Pontiac G6 Forum banner

Calling all convertible owners

31K views 106 replies 47 participants last post by  JimR 
#1 ·
What model and year? Maybe we could help each other if we know who the convertible owners are in one thread
I have a gray 06 GTP convertible with approx.56000 miles
Thanks
 
#4 ·
Grey 2007 with around 80,xxx miles on it. Can't open top or trunk anymore. Dealer mechanic says it is the sensors and can't be fixed. Now it's just our 3rd car to drive when needed. Always keep hoping that someone will come up with what it is we need to fix. Sure do miss driving in the summer!
 
#5 ·
If it is just a sensor you could try one of the following to get the trunk open for a closer look:-
  • Disconnect the battery to fully shut down the electronics. Reconnect and immediately and repeatedly try the trunk release. I have not tried this but have heard it mentioned before.
  • Slightly harder is to remove the rear seats, push past any trunk lining and hook the trunk release handle.
If the trunk is open you can get at many of the micro switches and inspect the wiring. For a more detailed review you would need access to a higher end diagnostic or a GM Tech II

Hope you get it working again...
 
#80 ·
Take to another dealer. First dealer I went to (Tom Kelly) told me my top issue could be one of 3 sensors- replaced 2 (had to get used) could not find 3rd and no change. Took to mechanic after I caused a short in the cargo cover sensor who fixed that and said motor bad, bought another (used) and took to a top shop (no experience on hard tops but willing to try. It was mostly better but still some issues opening and closing. Took to another dealer after many calls. Summit city in ft wayne said he would check it out and try to fix but no promises - he had worked on convertible tops but not G6 but he could access the needed info. He fixed it. 4 shops and $1000 later (half on parts I didn’t need) and it works great. Call dealers and top shops and ask about experience with convertible tops. Btw don’t call gm - they have no clue what certifications their mechanics have!
 
#7 ·
If you have a weak cylinder that leaks internally it will not have the push or pull to contact the sensor to complete the fold cycle. In this case the GM Tech II will read faulty sensor but in reality its the cylinder.
I took mine to a seasoned mechanic who told me the diagnostics written for these tops was very poor and figured out my issue, which was one of the cylinders.
You can get them rebuilt here: https://www.tophydraulics.com/78-pontiac
 
#12 ·
Not sure what a "trunk cover" is. If you're talking about the plastic panel on top with 2 side wings, that should not keep you from using the top. I've seen cars with that panel missing completely and the top worked fine.

If you're taking about the rollup "shade" cover inside the trunk, you can get those on ebay. You can also cheat by sticking something in the right side end to actuate the switch. Just don't put stuff in the trunk above the shade level or something will crunch :)
 
#11 ·
2008 G6 GT with 145,000 miles. I'm having the opposite problem. I can't keep my trunk open. Most of the time, I have to hold the trunk lid up or else it falls down while I'm putting things in the trunk. (This doesn't affect the automatic roof.) Do you think I just need to replace those two trunk struts?
 
#20 · (Edited)
2006 Black GTP, 83K Miles. Second owner bought it with 67,000 miles on it. The car only had one owner previous owner. Less than 3 month later the engine blew. My aftermarket warranty and help from the Dealership got the engine replaced with a brand new 3.9 GM engine. Only other nagging issue in a Low Coolant light that comes on every time I start the car. Sometimes it goes off, sometimes it doesn't. Dealer pressure tested the system at 3 different oil changes and says there are no leaks and the coolant level is good.

Being near Chicago, it's time to start putting the top down and hoping for the best. Is there any preventative maintenance that should be performed in the Spring? Lubrication? Anything? Can't find any mention of such a process online.
 
#85 ·
2006 Black GTP, 83K Miles. Second owner bought it with 67,000 miles on it. The car only had one owner previous owner. Less than 3 month later the engine blew. My aftermarket warranty and help from the Dealership got the engine replaced with a brand new 3.9 GM engine. Only other nagging issue in a Low Coolant light that comes on every time I start the car. Sometimes it goes off, sometimes it doesn't. Dealer pressure tested the system at 3 different oil changes and says there are no leaks and the coolant level is good.

Being near Chicago, it's time to start putting the top down and hoping for the best. Is there any preventative maintenance that should be performed in the Spring? Lubrication? Anything? Can't find any mention of such a process online.
I am stunned that all across the country that there doesn't seem to be, within GM dealership's no technically sound technicians
What model and year? Maybe we could help each other if we know who the convertible owners are in one thread
I have a gray 06 GTP convertible with approx.56000 miles
Thanks
 
#22 ·
Lube all the joints on the arms but before you drop the top make sure you have enough fluid in the hydraulic reservoir (remove rear panel in trunk on passengers side. It is the white plastic thing with a copper colored fill cap on top and a MAX line on it). I made the mistake of lowering it on low fluid. Then it would not raise. Keep in mind nothing else was wrong... I had to remove the trunk lid, back seats, take all of the pins out to manually lift the top - it is not light and requires 2 people - then put it all back together to find that it seems to have an error code that I need a Tech2 to release. I am not going to pay a dealer but bought an emulator and have a 32bit laptop to run it on thank god since it does not work on 64bit like most now are. So maybe, this will have only cost me about $128 for the emulator, $29 for the fluid (it HAS to be GM88901975) and about $35 in tools by the time it is all fixed. Not to mention about 4 days of crawling in and out of my car for hours adjusting things and cutting/bruising myself up. My neighbor actually asked me what the deal was with me and the car on the 4th day. Whatever you do make sure there is fluid in the stupid reservoir and don't count on dealers or online material to be able to help you either. Every time I think I have located the last mirco sensor there is another one and almost all are difficult to remove if you have to replace or in my case test them. The dealers around here cannot fix them so any error message they blame it on the controller which they claim you cannot find now that Pontiac is out of business. Not so... they just cannot fix these things. My advice is learn how it works before it breaks on you unlike me!
 
#23 ·
Dealers are retards! These are all simple sensors. You could replace them with many aftermarket ones but that fact aside... there are a lot of sensors and the reason your trunk will not work is because by default your top is error state so until it is cleared by a Tech2 the computer will not allow it to open. The key here is fix the top the trunk should work afterwards. There is most likely a message of "Top not Secured" on your radio screen. If the top is secured, then it likely is an error to be cleared by a Tech2. Also, the hydraulic reservoir in the trunk on the passenger side under the plastic inner fender should be to the max line. Only use GM 88901975 on it! I am going to try an emulator for the Tech2 and see if I can access the sensors on mine.
 
#24 ·
It's great seeing all of these mechanical folks fixing their own cars. That takes a lot of know how! Well, I will never be fixing any car. I live in Illinois, across the river from St. Louis. If there is anyone out there within 100 mile radius or so from St. Louis, sure would like to know. A good mechanic who would take on the repair of my convertible. Sure would be nice to have that car "sun and fun" usable again.
 
#30 ·
The oil pan leaks on many of them from what I have seen. It is a very intense job from what I have been told by my friend who is also a mechanic at midas. You have to un-bolt passenger side engine mount and lift it a certain height to clear the pan out from under the car and before that remove the convertible structural supports. There are other things but mine doesn't leak too bad so I am saving it for another time. The few things I have done to my engine have always been way too difficult. The waterpump, the thermostat before that. Not fun at all! Very tight room and being careful not to break something else is priority!
 
#32 ·
On the lighter side, the battery in these cars is among the easiest to replace of any I've owned.

Sadly, the truths that should be self evident of anyone who owns one of these cars (or wants to) is that (1) They're all at least 10 years old, (2) Pontiac has been gone for 10 years, (3) Any GM technicians trained on these have long since moved on or retired, (3) A few parts may exist in the GM system but once they're gone, they're gone and your/our main source (for other than common mechanicals) becomes "Pull-N-Save" salvage yards. Reality bites of course and it's pretty much the same for any car 5 years in once the platform has been discontinued, let alone the whole line or make has been dropped.

I'm old and this will likely be my last special interest car. With the goal of educating myself I bought one of these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pontiac-G6...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

GM's documentation has evolved through the decades and is geared to the technician and features cryptic line drawings rather than clearer photos. This disk has as much information as likely exists, but it's clunky and not for the faint of heart. It also requires a fairly recent computer and installs a Virtual Machine running an instance of Windows XP (remember how old these cars are). It does work though and there's a ton of information and (bonus!) the embedded links to related topics work.

Since everything since OBD was first developed requires a scanner, I also bought one of these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-General...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

I haven't received it yet so it's usefulness hasn't been proven, but the price point made it interesting to me as opposed to the GM Tech II. I'll let you know.

Good luck everyone. - Mark
 
#35 ·
Thank you for this post! I'll look into the eBay links you shared as well. I've got an '07 hardtop convertible and was just told I have a front main seal leak and need to replace the front struts. Has anyone done these at home? Any advice? I'm also trying to chase down a door rattle that is driving me nuts!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top