Ragtop-Only Mod...top control anytime

[Down2TheC]

Take back personal accountability!!!

Finally got around to digging through the EWD for my first simple hack. The decision to prevent the top from moving when you're over 3mph, was basically Toyota protecting the most stupid drivers from themselves. Thanks, but I don't need that. I think I can remember not to move the top when I'm on the highway or when it's not safe. If you're with me on that, here's how:

Materials needed:
- Wire cutters
- tape, ties, whatever you like to make wiring work pretty (Optional)
- box cutter (optional)

Steps:
1. Take off the left kick plate. That nut lookin' deal is a plastic hand tightened nut. Don't grab the rachet set. Pop the sill up a bit, then pull the kick plate towards the rear of the car. (See the next pick to see the connectors.)


2. Here's the connectors and the first look at the cable run we need to crack into.

Note:If you'd like to chase down the wire elsewhere, it's violet/white and goes into the IC2 harness pin 8. That's the only other grey harness besides the one I have X'ed out on the pic.

Me, I cut that cablerun open (carefully) with a box cutter and sifted through the wires until I found the one I needed. It is the only purple with white stripe in there. The thick solid purple guy is power for the top. Don't cut that!



3. You'll see a white cable tie clamping around that cable run and another. I popped that open and to get better access. Here's the final cut.



4. Cap it off, tape it off, whatever you like to make it pretty again. I capped the wire ends with a male/female blade connector (in case I ever sell her) and wrapped electrical tape around the slice. Probably overkill since all that wire has is a 5V speed pulse.

Now your top will move whenever you push the button. So if you push it at 55 mph, it's going up. Blame yourself.

[made in china]

woah, air brakes!!

I don't know how the Solara top mechanism works, but I wouldn't let my friends borrow my car if it had this mod, if it was a convertible.

[BradOwens]

haha nice. thts sad tho 3 mph. i may be wrong but i think newer porsches u have to be at a complete stop.

[kingkakyle]

lol i saw this dude on the freeway in his lexus sc 430
he created a giant wall of traffic on the 405 (near the 105 for u LA people)
and just because h wanted to put his top back up
he kept on stopping and going putting it up little by little....at one point it was half way so it was sticking into the sky lol
wat an ass

[Down2TheC]

lmao... exactly the kind of thing that led me to this mod.

[PhreakdOut]

Nice Job on the tutorial Mike!!

Another example of how Toyota is protecting us from ourselves.

[michaels artic frost]

lol i saw this dude on the freeway in his lexus sc 430
he created a giant wall of traffic on the 405 (near the 105 for u LA people)
and just because h wanted to put his top back up
he kept on stopping and going putting it up little by little....at one point it was half way so it was sticking into the sky lol
wat an donkey

^^That's hilarious^^

Nice write up Mike! Now do this for my Z roadster, just kidding

[Down2TheC]

^^^ as if the guy who rigged the side mirror led's would have trouble finding the speed input to the conv. controller.

[PXLpainter]

LMAO!!! Great comments - I can picture them all!

I must admit that I was cold the other night and decided to put the top up at a light... no problems tho and had plenty of time to do it.

Great mod tho - thanks!

Jeff

[solarasweetie]

okay. so this may sound dumb. ..
okay i admit. i WILL sound dumb.
but why would u want to disable it??

[Down2TheC]

Is there any way to just make it 20mph instead of fully removing it?

I'm sure some eager EE major could help us out. We'd need a filter that keeps the signal flat until the frequency gets high enough to equate to 20mph. I'd guess that would take about $5 in Radio Shack parts. It would have to be variable with a potentiometer.

Me... I'm happy as is. I never reach for any buttons in that area while moving. Only one you could mistake it for is the "all up" and that's not a button I'd use with the top down. (top down, windows down... that's the rule!!!)

[Down2TheC]

okay. so this may sound dumb. ..
okay i admit. i WILL sound dumb.
but why would u want to disable it??

So you can raise the top while moving at a reasonable speed. i.e. parking lot, stop and go traffic, approaching a stop light but the cars keep inching forward.
That's why I wanted to do it. You may not want to.

P.S. Going to the race Sunday? (so jealous!)

[mpvpapabear]

Only one you could mistake it for is the "all up" and that's not a button I'd use with the top down. (top down, windows down... that's the rule!!!)

That's my rule too unless I have my 5year old son complain about the wind or my wife.

The droptop is a 10sec operation, much better than the 30 sec many other droptops take (save for the manual two seaters).

It's a great mod but just not for everyone...

[swindler]

I will probably do the mod, because I have raised/lowered the top while at a stop light, and hit green before the top was quite done. With the mod, I could have at least rolled slowly while I finished the job.

And I am guilty of windows up at highway speeds - but for passengers only.

[Down2TheC]

For some reason chicks do that to me. They say they're fine with the top down and then they roll up the passenger window. That's the first sign that it ain't gonna work out.