My top has the "Hood not latched" message and the top will not open any more. The rear windows are stuck open.

I have tried opening it manually by opening the pump valve and using the Hex key to reset the system it won't open manually. It will open a few inches and then I feel resistance. The drivers side rear of the top seems to be folding when I lift the front of the top (you can see the cloth fold a couple of inches) but the passenger side rear of the top does not move at all and the cloth stays taut assuming the normal curved shape of the back of the roof. I do not want to bend anything so I am kind of stuck.

The motorized part of the top won't work at all because of the error code.

If I manually open the top a couple of inches after disengaging the latch, re-engage the pump valve, and then try to open the top, the motor moves it for a few inches (about the same amount I can do by hand) and then gives up. This tells me that the hydraulic system is probably ok. Also there are no leaks.

I have also disconnected and reconnected the battery with no improvement.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Probably one of the hydraulic rams is bad.

 

Thanks for your quick answer hlgeorge.

I just posted that message a minute ago.

Is the hydraulic ram in an easily accessible place? Is that something I could replace myself?

 

It is not hard if you are comfortable disassembling some of the interior. The rear seats, and rear quarter interior trim needs to be removed. So does the speaker and a reinforcong bar behind the trim. You would need to remove and replace two hydraulic hoses on the ram.

You can download a copy of JTIS (see the FAQ Sticky at the top of this forum) and find the procedure in there.

 

Just checking . . . did you check the fluid level in the pump reservoir? You seem to be aware of the manual pressure release valve . . . fully closed?

It could be a loose or blown hose to the rams. Any signs of fluid on the bottom of the car in front of the rear tires?

One or more of the competent staff is/are standing by at any time to be of assistance.

 

 

You do not want to force open the roof. As for the rams/lifts it sounds like the one on the left is locked and the one on the right is not. If this is the case the ram on the right (facing forward) is the ram that controls the electrical operation for the computer to see before it operated the windows. If it is not satisfied it will not permit the windows to operate. With your attempts to operate the roof and windows you may have confused the system and it may have been caused by low hyd fluid in the reservoir. You will need to open the roof latch, open the hyd pump petcock, unlock the rams (push down on the top of the ram) and open the roof manually then close the roof latch manually then close the hyd tank petcock and close the roof electrically. Be sure the hyd tank is full and hold the button to close. This should correct the problem, if not let us know. Are you sure you do not have a hyd leak?

 

Test Point:
No, I didn't check the fluid level. I did fully close the valve however.

I am at work but will check for leakage when I get home.

Where is the tank/reservoir of hydraulic fluid?

Gus:

I will double check for the hydraulic leak. I need to get the tools to remove the side interior panels to get to the rams next, or can that be done with a screwdriver.

Thanks everyone for your help. I am going to download the JTIS tonight and try to get up to speed on that so I won't have to ask so many beginner questions.

 

The reservoir is mounted as part of the hydraulic pump hidden behind the stiff carpet to the right of the trunk. If you closed the manual valve you must know how to get to the pump.

Look under the car in front of the rear tires. A ram leak usually shows up as a damp spot on the floor pan.

 

This might help http://www.gusglikas.com/images/Auto...2w%5B1%5D2.gif

 

Ok, I was looking right at it and didn't know it. Thanks Gus and Test Point.

 

Well, it is up to the full mark with hydraulic fluid so it isn't leaking. I think the next step is to disassemble to see why the top won't come done in manual mode. Summer is almost over and I still don't have this thing going. Hopefully this week.

 

What steps do you take and how far do you get when you try to manually open the top?

 

The roof can get confused and not operate correctly. I see that it has been a few days between your posts, was it working and then stopped?

Check your PM

 

Thanks to Gus, it is now fixed. It has been in the garage all summer and I didn't have time to do much more repair. One phone call to Gus was what it took to figure it out.

Take a look at the drawing on this page on Gus's site:
XK8/R Hydraulic System Evaluation

The parts numbered 11 and 12 from the passenger side were missing. These parts connected the hydraulic ram (lifter) to the top mechanism. They had worked off and fell inside somewhere. So the passenger side ram was up in the air, but the drivers side ram was down and the computer wasn't happy with this. By pressing down on the ram, we were able to get the windows working again. The ram was accessible without having to disassemble the interior. We machined a pin-type fitting using a lathe and milling machine to serve the purpose of parts 11 and 12 (until I figure out how to order them-there is no more Jaguar dealer in Syracuse). Once it was reconnected and reset, the top starting working perfectly.

Thanks Gus and everyone who gave me help on this.

 

Good to know. The right ram has the micro switches in the cylinder that controls the up and down operation. Kudos to you! On the road again!