I have an 05 Crossfire convertible and are having problems with the convertible top not working. When I release the windshield header handles, the windows drop and when pressing the switch it just beeps...that's it nothing else happens. I previously had a problem with water getting into the trunk area causing the alarm to go crazy and door locks to not work but after the alarm box and central vacuum control box dried out they have been fine. Could these boxes getting wet have anything to do with the top not working now? Any ideas what to check?

 

First make sure the trunk divider is in the vertical position and securely in place. Also check that the trunk is closed tight.

 

 

Trunk is closed tight and divider is securely up

 

Ok, I have explained this a million times, but since even I can't find my damn post, I'll repeat myself.

Here is how it all works (not the whole story, but most of it):

WHen you turn the crank, a switch in the windshield frame closes, this tells the TCM that you have unlatched the top. The TCM tells the BCM to lower the windows. Since your windows go down, this switch is fine.

When you push the top up and away from the frame, a little switch in the top frame, up above the passenger's head, closes. This switch is wired in series with the divider switch in the trunk. The two together apply a ground to the TCM that tells it that is it ok to start the pump.

So, you hit the button and the following happens:
The TCM checks to see that the trunk lid is fully closed via a switch that I THINK is in the lid (never really confirmed this).
The TCM then (and you can hear this) electrically locks the trunk lid closed (so that no idiot can open your trunk while the deck lid is raised). Once the cam throws a switch indicating to the TCM that the lid had locked, the pump starts running.

Of course, if you are going over 9 mph, the TCM disables the pump.

So, the first thing to check is - are the top open switch (over the passenger's head) and the divider switch (in the trunk) both closed, providing the ground needed to the TCM? These two switches are PROBABLY the most common failure items. Several times, when people look at the top open switch, they report that it has fallen apart!

THe only way you, yourself can confirm they are both OK is to open the trunk, wrestle the liner apart, and measure the voltage at the connector on the TCM with the divider UP and the top unlatched and pushed away from the windshield frame.

Visually inspect the top open switch. We can go from there. The electric cam/lock in the trunk lid has almost NEVER been found to be the issue.
The divider and top open switches are your first suspects.

 

I spent 30 years repairing electronics. Made a good living and reputation at it, too.
I can tell you this: once electronic assemblies get wet, they are suspect for life. Sure, many times you get away with it - but the contamination in the water can set up awful reactions that, in time, destroy the integrity of the boards and also can cause awful corrosion under large and very large scale integration chips. In time, this corrosion eats the paths of the board away (these paths are the 'wires' of the circuits); the only fix is to replace the boards, which usually means replacing the entire modules.

Now, I cannot say that either box's demise would or would not cause this. My guess is that if they are performing their other duties properly, I'd look elsewhere for the trouble - as a general rule. The communication between modules in the car goes well beyond my knowledge, I simply have no clue if there is a way they could inhibit the TCM from doing it's job.

It's a good question, but not one I can't answer.

 

Since you have already stated that you had water in the trunk, did you also check the top pump assembly down in the driver's side fender well to see if it had also taken a bath ?

 

I only got water in the passenger side assuming from the fuel door area...

 

does anyone know for sure if the alarm module or the central locking vacuum pump box can cause the top to not work?

 

100% sure the alarm is not involved.
99.93% sure the CLVP is not involved.

 

is there a way to bypass the switch in the windshield top frame to eliminate that possibly being the cause?

 

Your first post pretty much says that switch is not the problem.

 

do you have any suggestions for me to try?

 

I'd really encourage you to visually inspect the "top open" switch in the top frame, above the pasenger's head.

You can see it once you unlatch the top and push it away from the windshield. Stoop down on the passenger side of the car and look up in the frame near where the passenger's head would be (or back from that point a little). See if the switch looks intact. I've heard from others that it tends to fall apart and is obviously bad in such cases.

The sure-fire way to prove that it and the divider switch in the trunk are ok, is to measure the voltage at pin 7of C1 on the Top Control Module. With the divider up and top open, you should see a ground on that pin. That is, near zero volts. With the top closed and latched, you should see a 'high' that is, 5 to 12 volts. This is a "BR/BL" wire, which means, in MY book anyway, a brown wire with a black stripe.

 

Can you please tell me exactly where the power top control module is located?

 

In the trunk in the fender well behind the driver's side rear wheel.

 

ok so I just tested pin 7 of C1 on the PTCM and get ZERO volts with divider up and top open, with the top closed and latched I am getting 3.5 - 4 volts.

 

DAMN. Then the divider and top open switches are working.

This is not gonna be one of the easy ones. Give me some time, prepping for a damn colonoscopy... I should be back among the living tomorrow after lunch.

 

For now, let's think about what has to happen next for the top hydraulic motor to start running.

We have cleared the frame switch, the divider switch and top open switch. (Very good work, by the way, seldom does anyone actually get in there and measure!)

When you press the button, IF you are not going over 9mph, the TCM checks to see if it has an indication that the trunk lid is fully closed. If so, you should hear a faint sound as the TCM energizes an electric lock in the trunk, disabling it so no one can open the trunk while you are moving the top.

When the TCM gets the indication that the electric lock has locked, the motor should start.

I'm trying to think of ANYTHING that would stop it from activating the lock OTHER than speed over 9mph OR the lid not indicating fully closed.

Let me look to see how you can verify the lid indicating that it is closed....

 

Well, since you ARE willing to actually check things (again, very impressed ) you should download the service manual.

But for now, C1 pin 21 should have a Brown/Violet wire in it. When the trunk LOCKS, this pin should go to ground (zero volts). How you can measure that with the trunk open - well, you cant. But if you connect clip leads and run wires to your meter, you can see what it does...



But before that, the lid must show closed, still looking for that....