I have a 1999 XK8 convertible.
What happened is last night i drove home with the top down. In my driveway I pushed the button to put the top up, The top went up almost to the latching point and stopped. It would not respond to anything, won't go down, won't go up. The dash shows "convertible top not latched". So, I got the allen wrench and manually latched the top. The top IS latched, however the dash still says "not latched", and it does not run the back windows up. So, searching the forums, I found the procedure to release the latch, open the valve on the pump, and lower the top. I can't get it to move, at all.I saw to push down on the top of the rams, I can't get them to move at all. I checked to make sure the pump was full, it is right at the line. I checked all the fuses, they all show okay. So, at the moment, I am able to manually latch the top, but I still can't get the back windows to roll up. I tried disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes, and also cleaned the terminals, , no change. The battery is good, and I have done all attempts with electrical movement with the engine running. Prior to this incident, there have been absolutely no issues with the top.

Anybody have any ideas? I am new to Jaguars, but am pretty competent with mechanics and electrical, if I know where to look.

Thanks!

 

Bugga,

Welcome to the Forums.

I suggest a re-ask in the XK8 (X100) Tech Section.

They will know specifically for your model.

When the beast is sorted, please do an Intro in the New Members Area.

Good luck.

 

Welcome to the forum - I've moved your post from the General tech section to the model specific section where your question will be better seen/responded to. You can find the electrical guides via the link below - I would check relays/fuses

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ts-data-29800/

As this is your first post, please stop by the New Member section and post an intro - in return, you will receive a warm welcome and useful tips to navigate the forum

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/n...-intro-must-5/

 

Moose,

Did your fuse checks include the 40 amp fuse protecting the hydraulic pump?

Does the pump run when you try to operate the top?

 

First thing first- check 40A fuse in trunk fuse box.

Second, jump the rear window up relay to get them up. Easy job- check out this Youtube video.


Then take it from there. Let us know how you get on.

 

Well, , ,no joy!
I checked the 40A fuse, it is good, and powered. I went ahead and checked ALL the fuses in the trunk, all are good.
I tried the jumper trick in the video to put the windows up, that didn't do anything, tried all four relays. I did verify there was power to the relay plug.
I do NOT hear the pump running.

Is there somewhere that would cut all power, AFTER the fuses and relays? I checked the main ground cable coming from the battery, as well as the grounds adjacent to the battery compartment. Is there possibly a ground somewhere else?

Unfortunately, because I can't make the roof move, even with the valve open and the release manually unlatched, I can't to the top-cycle sequence.

Thanks for your quick response!

 

Check the relays in the boot/trunk. What is odd is that both windows do not move. One relay one window. Personally id suspect the actual switch. If it where mine I would remove the switch and short the two wires together. Easy enough job. Hope this helps in some way.

There are other relays too. Just Google them.

 

Thanks for the response, but wouldn't bypassing the relays completely take the switch out of the loop?

How sensitive is it to the fluid level. I took another look, and it is slightly low, , ,between the top line and the next line down. But reading another thread where it acted similarly and the explanation was that the ram had to fully extend to trip the relay what would raise the windows, , ,that would make sense. Although I still can't figure out why can cant get the top down manually with the valve open. . .maybe one of the relays that controls the fluid direction from the pump is stuck?

Thanks

 

Moosejr,

Maybe I'm missing something, but from what you said, you're struggling with moving the convertible top manually. You seem to be quite capable so maybe I'm telling you to "suck eggs" so from the beginning here's the instructions from the book.


The pump valve must be fully closed (anti clockwise) - 3 1/2 turns if memory serves me right.

The key item you seem to be struggling with is items 4 and 5.

These hinges are delicate so don't bend them laterally. The RHS hydraulic ram has sensors that let the BPM know the position of the convertible hood (up and down). The rear windows will only move if the sensors are tripped.

For completeness here's the trunk fuse box for a Gen1, so you know which relay does what.

Good luck. I've been in your position, and it's all doable. Worst case scenario, is that the wiring/sensors on the RHS ram has gone bad, but that's rare.

 

Thanks for the response. I have those diagrams, the issue I have is I can't that linkage to move, at all, ,,,,is there some sort of trick to get leverage on them, , ,do I push DOWN,, do I pull or push forward or back?

I topped up the hydraulic fluid, , that didn't make a difference.

I did discover that when I push the switch up or down, I can hear the relays trip,,but no sound from the pump.

I think the trick here is getting the linkage un-stuck so I can cycle the top.

 

Mousejr,

A "significant" amount of force is needed to pull down on the hinged linkages and I had my young helper gently rock the hood backwards at the front by the latch as I pulled down by hand while sat half in/out of the door. The pump must be in manual mode (item 2 in the instructions above).

Good luck and don't bend the hinges laterally. A bit of lube might help but don't stain the head liner material.