A surge in the tank leads me to believe you have a blockage in the system or the ram is malfunctioning. The pump has an internal relief valve and when the pressure is high the relief valve will open and push the fluid back into the tank.

 

Ouch, that doesn't sound good.

 

I still can't see the video. Just me? Suggestions?


Pretty good test for any blockage in the latch circuit is as follows:

top down, latch closed
pump bypass valve open
put a mark on the reservoir level

Using the hex key, manually exercise the latch back and forth. There should be some smooth constant resistance as you do this (we're pushing fluid around) but nothing hard to overcome. The fluid level with the latch raised should be very slightly below that with the latch closed (confirms that the latch cylinder really is moving fluid).

This test will not capture any possible blockage within the pump body itself but the odds of that seem pretty remote.

Wish I could see that video ...

 

I just loaded the site in a different browser and I also can't see the video. I'll see if I can fix it.

Thanks for the info on checking for a pump blockage.

 

Here's the video again. It should be working now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB97...ature=youtu.be

 

Got it. The video may be telling us something useful.

I'm by no means sure about this, but as I understand it you've tried just about everything else so ...

At about T = 7 to 8 seconds, there are a couple of "zzzztt" sort of sounds. These are not normal and I think may indicate the presence of air passing through the pump. Everything else seems normal, including fluid being drawn from the reservoir as the top raises, and then some pushed back into the reservoir as the latch tries to close.

My suggestion is to get some fitting sealant having PTFE in it (easy to find) and apply it to the latch hose fittings. These fittings seal by way of an o-ring pressed into a conical seat so that's where you want to put the goop, not on the threads. It's of course easiest to do the pump-end fittings, so maybe do those two first and then test.

As they say across the river, "It couldn't hurt".

Good luck.

 

Correct me if I am wrong but it looks like your fluid is low.

Gus
www.jagrepair.com

 

It's at the top line. Goes down just a little as the top is opening.

 

When it is at its lowest point is it at or below the bottom embossed line? If it is you need to add fluid. It is not critical to fill it the top line exactly you can fill a little above the top line what is critical is that it has the fluid to operate the system.

 

When the top is up, the fluid level is about 1/8" below the top line. It doesn't go down very much.

 

If the fluid level does not go to or below the minimum level mark then blockage or the latch solenoid could be the problem. This could be caused by a few things the latch solenoid, power to the solenoid, the signal from the ram switch or the computer. Hard to tell without having my hands on it.

 

I'll try to get a close up picture of how much fluid is in the reservoir with the top up.

 

We can see with good clarity the fluid levels from the video. (A freeze-frame near the end gives a good look at the low point.)

You have just slightly more in there than the Jaguar spec (which, simplified, says to keep it between the upper and lower lines). I've always run with a somewhat lower level than yours, which is not to say I see a problem with where you are. I don't.

But, hey, if putting a little more in there will eliminate fluid level as a suspect ... sure, try that.

 

Hi everyone. Work has been getting in the way of the troubleshooting but I had a little time today so I tried Dennis07 idea. I had some Permatex sealant with PTFE so I put a small amount around the conical seal of the hydraulic lines going to the pump (latch side). Put the lines back on, started the car and raised the top. The top closed and latched as it should. I then lowered it. Wow, that's a good sign. Waited a few minutes with the car running and tried it again. Top raises and stalls at the latch as it did before. I lowered it manually and tried it a couple of times with the same result.


I'm not sure if I should try using the sealant on the lines going to the latch. Still frustrated in CT.

 

I just gave Top Hydraulics a call to ask if they had any thoughts on this problem. After explaining the situation (rams and latch rebuilt, all new lines) the gentleman I talked to said he thinks it's the pump. Either a small leak allowing air in or a second possibility. He said it could be that before I owned the car, the rams were leaking. If the top is operated with very low fluid level it can damage the electrical motor on the pump. If that's the case, the pump is too weak to close the latch.



Of course a pump rebuild would fix that. Not sure what to do.

 

Important info in your post. If there were no problem with the hose fitting that you applied PTFE to, then it would have had no effect. I'd recommend repeating that test to see if the (temporary) fix occurs again. If it does, we've got a suspect fitting, something to work on.

I have to disagree with just about everything the fellow from Top Hydraulics told you. The idea that running with low fluid level could damage the electric motor is, well, baloney. Pump rebuild? The pump is capable of lots more pressure than we need, and so internal valves are fitted to limit the pressure. You just found that with the PTFE applied to one fiting, the latch closed. How do we square that with a "weak" pump?

 

Tomorrow, I'll put sealant on the lines going to the latch.

 

Well it was a long time to tomorrow I just got the panel above the windscreen off yesterday and applied sealant to the hoses going to the latch. Tightened it up and waited until today to try the top. Same result. Top raises to the latch, latch pulls down about 70% of the way and then stalls out. I'll try it a couple of more times in the next couple of days but I'm not too optimistic.

 

Just wanted to throw something out there in case it has any relevance. I just put the top down manually. I then started the car. Now I realized that I forgot to put the latch down. The valve on the pump is still open from my putting the top down. I get the hex key, put it in and try to close the latch. It will not budge. There is resistance I'm assuming since I have the car running, even though the valve at the pump is open.

Shut the car off and now the latch closes with ease using the hex key. Any significance?

 

Did you cross the hoses?

Gus
www.jagrepair.com