Finally got the 306 Cabrio out of the garage the other day after a long Winter's hibernation, to be able to wash her, get her ready for a proper professional detailing, and get he ready for the decent weather. Thought I'd try raising and lowering the top...just so I'd know how to do it.
Well....that did't work out so well, as I attempted to get it to raise and lower, only through guesswork (since she didn't come with an owners' manual, the car is French, and she was imported to the States from Japan), and well....nothing happened. No movement, no noise, no warning lights. Searching You Tube was of no help whatsoever.So, I'm calling out to Forum Cabrio members who might give me a step-by-step tutorial in getting the top to work....or, barring that (if the top needs attention--either electrical, hydraulic, or mechanical) a guide in raising/lowering the top manually.
I'm a quick learner, but unfortunately, I don't even know where to begin. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
DW
Need A Step-By-Step Guide to operate the Convertible Top
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Dragonwing
- Posts: 8
- Joined: 16 Oct 2024, 18:17
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ozfrog
- Posts: 30
- Joined: 11 Jan 2025, 01:59
- x 11
Re: Need A Step-By-Step Guide to operate the Convertible Top
Hi,
I have on my computer somewhere, a 'complete guide to the 306 Cabriolet Roof Operation and Reset' that I was sent by someone probably 10 years ago. I can't find it now, but I have located a part of the reset procedure. Well, it is the full reset procedure, but not the complete guide.
The guide suggests that two people doing this operation will make it easier. That is partly true. Read on for more details.
It looks like a complicated procedure to reset the roof and it might be tempting to skip things or do them out of order.
Do not fall into that temptation.
Your roof, like mine, might never work again. I have a 'friend' who can't be told not to do things, even when he is working on another person's car.
"No, you don't need to do that. The instructions are wrong."
"Have you ever owned a 306 Cabriolet?"
"No, but I know mechanical things. And electrical things. And you don't."
"I know that your mechanical and electrical knowledge are better than mine, but the manual says to do this."
He forced me to do things his way, and now my roof is completely non-operational.
With all that said, here are the instructions I've found so far.
Peugeot 306 Cabriolet Roof
Manual hood reset
Having problems with your roof electrics stopped working? Or maybe it failed half way through the process. Before you curse the car and blame the hydraulics/electrics for failing, try the manual reset procedure. The 306 roof is quite a complex piece of kit, and, as it uses sequences to operate, if stopped half way through, will not work until it has been reset.
This again is quite simple. Having two people for this is easier than one as the roof can be quite heavy when handling the roof manually.
To reset the hood:
Step 1
Starting from the roof up position, inside the car, unclip the roof with the two handles and push the roof up to release it
Step 2
Move to the back of the car and now lift the rear window section up towards the front of the car; (this is where a second person is helpful to hold it in the upright position).
Step 3
Working from the boot, you need to release the storage bin lid. This can be done by rotating the mechanism with the wheel wrench, normally clipped to the left side of the boot. Insert it in the hole in the centre of the boot (it usually has a sticker on it showing the rotation) Do not over turn this; it only requires about quarter of a turn in the right direction. Once released you can move to step 4
Step 4
Close the boot lid. (Make sure you do this all the way to avoid any damage.) Now you can lift the hood storage lid towards the back of the car.
Step 5
Now lower the rear screen back to the original down position and stow the entire roof in the storage bin. Once in, lower the lid (back down) and again working from inside the boot, manually close the lid down and shut the boot.
You now need to repeat the entire process backwards to return the roof to its up position. Just follow the steps in reverse order and when the roof is up, lock it into place.
Basically what you have done is the entire roof sequence in the correct order that the roof would have operated if using the electrics,
Now you can retry your electrics.
This procedure will cure a lot of, but not all, hood faults. There may be more that need looking in to should this fail.
Please note that the author, Cab306, nor the Peugeot 306 Cabriolet Club can guarantee the accuracy or consequences of any article published within www.peugeot306cabrioletclub.co.uk
Use of any information published in these pages is used entirely at your own risk.
I have on my computer somewhere, a 'complete guide to the 306 Cabriolet Roof Operation and Reset' that I was sent by someone probably 10 years ago. I can't find it now, but I have located a part of the reset procedure. Well, it is the full reset procedure, but not the complete guide.
The guide suggests that two people doing this operation will make it easier. That is partly true. Read on for more details.
It looks like a complicated procedure to reset the roof and it might be tempting to skip things or do them out of order.
Do not fall into that temptation.
Your roof, like mine, might never work again. I have a 'friend' who can't be told not to do things, even when he is working on another person's car.
"No, you don't need to do that. The instructions are wrong."
"Have you ever owned a 306 Cabriolet?"
"No, but I know mechanical things. And electrical things. And you don't."
"I know that your mechanical and electrical knowledge are better than mine, but the manual says to do this."
He forced me to do things his way, and now my roof is completely non-operational.
With all that said, here are the instructions I've found so far.
Peugeot 306 Cabriolet Roof
Manual hood reset
Having problems with your roof electrics stopped working? Or maybe it failed half way through the process. Before you curse the car and blame the hydraulics/electrics for failing, try the manual reset procedure. The 306 roof is quite a complex piece of kit, and, as it uses sequences to operate, if stopped half way through, will not work until it has been reset.
This again is quite simple. Having two people for this is easier than one as the roof can be quite heavy when handling the roof manually.
To reset the hood:
Step 1
Starting from the roof up position, inside the car, unclip the roof with the two handles and push the roof up to release it
Step 2
Move to the back of the car and now lift the rear window section up towards the front of the car; (this is where a second person is helpful to hold it in the upright position).
Step 3
Working from the boot, you need to release the storage bin lid. This can be done by rotating the mechanism with the wheel wrench, normally clipped to the left side of the boot. Insert it in the hole in the centre of the boot (it usually has a sticker on it showing the rotation) Do not over turn this; it only requires about quarter of a turn in the right direction. Once released you can move to step 4
Step 4
Close the boot lid. (Make sure you do this all the way to avoid any damage.) Now you can lift the hood storage lid towards the back of the car.
Step 5
Now lower the rear screen back to the original down position and stow the entire roof in the storage bin. Once in, lower the lid (back down) and again working from inside the boot, manually close the lid down and shut the boot.
You now need to repeat the entire process backwards to return the roof to its up position. Just follow the steps in reverse order and when the roof is up, lock it into place.
Basically what you have done is the entire roof sequence in the correct order that the roof would have operated if using the electrics,
Now you can retry your electrics.
This procedure will cure a lot of, but not all, hood faults. There may be more that need looking in to should this fail.
Please note that the author, Cab306, nor the Peugeot 306 Cabriolet Club can guarantee the accuracy or consequences of any article published within www.peugeot306cabrioletclub.co.uk
Use of any information published in these pages is used entirely at your own risk.