Soft top control module?
 

Hey guys, having some soft top problems here. Had my hard top on for about a month and decided to take it off, rode downtown went to park, put the top up and halfway up it crapped out.

Took it to my indie and he got it to go up by bypassing the relay, or something like that. He says he is pretty sure its the soft top control module.

OK, so where do I buy this module? I will call the dealer monday, but already know their price will be exhorbitant.

Thanx

BTW it's a 96 SL500

Hows the voltage when you operate the top? Does it drop to the point where there isnt enough to run the top mechanisms? Did you try to resync the windows and rollbar?

Beckmann Technologies is well respected in this market.
Click "Browse Our Catalog" and see if your controller is listed.

I think they will sell retail to anyone, but I believe they have a wholesale pricing structure that will allow your shop to sell it to you and make a little in the process.

Good Luck!

http://www.beckmanntechnologies.com/products.html

I would seriously check the down window detection switches in each door first! The top WILL stop in the vertical position if it detects that the windows are not fully down...

Much easier and inexpensive resolution - happened to me BTW.

Lea

Thanks Lea. My indie says he got the top up by bypassing the relay. He says that now the top does not move at all, open or close, but the windows do go up and down with pressing the red top button.

Beckmann has them for $864, a big chunk to be sure.

Does the 1-touch "express" down feature work?
Gilly

Gilly,

I have a similar problem, after a near empty battery, the soft top would not lower and the rollbar is also not moving. I recharged the battery and synchronized the windows, but the problem remains. How does 1-touch window function enter into the game? :book:

Thanks

Yes the windows go down with pressing the conv button. My indie wants to look a bit closer and verify that its the module.

Happened to me 4 years ago ...
 

..97 SL500 stored winters resulting run down battery. The red button kept flashing and the soft top and roll bar would neither go down or up. Dealership diagnosed a bad control module and supposedly replaced it. I say "supposedly" because the mfg date on the "replacement" control module was circa build date for the car. I should have spoken up and had them try clearing the bad code(s) on the module instead of suspect replacement. My recommendation to you at my expense - clear the codes. If there truely is a problem - they should trip again. BTW, I suspect the main cause of this a rundown battery unable to power top and rollbar, among other things. You could also try replacing battery. Good luck!

(edited) BTW the cost of module was $1100.

97 SL500 sprt pkg1 tri blk 29k miles

I'd try disconnecting and reconnecting the control module. Fixed more than one this way. Be sure to resynchronize the control module after doing this.
Gilly

I very much doubt it's the module. If the roof stopped half way it's because it thinks the windows are still up. As Lea says, there are limit switches in the doors for this as well as Hall Effect sensors in the motors. Operate the roof by hand so that it's stored. Make sure the windows are up fully and the doors closed. Pull the fuses 4 & 5 in the boot with the ignition off and replace. You should hear the windows resync. If not then reset the windows and roll bar as mentioned in the manual and do it again. If the windows operate with their one-touch function it means they are correctly synchronised and the Hall Effect sensors are working.

The roof should operate providing it doesn't think it's closed (i.e the rear latches shut but the front open. If it doesn't work then lock the front of the roof by hand and let the rear portion hang above the latches and push forward on the soft top button to lock the roof - the windows will need to be down for this obviously.

You should clear all of the codes as a matter of course.

Thanks guys, I'm stopping by my indie today and will try and disconnect the module and the fuses.

I don't have a manual, what is the procedure for resynching the system?

Also keep in mind my top did NOT stop halfway. The front part did engage the windshield frame, I heard the clicks of the locks, thats exactly when it stopped functioning.

If for some strange reason it is the window sensors, I dont understand how they could by unsynced, unless it was putting on and taking off the hardtop somehow.

How do I test and resync the windows or the whole top?

I hate to think I know it all; esp with Mercedes NO ONE knows it all, BUT I was pretty/relatively sure that when they went to the newer system that they dropped that lower limit switch. It was also my understanding that your top was stopping with the top bow standing straight up, ie "half way from closing", so more than one is confused by the problem. OK, given the problem as it is presented now, I think it may be either the proximity sensor in the top of the windshield header, OR the small magnetic plate in the soft top front bow is missing or the magnet fell out. The magnet is in a plastic cover, and it matches up with the proximity sensor in the windshield header trim, it "tells" the control unit that the top bow is down on the header and to "push" the bow down and latch the fron latches. It is on the newer style system, the older 129's didn't have this. When they went to this style is when I had thought the microswitches in the bottom of the doors was dropped, thought it just did it with the window motor sensors.
Gilly

Thanks Gilly and guys, you guys are as classy as ever. I spoke with my indie this morning and he got it figured out. The wiring harness to the soft top control module was fubared. I didnt get into specifics with him, but he said the STCM was not getting any power and it was a pretty easy fix. I should have my car back tommorrow or Friday.

I will post results!

Well, there's "got" to be more to the story than that. The soft top control module controls the windows, and they worked, and how would the soft top get the top closed that far, without any power? Hope it all works out OK for you, but this makes no sense to me. Anyone else?
Gilly

It's odd for certain, but he had full confidence and he has been working on my SL and my Audi successfully for a couple of years. He has solved some weird electrical problems that the dealer had no clue about, he has saved me from purchasing an ECM for my SL and saved me from a new transmission on my Audi, both items the dealer wanted to replace.

Initially he bypassed a relay to get the top to fully close. After that, with the top closed the windows would go up and down with the window buttons, I do not know if the express feature worked or not.

This was only a quick conversation on the way to work, so there may be more to it. The main things I got was the wiring harness and that the STCM was fine.

Yeah, I didn't want it to sound like the guy doesn't know what he's doing or anything. Would be interesting to find out the full story, I'm sure you realize "no power to the control unit" can't be right. The main thing is it's fixed and didn't cost an arm and a leg.
In case any other 129 owners are reading this (I hope assume there are), I am really considering buying an early 129 next year (hopefully). 300 though, the six cyl will keep me off the side of the road with blinkin' blue lights behind me, I've always liked the early 300SLs.
Gilly

GREAT, welcome aboard Gilly :)

The 300 will keep you on the side of the road with mechanical problems ;):D .

You're right in that the limit switches were dropped on later models - There were three revisions of the Soft Top ECU and sensors - the latest for post '96 cars. The resyncing works for the Hall Effect sensors in the motors.

After having owned a corvette it has left me wanting just a bit more out of my 500. I don't think I could live with a 300. The R129 is a very heavy car and the V8 is just enough for the car to feel peppy. You should at least drive both and make a decision then.

Either way welcome to the SL family!! I'll post how my repairs go, hopefully my indie pegged it, but until it runs right I wont put all my eggs in one basket.

Ah ha, I've wondered why I've never had to re-sync mine :)

Cheers stats, now I know.

Lea

Oh, I've driven both of them alright, you can trust me on that! I'd LOVE to have the M119 for sure, just thinking fuel mileage, cost to buy, insurance, etc etc. My wife and I will just be using it for easy touring, maybe commuting, summer fun and vacations, that sort of stuff. This will be replacing our Sprite after all, will be a quantum leap in, well, everything. Will miss that little Sprite tho, that's for sure.
Gilly, Spriteless in the Spring.

Oh wait, the 129 is heavy? No, no, that's "SL" for "Super Light", remember that always, LIGHT!
Gilly

how about this one
 

http://www.autopicsjax.com/buy.php?make=50&modelid=265&lyear=1983&hyear=2007&lprice=0&hprice=01996 SL 500 Panzerwaggen $15,995.00
SL Sport light?
Attachment 38147

SL is Sport Light as a direct translation.

DID YOU GET YOUR TOP TO WORK? I HAVE A GOOD USED CONTROL MODULE. IF YOUR GUY IS DISCONNECTING THE MODULE. HAVE HIME WRITE THE PART NUMBER DOWN. AND LET ME KNOW WHAT IT IS. THEY DID CHANGE THESE MODULES OVER THE YEARS. SO THE PART NUMBER IS VERY IMPORTANT. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED I PREFER A DIRECT E MAIL TO ssLAWRENCE62@frontiernet.net THANKS STEVE

Thanks again guys. Just picked up the SL and the top works perfectly now. My indie replaced the entire wiring harness and I'm good to go.

One last quick question, Ive had this problem for probably a year and was just too lazy to fix it or ask. The left front latch seems to be off, when the top closes the top right latch is fine, but it seems that it "misses" the left one and I have to back off the top a hair and with my hand sort of guide the left side until it catches. Really no big deal, an extra 3 seconds of time, but annoying a bit. Any ideas?

They are fully adjustable - though not something I'd get involved in unless you have a day for trial and error.

The latch on the top part (top bow) is adjustable any way side to side/front to back. There are also shims that can be added (if you can order them) or usually there are a couple in there so they can be taken out. If you sorta know which way the top part needs to go you can loosen the attaching screws and move the top part where ever you think it needs to go. Try to make just really small adjustments, don't loosen the screws up alot or the top part might move way too far on you and it's hard to get it back into the ballpark area again. One hint is to look at the black plastic part on the lower cover (below where you are going to adjust, I think you said the left side) and look for any small scrape marks in the plastic, that can tell you definitely which way you need to adjust the top part.
SPORT Light, that's right, messed that up.
On the car that was posted, hey I appreciate the tip. I am really pretty determined that the 300 is for me, MAYBE a SL320 if the price is right, but would be perfectly fine with a 300SL, really. It's not that I don't LIKE the 500/M119 moter, anything but. Just as I mentioned before, we will be fine with the 6 holer. I agree the 500 has alot more grunt, but compared to the Sprite a 300SL will feel like a rocketship in comparison, plenty enough scoot for us. I don't think we'll be ready til spring for a few different reasons. The Sprite has to go first. I have received 50% down on it and need the other 50% (because I need the money to do this), and the Sprite has to physically "leave" to make room for another car. I kind of like the looks of that SL, we want to try staying away from the typical red, white, black. I like the maroon red though, but not sure what colors were all offered on the early 300's. We both actually kind of like the original grey cladding and bumpers on the early ones, but see that often times they are resprayed in monochrome, like the later ones. Light blue or silver would be cool, what other colors were there? Wasn't there a more blueish-greenish, as opposed to the regular light blue? My take on the 129 market right now is for an early SL, should be able to get about a 100,000 miler for about $10,000, more $$ for less miles and less $$ for higher miles. We'd like to be in the $10,000 area, OR maybe a bit more more $$ for one below 100,000, rather not go way over 100,000 miles, unless it was a really really sharp one, good color, etc. Would like to find as stock as an example as possible, I really like those 15 hole (?) original wheels, although they are hard to clean.
Gilly

Gilly you rock. I will give the adjustments a try.

Fyi
 

FYI:
All caps is considered SHOUTING IN PEOPLES FACES.



Have a great day.

Gilly,

I still have not figured it out. After I recharged the battery, the top still does not move and red control button and bar button are both lit permanently. If I disconnect the module (when it has juice, right?) how do I synchronize the top? Mine is 97 320 and I already re-synchronized the windows.
SOS SOS SOS.....

Man, you just posted 1 "hey me too" post and I really don't know much about your problem at all. WHAT Year ya sportin' there, sport? Changes from year to year, not a "one size fits all" thing.
Gilly

When it has juice? You can disconnect if after the ignition has been switched off for at least 30s.

As Gilly says there is no hard and fast rule - you can try a few things but inevitably you may have a fault - the solenoids for operating the roll bar for example. Did you try the methods described regarding the fuse pulling?

If you're resetting the windows I presume you have a post '94 model.

Folks,

It is the '97 SL320. Fuses are OK, it all happened after a near batterry discharge.

:book:

And sorry for "being pushy" but I'm trying to get a bit more motoring from my car, cause pretty soon we'll be snowed-in in these boonies called vermont:)

Try disconnecting all 3 connectors on the top control module (key OFF), then connecting again and see if it will work. I understand the lights are on, are you saying the soft top is totaly inop, the rear lid over the top doesn't even open??
Gilly

Gilly,

The top is up, control and bar switches are lit, when I push either one of them, nothing happens, no rear cover lifting, nothing, completely caput, but nicely lit switches :-((.

Could be internal leak in the front latch actuators. Are the windows rolling down with the soft top switch?
Gilly

No, the windows dont roll down with the top switch. Also, they were out of synch after the top became inoperable and I re-synch them.

I think a fault code is set in the top controller that is locking-out operation. The only documented way to clear such a fault on a '96 and later car is with an advanced scan tool. I would take the car to an independent shop that can clear the code for you. Shouldn't take them more than 10 minutes.

Do the windows roll down with 1 touch operaation (with the window switch express-down, not talking about the top switch now).
Gilly

If the roll bar light is on it suggests a position or solenoid fault - this is usually reset by pulling the roll bar fuse in the boot as mentioned (does the roll bar move using the switch - have you reset it?). If this doesn't work then it sounds like it isn't a straight forward fix and something needs replacing. As Bob says - the codes will need to be cleared and re-read to see what the latest fault is.

Thanks folks, I'll try it tonight, hopefully it resets.

Hi,

My soft top is in working condition again. The soft top control module codes were reset (by a dealer).

Thanks to everybody for helpful hints.