I was closing the hood yesterday and it got half way and stopped.
It looked like it was hitting the passenger window so I lowered the window and the hood continued to close but stopped just before latching.
Having eventually found the pump I depressurized the system but the hood still doesn't want to move.
It is firmly stuck and I managed to drive it home slowly without a problem.
Any help would be appreciated - its very sunny here in Somerset today and I would have used it this afternoon!
Thank for your help

 

Hi.

In your drivers manual there is a chapter on how to move the top manually. In addition to depressurize the system, you may have to unlatch the rear part of the frame. Just be sure to follw the instructions to the letter.
If you manage to close the top, you can also latch it manually.
Now, if you get to move the top manually, move it up and down a couple of times befor putting pressure back on. This may help if the automatics have gotten out of sequence.

 

Windows will automatically drop an inch or so to accommodate the top. If you're intervening to do this yourself, there's another problem afoot.

When you repressurized, did the motor or rams sound normal? Groaning at all...slow? That closing requires the most pressure from the system, and if its not leaking at the latch, the rams themselves do blow seals. Check the fluid level to be sure you've not lost any.

 

Thanks for your help
When I press the hood button there is no response.I have looked in the drivers handbook and carried out what it says, and when I depressurise the system I cannot move the hood at all.How do I test the 40amp fuses or could it be a relay

 

You say 'no response' - does that mean you can't hear the pump running?

 

Yes no sounds at all but there is a slight click which seems to come from the passenger window area

 

Hi.

Points to check:

- Hydraulic shutoff valve in correct position
- Hydraulic fluid level
- Fuses
- Relays properly seated
- Correct window movement

And as always- Proper battery charge

 

You should also check the fluid colour, the older stuff is yellow and can gel with age, the new type is green. The correct fluid is Pentosin CHF 11S.

 

If there's a click but no whirr you've obviously got an electrical problem - fuse or relay.
The location of all the relays and fuses is in the driver's handbook (you can download it from the HOW-TO's here if you haven't got one).
It's best to have your own source of this data in case the car bites you on the bum in the middle of nowhere.
You can swap relays to test. If the fuse is blown I'd be worried. Don't just replace it and hope - post back here.

 

Hi
Thanks everyone for your help
Ive tried the things suggested and summarize below
The fluid level is slightly low I don't know if its leaked as I hadn't checked it before but I haven't seen any leaks.Its green.
The fuse is OK and I swapped the relays around and it still didn't work.
When I press the hood button there is a click from around the passenger drop down window. The door windows work properly as they drop slightly when the door is opened and return when its closed.The battery is fully charged and is kept on trickle charge although I don't know how old it is.Ive had the car 4 years.
The hood is securely stuck and when I depressurize it I cannot move it forward at all to latch it.
John

 

Hi.

Are you sure you have depressurised the system correct by turning the valve fully anti clockwise? Then you should be able to manually open the closing latch by the allen key. Then you should be able to close the top manually.
The door windows should be slightly open doing this, and the aft quarter windows should be fully down. If the aft quarter windows are up and they do not lower when pushing the top down button momentarily, you might have to "jump wire" the respective relay sockets to get them down. Please advise if you don't know which relays I am talking about.

 

What I think must have happened (but why I don't know) is the latch has closed before the hood engaged in it.
The hood hit the closed latch and the rams have gone over-centre so the hood is mechanically, not hydraulically, locked.
The latch closed + signal from the ram makes the BPM think the hood is fully up which is why the pump isn't running.
I'd guess the BPM is now confused and doesn't know what to do.
You can lower the top manually but you have to know where to push. The system is like an old fashioned pram hood.
What I'd do is try to lower manually.
I'd then (pump petcock still open) put the Allen key in the latch unlock hole and check the latch moves OK (oil at the same time)
Close the petcock.
Then do a hard reset and see what happens.

 

And to add to the good advice above, top up your fluid with Pentosin CHF-11S. The system may malfunction due to the fluid being even a little low.

 

Steve - his pump doesn't run. He's checked fuse + relay so either the pump is bust or the BPM has spat out its dummy.
Any ideas ?
John - if you've got a digital meter it would be worth measuring the pump motor resistance at the pump to check it hasn't burnt out.

 

Oops, I should have read further back.

He could also unplug the 2-wire connector at the pump and try briefly applying 12v battery directly to it for a quick confirmation as to whether it is the culprit.

 

Have now determined that
The pump works having connected a 12v battery to it
I connected a multimeter to the connector that goes into the pump and tried the hood switch and there was no voltage - does this suggest that the switch is u/s and if so how do I get it out (tried to download the JTIS but it wouldn't work)
Thanks Steve for the diagram of the manual thrust - I'm not the biggest of men but I couldn't push/pull the linkages. The near vertical strut in the diagram is pinned through the horizontal linkage (just below the arrow) with a retaining clip. If I removed the clip and disconnected the vertical link would this have any dire consequences/
Thanks again everyone

 

I can't push hard enough to get the bugga over centre either.
I think your actual switch is OK since you said the windows move when you operate it.
My guess is the BPM's confused. It gets out of sync and panics.
Unfortunately that may require retracting the lift ram so the end-of-travel microswitch opens.
The good news is your pump isn't toast.

Can you confirm the hood is banged up against the top of the windscreen?
If so, try taking out the blanking plug in the windscreen header, undo the petcock on the pump and use the Allen key clipped to the pump to turn the catch clockwise.
If there's a big clunk and the hood goes home turn the Allen key anti-clockwise, close the petcock and try an open.
I don't know enough to say if you can pull out that pin. It may be OK.

JTIS will download - what OS are you on ?

 

It's really good that the pump is alive, as these are crazy expensive. (Just to be sure, check that the pump will run in both directions by reversing the battery polarity.)

Once you get the top unstuck ...

You hear some sort of click when you depress the "roof" switch on the console, yes? If so, that switch is probably OK. We're then into the collection of modules and switches and relays that end up sending voltage
to the pump. You'll need the relevant doc's to trouble-shoot this stuff. I think these are pretty well identified in the "How to" sticky thread.

Good luck.

 

The front of the hood is about 10mm from the latch and I cant pull it forward to get it to the latch.
I think that the lift ram pin will have to come out to relieve the pressure.Will let you know how I get on

 

Forgot to say - the windows don't go down slightly when I use the hood switch only when I open the doors.
I use XP