This thread will be a work in progress for the next few days, weeks or even months. The original idea was to have a place to send people when they asked basic questions about where various sensors are in the top system. That soon turned into a thread that discussed troubleshooting more than I intended - but I think it's a good idea.

The questions keep coming, and it's getting tiring answering the same questions over and over again. The purpose of this thread is to provide PHOTOGRAPHIC documentation of where the sensors are and some background on what they do and how you can troubleshoot things yourself. It is hoped this thread can serve as a place to send new owners (or those who have never had to address these issues before) so they have an idea of where to look when issues arise. This thread does not take the place of the (horribly complex, incomplete and sometimes inaccurate) service manual; instead, my intent here is to produce an easier-to-read guide to your convertible top. This thread won't answer all questions, but it is hoped it WILL give you enough information that you understand the system well enough that you can actually find and fix some of the issues we all have with our convertible tops. Many are surprised to find they they, themselves, can resolve some issues on their own, at home. Issues with the divider switch, loss of sync and a few others can be resolved by ANY owner.

You CAN NOT make use of this thread in most cases without reading thru the first ten posts thoroughly. And I'm sure no one can read it once and 'get it all', I tried to make this as concise as possible, but I"m also not writing a book here, so some effort on the reader's part is certainly necessary. If it is hard to read, well, you paid nothing for this, and I got paid the same!

I struggled with format here:
1) Do I simply explain where all the sensors are, then explain how they interact?
2) Or do I present each sensor as I explain the sequence of operations?

After a lot of thought, I went with option 2. When we get started (in post #2), we will assume the top is up and latched and you want to put the top down.

Some definitions before we proceed:
BCM - Body Control Module
PTCM - Power Top Control Module

These two modules will come up often in the following discussion.

The BCM handles a lot of functions with the car OTHER than running the engine, as running the engine is the chore of the ECU/PCM (engine control unit/powertrain control module). The PTCM interacts with the BCM a lot, as you will soon understand. The BCM is in that big box next to the battery, the "Control Module Box", under the hood on the passenger's side. If you open the box, you will see three large modules standing on edge, with many wires plugging into them. In the photo below, the battery is barely visible at the bottom of the photo, and the cover has been removed from the box.




The PTCM is hidden behind the trunk trim panel on the driver's side. It is bolted to the hydraulic pump/valve assembly which it controls in order to run the system that moves the top.
The yellow box gives you the approximate location of the PTCM, again, the pump/valve mechanism is right behind it.



Robert McCubbin offers this photo of the PTCM, with the trunk trim panels removed. The PTCM is the black module, item number 1.
Behind the PTCM is the Power Top Hydraulic Assembly, item 2, (which contains the pump motor, solenoids and valves that send pressurized fluid to the cylinders as needed).
Also shown is a very good photo of the divider switch (item 3, we will be talking a LOT about that switch).




Keep checking back here, to this FIRST post, as I will document revisions and contributions from others as the thread takes on a life of it's own. There is no way I can think of every detail that is involved here - YOU can post here to add stuff or send it to me via PM email or on Facebook and if possible, I will put it in the first ten posts - contributions will be credited below and inline.

PLEASE be PATIENT, this thread won't be "ready for use" until maybe the second week of August!


REVISION HISTORY
Contributor - Date - Changes/additions made - Post Number(s)
Mark/Pizza - 08022020 - Added photos of BCM and PTCM - Post 1
Bob/bmccubbin - 08022020 - Added photo of trunk items - Post 1
Mark-Pizza - 08232020 - Replaced photo of modules showing correct positions of the BCM and ECU. - Post 1