides (above the doors) may be overstretched.
Somehow, the sensors may detect this and fail to complete the closing operation. I yet have to verify this, including the sensor signals in SDD during closure.

Now my question to you: Could it be in your case that, after waiting a while, the roof wires become sufficiently unstretched under weight, so your roof closing operation can complete properly?

If so, it might simply be a case of properly adjusting the wires...