KiawahJoe , Today 06:56 AM
Junior Member
Hi, I’m glad to be back on the Jaguar family after 35 years. My first Jag was a primrose yellow E type convertible that I purchased in 1982 and used as a daily driver. It proved to be a reasonably reliable car with only major expense being a complete stainless exhaust system. Between 1970 and 2000 I had several other British cars including 2 MG’s and my fathers XJ.
I’ve had my eyes on XK8’s for some time and finally bought one at BaT auction a few weeks ago. 2006 Pacific Blue/ Ivory convertible with 18,000 miles and one owner. The car is like new! I recently took it to the mechanic that serviced my XKE way back when and had a thorough inspection which turned up 2 things. Front tires, although barely worn, were original and leak in hydraulic fluid above console at top latch. I am aware of gamed green shower and will eventually get it repaired but what can I do in the meantime to mitigate any damage to beautiful interior? Funny thing is they had a video of top operating on website. Everything else checked out. Mechanic put it up on the rack and said it was the cleanest example he’s ever seen. Should I keep pump in trunk open or closed? Can I operate top manually occasionally? I’m not advanced enough to replace hoses myself. Help!!

 

The owners manual describes manual operation. If you don't have one you can download it from this site. Replacement of the hoses is not technically overwhelming, but not easy if you are not equipped with the necessary tools. Look for a PM.

 

Joe, follow this link for info on manual operation.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ration-269473/

 

If your Jag is like new you will not like what happens when anyone attempts to replace those hoses. I would consider the pressure relief valve. I made a video of installation, it is a much simpler job and does not involve tearing out pristine internal finishes..

 

TERRIFIC DIY video. Where can we get this kit?

 

Thank you RJ237!

 

Thanks Norri, very helpful. I'm starting to get it.

 

Thanks Jagophile. Sounds like a reasonable option. Problem is I already have some leakage at the latch. It may be too late for me. Im hoping that the issue is just a leaking piston. In the meantime should I turn off the pressure at the pump to prevent damage to the interior? I guess I shouldn't lower the top until problem is fixed.

 

You should contact Gus.

JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

gusglikas@jagrepair.com

 

When we bought our 2002 XKR, the green shower had already occurred. The seller had cleaned everything and then removed the latch hoses from the pump and capped the fittings off. The way the top was operated was to use the allen wrench to open the latch, then press the top button to operate the top. We used it that way for about 3 years before I replaced all the hydraulic hoses. I think he got the caps from ebay. This may be an option to explore if you don't want to remove most of the interior to replace the lines.

 

Thanks Norri, I mention Gus in the video but it is too quick and people miss it. The entire page is worth a read. JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource



This page has been set up to provide information and guidance for individuals who would like to purchase the Hydraulic Upgrade Kit for XK8/XKR vehicles Model Years 1996-2006. If you have questions about compatibility, compare your pump the one pictured below. Please note that this kit is designed to allow the roof system to operate fully without risking damage to the pump motor. Do not confuse this with cheap fixes that starve the motor by inserting resistors in the motor circuit. This causes the motor to run excessively slow, does not eliminate the dead head problem, and will ultimately damage the motor. The kit sold here allows the motor to run at its full design speed and only acts to reduce pressure at the critical point after the work has been done. The problem with the original system is caused by the pump being held on after all motion has stopped, resulting in dead head high pressure spikes and extreme stress on all the components. This kit eliminates those factors and as a result will increase the reliability of all components including the latch hoses and lift cylinders.

 

Converting to manual latch operation requires capping the ports on the pump that normally connect to the latch hoses. The caps are available from Malone Specialty ... Malone Speciality Inc. (malonespecialtyinc.com)
They know what components you need, so you can simply order part # Jaguar Kit. $25.00 includes shipping.

 

As posted earlier:

I want to highly recommend Marvin Johnson with Jaguar Top Repair. Last January I had him come out to my garage and replace all of my hydraulic hoses and rams for my XK8 convertible roof. They had not started to leak yet but were definitely showing signs (white matter flaking off all hoses in truck/pump area). He performed that repair in one day while the car stayed in my own garage (he comes to you). The only thing he did not replace was the top latch as he thought it was ok and said he could save me some expense by doing so.

Well, the latch started leaking early this week on a drive. Just a few drops on the rear-view mirror. I got home and called Marvin. He said he could be there today and showed up exactly on time as we agreed to. Within an hour he had the top portion of the windshield removed and the latch replaced, and everything works great. I asked what I owed, and he said that was covered under warranty. We did the who pays the check dance and he refused. He is very much a man of his word and does great work while you stay comfortably in your own house.
Marvin Johnson
mjohn2001@yahoo.com
888-317-9340

 

if you want to DIY, I'm in Summerville and we could knock it out - or there are a couple good shops in the area if you'd rather have someone else do the work

 

Excellent video on installing the pressure limiting valve that Gus and Walt came up with. When I bought my 2005 XKR back in 2008, after using the top a few times I suddenly noticed aa drop or two of green stuff on my shift console. Luckily before buying the Jaguar I found this forum to find out all of the quirks that could happen and one or more forum members at the time alerted me to the "green shower". Luckily there was still a Jaguar warranty on the vehicle and the dealer replaced all of the hoses at no cost. The very next thing I did was get the pressure limiting valve and install that (the instructions provided were great and the process is shown in that video, above). Took me maybe 1/2 hour since I work dreadfully slow.

Afterwards I happily used the top again until one day not much later I hit the switch and nothing happened. Check the fuse for the pump and it had blown so replaced it and that one blew as well. Brought it back to the dealer who determined the pump motor failed (I think there are posts somewhere about this and it is really just a capacitor or something). Once again this was covered under warranty and no cost to me.

HOWEVER the downside of both of these convertible top incidents for me was that I became freaked out about lowering the top in anticipation that something else would go wrong. I have to get over that already.

Doug