I'm surprised at the number of owners who have had roof problems haven't mentioned anything about the hydraulic system. I sent a message to a Thai guy who owns a workshop specialising in Diahatsu's and owns a few Copens himself asking him about it. He said you need to change your fluid and quoted me 1,500 Baht, about 35 GBP, which is reasonable but he's about 4 hours drive away from me in Bangkok. No one any ideas how to change or even top up the hydraulic fluid on the Webasto pump?
I've checked the Webasto website to try to contact them and lifted this from their site : Hydraulic care for automatic tops The vehicle’s entire hydraulic system is virtually maintenance-free and is designed to stay in place for the entire lifespan of the vehicl e. The hydraulic fluid in the cylinders does not require refilling. Variations in the cylin der’s oil level are completely normal and change according to the position of the roof. In th e event of visible oil loss in the hydraulic cylinder, have a repair shop handle the p roblem immediately in order to avoid further damage to the vehicle. Hydraulic mechanisms are usually equipped with their own self-protection devices. Should the convertible top be parked in a semi-open position for cleaning purposes, gravity will eventu ally cause it to fall into a stable end position. This protects the hydraulic valves from o verheating. With automatic tops, please note the following: repeated opening and clo sing while the engine is switched off can lead to undervoltage in the vehicle’s battery. This could prevent the engine from starting later. A tip for vintage car fans: if your vehicle’s top n o longer opens or closes smoothly, a drop of WD40 usually does the trick.
Mmmmm, still no hydraulic experts ? I live in a relatively small town in Thailand and finding anyone to understand my problem here and not butcher the system is a major feat hence I'm still pestering you guys. Halfway up the reservoir is a little cross, my fluid is level with the horizontal mark on that cross. Can anyone brave the winter weather this weekend and check the level of their hydraulic fluid? BTW, I'm sat outside typing this in my shorts and t Shirt, best part of the year here for the weather.
Had a look at mine tonight, fluid is just above the plus mark same as yours in the photo. My roof is working fine last time I checked.
Thanks Jez. The thing here is nearly every time I go out in my car I have the roof down, and if I don't it's usually 'cos it's too hot !! I will ask around for an hydraulics expert here but I won't hold my breath. Although if it's a sealed unit I don't want an enthusiastic amateur bodging it!
Have you checked out whether there are any error codes present in the roof ECU. Daihatsu Copen Roof problem error codes flashing reset system repair - Video
I did see that a while ago on another thread when I didn't have a problem. I'm a bit ham fisted so I was scared I would short the wrong pins or nothing would work after I tried it so I've been swerving it but maybe I need to give it a go at the weekend. Thanks Rob.
Yeah I don't like the sound of that too much myself, for about £5 you can get a bluetooth ODB2 reader which connects to a smartphone which supposedly will read and clear codes as well as monitor a lot of your engine - I haven't had any errors myself yet, so just played around with mine mainly so far. Tons on ebay, all look basically identical. Just plug it in, download a phone app (I use Torque Lite, free), start your car and connect them up.
Thanks VP and Saliere for your replies. OBD reader ordered and has to come from China so have to wait a couple of weeks for delivery. I will update when I have used it. With the roof closed will it still show an error or will I have to open the roof and try to close it for the error to register ?
I don't think Japanese Copens are OBD2 so the reader might not work. Think only UK 660 and 1.3 are OBD2.
Oh, well it does have the connection to plug it into near the steering column. Is it not connected anywhere?
Crap, sorry about that, it 'might' work still but apparently Japan has JOBD instead - although I've just read ODB2 is mandatory on cars imported to Thailand since 2014 it may be that yours was exempt due to age. There are some which state they're JOBD compatible on Amazon, but the one in the pic I posted doesn't say it :/
Well it's only cost me 195 Baht or about 4.50 GBP and states delivery 14-16 December so not too long to wait. I bought it from an online site here in Thailand that I use for everything from rechargeable batteries to kids toys to mobile phones and laptops. And white lithium grease! I've bought the same one as your VP : OBD II อุปกรณ์ตรวจเช็คสภาพรถยนต์ส่งข้อมูลไร้สายบลูทูธ รุ่น ELM327 | Lazada.co.th
Well it's arrived ! Earlier than I expected, it's only a tiny little thing with no written instructions but there is a mini disc I will try to play later. I've plugged it in and a red light is glowing so I presume it is 'live'. Unfortunately I have to go out now and pick my son up from nursery and look after him for the afternoon so I will have to try it properly tomorrow. In
Had 5 minutes to look at it. Downloaded Torque Lite and paired phone via Bluetooth. Also got yellow and green lights that flash intermittently on the OBD but phone shows message 'cannot connect to ECU' so joy short lived. maybe I do need the Jap OBD? Or back to square one and short the ECU connectors ?
Sounds like you do need the JOBD version, or use the pin method, sorry I wasted your time and money there :/
