California Top motor gear replacement
 

To those of you with Cali tops:

My motor stopped working well and I could hear grinding when it was trying to move. I popped the transmission of the motor open and saw that one of the two sets of gears on top of each other had been stripped. So, I pulled the good gear out and made a silicone mold out of Dow Corning Silastic T-4. Anyway, I'm going to be making some extra gears to sell and offset the cost of the silicone. If your Cali top is having issues, this is probably why.

I haven't made my own gear yet, but I think it will end up costing around $15 per gear shipped or two for $25. I'm going to buy molding epoxy from Home Depot which is around $8 a tube (good for one or two gears) and the silicone was around $80... though I have a ton left.

So, if anyone wants to save the hassle of buying a now $400 special order motor and transmission, get one or two of these gears so that you don't have an issue in the future. If it's broken, pull it apart and see if the gears are stripped.

Let me know if anyone's interested.

Actually it will probably be cheaper... but I made a test with Loctite 5 minute epoxy and it shattered. Onto another polymer resin... :(

I wonder if you could find a stock gear in a catalog somewhere? Can you post a pic of it with measurements?

If you figure this out I am definitely in for both gears. Mine starts to open then you can hear it make the same noise a stripped gear will make. L et me know and I will paypal immediately.

There won't be a stock gear. It's not just a gear; it has two trapezoidal posts on it where it connects to another identical gear by means of a rubber connector piece.

I'm going to spend the next week (my spring break) figuring out how to get it to work. I'm going to an aluminum CNC shop and I'll see what they can do.

FYI if needed I could duplicate it in CAD and send for rapid prototyping (just need you to send to me). I have a pretty good connection at a RP place in Columbus. A small part like that can be thrown in with any other run. Just have to make sure it is high res and hard plastic.

Phil

Hmmm... I'll make an epoxy clone for you and mail it so I don't have to get rid of my one working PP... or nylon gear.

Man, and I spent so much time making a mold! :( Oh well, now I can make an army of clear epoxy gears!!! Muahahaha

pm sent

My motor runs and runs and runs and runs...but my top doesn't go anywhere! I can manually crank it open and closed no problem. Gears? if so, sign me up!

sounds right to me

96Cali,
I have a lot of experience making parts using stl. There are a couple of materials I know of which may be strong enough to create a working part from. By the way, what cad system are you using?

Did this effort die off? The tread just seemed to quit...

Yeah... I couldn't get a reasonable price for a helical cut gear. I just bought a new motor and don't move it back all the way (when I hear it start to load I just stop). I hope with careful use it won't break again.

totally missed this Dave! I use Pro/engineer.

OK, that's the stark reality!

Could you now answer again and just lie to me? Something like...
"Yes, worked this all out like a charm... They even install themselves! The best part is they're only a nickle a piece and I'll have a Hooters girl hand deliver them right to your door! How many you want?"

Thanks for the effort...

I do have one other question, any chance this gear is duplicated in any of the other motor/transmissions? Thinking I'd be willing to spend the $70.00 or so for a sacrificial replacement and perform a transplant. The part my Ti uses is the one for the Cali (Open Air) top... 67 61 2 267 299. I believe the replacement was 67 61 2 496 368 and is a same fit. I know the motor for the steel roof is either the 67 61 8 369 227 or 67 61 8 370 823. Haven't looked to see if the same gear might be inside on all these... Maybe someone else has?