glad you got is sorted out.

does this differ by year?? I ran into this a few weeks back as JTIS shows bottom to bottom having a similar experience as monster48 and the only way to clear was via the pdf showing pump top connection to ram bottom

 

Your question is valid and I will be checking into this and posting the correct information. I am not aware of any differences between the model years but will verify.

 

I did my hoses in January of this year and mine were routed top of cylinders to bottom fittings on pump and bottom of cylinders to upper fittings on pump - no doubt about it. So...... either there is a difference based upon model year or the O.P. has hoses crossed somewhere else?

 

Glad you got it sorted out!

Ha! I just noticed that page gone this morning when I went to your site to start reviewing this exact same process.

I just got my roof hoses and pump solenoids rebuilt by Top Hydraulics, and was thrilled to see that Klaus already labeled each end as to where they go. I'll update back later this evening how it went and where my hoses go on the pump. Hopefully will avoid what the OP went through... tackling this today.

Wish me luck, gentlemen. I'm going in...

 

Chris - was wondering if you had completed the repair. you've already done the hard part in the removal - reinstall should be a breeze.

 

Thanks, Steve- yeah just been very busy the last few months and happen to have a one-day window here to finally knock this out. Wasn't a top priority as the Jag is my 'fun car', or rather, I had another to drive with a hard top that stays permanently latched. Hopefully the uninstall was the hardest part! I'm now climbing back into it and hoping I remember which bolt went where. I'll remember it shortly. Not sure I can get the new hose fittings through the bulkhead hole, may route through the long slot in the firewall next to it with some felt padding wrapped around that hole. Really looking forward to driving it again, haven't in 3 months!

 

And success! On the first connection attempt no less! I'll update my own thread in a moment with this as well. Top Hydraulics instructions showed the top ram connections going to the bottom pump fittings- I hesitantly followed along after reading the thread this morning and luckily it worked. Not sure if it's different between model years. Can't imagine that but maybe it's a difference between the 4.0 and 4.2 era? My 2000 XKR though definitely went top ram to bottom pump though.

Other expectations- I remembered the system initially failed when I was putting the top up. It flopped down on the windscreen frame then the fluid petered out and it never latched (or rolled the back windows up), so I started my first test by trying to complete this cycle and punched the button UP first... what's that whooshing sound? The sound of someone who forgot to close the pump valve. It did take several minutes for what seemed like the pump to pressurize before it did anything- in fact the first attempts were completely dead. Once it built up something, it started functioning (within 10 min. or less). I dropped the top first, then put it back up. Minimal to no hiccups- it seemed to purge any air bubbles itself though after the first attempt (very slow latch deployment), it had pumped the system full of fluid and the tank was then low. I had initially filled it up to the high water mark, and it dropped to 50%. You can safely fill the whole reservoir up to the top if the system is dry and you're doing what we did here. I topped it back up to the high water mark, and the pace of the latch and top movement were back to normal (and the level simply dropped between the two marks, where I'll leave it). After shrieking like a little schoolgirl upon the first successful cycle (should I admit that?), I did 4 more tests to make sure it was working properly. No trouble. Also before you start testing it for the first time, set the pump in a large bowl or tray on top of the battery and look for leaks. Likewise, fold up some paper towels and stuff them under the roof rams and watch for leaks there as well between each cycle. I haven't seen any 'how tight' remarks for the hose attachments, but hand tight with a 10" wrench or so is good. Definitely not finger tight, but don't break out the torque bar either (not an exact science you see). I think there was a single thread left outside the connector on each fitting for mine personally, but don't use that as a certain reference point- YMMV. Additionally, I ran into a problem with one of my rams when I noticed the fitting was pointed the wrong way and the hose connector wasn't going to attach, or at the very least, was going to pinch badly against the body. Fear not. Put a drop of Liquid Wrench or similar oil onto the threads, take a wrench or vice-grip, and you can carefully twist these fittings a good 90* one way or the other to get the clearance you need. In fact, you might want to make sure they're tight anyway while you're in there as these can be a point of leakage as well. And when you thread the new hoses into the car, it was easiest to apply some foam sticky pads around the wide bulkhead opening and just stick the drivers side hoses through there, but you'll still want to poke the passenger hoses through the proper original bulkhead hole where the latch hoses go through as the hoses for this side are too short to follow that route. There's room around that bulkhead hole even though it doesn't look like it. You could also do the drivers side hoses though there too if you wanted. Maybe you should. I got lazy. Oh well, it all gets covered up by that carpet piece anyway, right? No operational difference.

Also helpful, before I disassembled anything weeks ago, I put a mark of white-out on the 'top' latch connector hose on the pump side, so that 50/50 guessing game was avoided when it came time to reconnect the latch hoses to the pump. Completely arbitrary as I have no idea which end it is for the latch side, but it doesn't matter on this end- you just want the right hose of the two on the right fitting at the pump.

After shaking off a little fear, I got everything threaded through and operational in 2-3 hours. Not including reassembling the backseat and trunk area! That comes next this evening. And it may take awhile, because I am drinking a few margaritas in celebration here. (and once they wear off, I'll be happily taking my first drive again. can't wait)

 

Chris - glad to hear all is back to normal with the top, now you can enjoy driving it again!

 

Good result Sentinelist - for the benefit of any other owners reading this thread for information regarding hose connections I would just mention that as well as referring to the various diagrams I also checked the original hose connections before removal by blowing air through(easily done with a bicycle air pump or low pressure air from a compressor) and had a helper at the pump end confirm the routing onto the pump - 5 minutes work and it removes any uncertainty. Just my 2c worth :0)

 

The hose connections have been verified to be correct.

 

Gus - thanks much - appreciate you takiing the time to verify.

 

I try to be accurate on things I put on my page.