As I have implied, I have no interest in converting the system to manual, as I think the automatic operation is a key part of the car's appeal and the repair is not that horrific, especially in light of the alternatives now available to make the system more rugged.

Monitoring a working system's timing with one of these $59 USB data loggers: DI-149 USB Data Acquisition Starter Kit will probably yield enough intelligience to figure out how to fool the system for those who are interested, if that floats your boat .

 

Fortunately I didn't get the full burst. I noticed the overhead console light switch was slimy. A quick inspection showed green fluid in the light assembly itself but nothing dripping, yet.

Heading out of town in the AM but a quick read of this thread indicated I should get things cleaned up ASAP. I'll get to the big fix next week.

I've opened the pump's petcock valve to relieve any residual pressure. I then pulled the console assembly out for cleaning. I've not been able to get the lens opened for a proper cleaning. It doesn't look like it is made to open up and I'm afraid to force anything. I've attached two photos to show where I am with the process but now I'm stuck.

Suggestions?????

 

Pull all the lights, switches and wire off then put it in the sink with warm water and Dawn and let it soak. I had the same problem.

 

1) First of all, has anyone noticed the second photo in my previous post (Feb 25) looks a bit like ET? - no answer needed on that one.

2) I'm back in town and have disassembled the top unit. After a week away, I see very little fluid remaining. Most of what I could see was a little bit of fluid on the shorter of the two hoses but not a lot and not at the connector but about an inch and a half away. There is some sticky residue around the latch assembly. The hoses themselves were replaced just over two years ago and I cannot see any deterioration on the hose itself and the interface from the hoses to the connectors look pristine. Before I order hoses, I recall in one of the very first posts on this thread a comment was made that sometimes the latch assembly itself leaks. Anyone have a good procedure to test the latch assembly for leaks???

3) Finally, I see on eBay a seller is advertising "better" hoses for $295 with OEM hoses advertised for around half that. I saw Gus was previously working up a better braided hose as well but I haven't found a link on his web-site. Comments from those with experience will be greatly appreciated!

Convertible Top Hydraulic Hose Assembly Jaguar XK8 XKR 1997 2006 HJB8256AB | eBay

Thanks in advance!
Scott

UPDATE: I found Gus' page on the upgraded hoses. Noticed the recommendation to use teflon tape at connectors. My installation did not have this tape. Wondering if my leak is at the connector itself and if the application of tape will solve my problem. Am considering a full clean up of the top assembly, reinstallation of the hoses, this time with tape. Then I'll cycle the top multiple times with the top plate removed and inspect for leaks. I'd really hate to tear the car apart and replace hoses if they are good!

Comments?

 

The hoses on E-Bay are from Top Hydraulics and you can find them on my page along with the braided hoses. As for the latch remove it and send it to Top Hyd for them to rebuild it. The one you may have seen could have been on my page. Teflon tape is used to eliminate leak that are at that union and should be considered.

 

Thanks Gus, I'll check eBay for Top Hydraulics depending on the results of the cycling test. Using lots of paper towels right now cleaning up the assembly. Fingers crossed that it's a leak at the union and that teflon tape solves the problem. Since I didn't get a full shower and there's evidence this happened over a period of time, I'm hopeful ...

 

Chances are it is the hose or the latch piston seal.

 

You have the experience Sir but please forgive me if I hope you're wrong.

Unit is reconnected with teflon tape and I've cycled it at least six times without evidence of leakage. It's getting darker now so I'll examine it more closely in the AM and perform more cycles. If it isn't fixed I'm hoping the specific problem reveals itself then. At least if it's the latch piston seal I don't have to disassemble half of the interior. OTOH I will have to wait longer for the unit to be rebuilt ...

 

I hope i am wrong!

 

You were not wrong. Fluid was leaking from the top latch piston. I've already removed it, boxed it up and it's on the way via USPS Priority Mail to Top Hydraulics, Inc. for their upgrade.

Now it's back to the car to button things up temporarily while I wait for the latch to be returned. Any idea what their turnaround is? They did not have one available to exchange.

Gus, thanks so much for what you do on this forum. Without the help of you and others like you I wouldn't be having half the fun I've had fixing, refining and modifying my XK8.

 

They are fast - got mine back in 48 hours, works great.

 

I'm a bit late but I thought I should let y'all know. Top Hydraulics came through in a jiffy. I was tracking the arrival of my leaking piston. It arrived at Top Hydraulics on a Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon a package was back on its way to me. I'm pretty sure the unit that arrived on Thursday was one they already had on the shelf but that's certainly OK with me.

By Thursday evening my XK8 was all buttoned up with no more leaks (for now).

Looking at Top Hydraulics' web-site I maybe should have gotten the back RAMs done as well. Sometimes I have a bit of a "lift" problem when raising the top. It might or might not stall and if it does, an assist with slight pressure will get the job done. However, budget and time helped me make the decision to put that on off until another day.

Thanks again to all (especially Gus) who provided guidance with this project.

Scott

 

Scott, my top was stalling a bit too, so I sprayed all the pivot points with Boeshield and it got much better. Maybe a little lube will help with yours.

 

Good idea Mike! I can certainly try that without much investment in time and money. I have some WD-40 I'll try first. Living in Tucson we don't have much of a rust problem.

 

So how did you finally fix your problem? I am having the same issue where the latch actually locks before the top gets there by a fraction of a second so the top does not lock and now will neither close or open. I disconnected the battery and touched the positive and negative to drain the solenoids - helped the first time but this time that did not solve the problem and the top is frozen. The top worked fine for a month after I replaced the hydraulic lines with the colliflower kit.

Any suggestions are welcome!

 

That's probably a stuck latch 'ready to lock' microswitch (item 6 page 6 in the attached)
This is in series with the lift ram 'top raised' microswitch. Both need to be closed before the latch will move to the closed position.
If you download JTIS you'll get the wire colour codes and BPM pinouts to test this, or simply pull off all the trim to get to the latch switches.
You MIGHT get away with the following
Open the pump petcock
Use the Allen Key to open the latch
The top should pop into closed position
Use the Allen key to close the latch
Close the petcock
Then use the switch to open the top.
Lubricate the lock mechanism, open the petcock and cycle the latch many times with the Allen key
Close the petcock and pray while closing the top.

 

Hi kvmentor.

Take a look at this thread.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...esolved-90209/

 

Was the roof operating properly after you replaced the hoses?

 

Yes, it did Gus - for a month or so. During that period though, the two rams seem to get slower and slower and it finally seemed they were struggling to lift. I have the new hoses as well as the pressure relief valve - does that imply there is not enough pressure? I was thinking of unhooking the pressure relief valve to see if that would help with the rams. Of course the micro switch problem may be an additional issue.

 

Slow moving top may be the relief valve settling in.
You can adjust it (if it's like mine) by slackening off the locknut on the allen set screw and screwing it in. Not much at a time and count flats on the key so you can put it back again.
This isn't the cause of this problem though.