Hello all,

So I've recently had the immensely pleasurable experience of seeing a green liquid starting to drip down from the metal mesh piece adjacent to the rearview mirror in my 2001 Jaguar XKR convertible.

After a quick look across the forum it's clear that this is a common issue. It appears that it's hydraulic oil leaking due to a faulty hydraulic convertible hose (or hoses). I haven't experienced what is referred to as the Green shower, but rather just a slow drip.

Now I've seen that there are some very impressive DIY guides put together by some incredibly able and kind people. That said, I unfortunately don't have the skill or time (in that order) to attempt this myself.

As such, I'm going to take the help of a mechanic. Before doing this I would just like to just clue up on a few things:

1. When speaking to the certified dealer where I bought the car, the mechanic told me this is 100% due to a leaking hose which will need to be replaced. Can someone confirm that this is the only possible reason + solution to the leaking oil, or could there be other possible reasons?

2. He also said that replacing one hose is as much work as replacing all of them, so if we do one we might as well do all at the same time. Do we know that to be true?

3. I'm currently on road with the car and wouldn't be back in Sweden at the dealers place for another 2 months. Ideally would this be fixed before. Can someone speak to the level of difficulty involved here? I have a good mechanic in France that I've trusted to do other bits for me before and always been happy with the results. But he is not specialised or certified in Jaguar repairs, do we think this is 'needed' for this repair?

4. Lastly, if I indeed need to do the full replacement of all cables, can someone point me in a direction of a good place to purchase this.

Thank you kindly in advance for your help.

(I'm new to the forum so if I've messed anything up or missed an answer to my specific questions I'm welcoming any corrections needed

Best,
Erik

 

1. If you're asking if there is another potential source for dripping green hydraulic fluid, the answer is no. The convertible top hydraulic system uses it, and no other system in the car. If you're getting green fluid from the windshield header, it's the convertible hoses.

2. He's right. There is a certain number of hours involved in tearing apart all the panels, etc., in order to gain access to the hoses and replace them. The costs of doing additional hoses at the same time is slightly incremental. If you pay for one hose at a time, you'll be paying for full labor each time. That's going to add up in a hurry. If one hose is leaking, odds are the others aren't far behind. Do them all at once, save some money and save some future ulcers.

3. I can't speak about your French mechanic. I tend to go to specialists for convertible top work. Upholstery shops, usually. But if your French guy is intimately familiar with convertible top mechanisms, then by all means let him have a go.

4. Somebody else will have to speak to this one.

 

I have changed mine myself, so no this is not difficult. But it is time consuming. Rear seat, rear side panels, sill plate, driver seat, a-pillar trim, under dash trim, sun visors and trim all has to came out to gain access.
I bought mine at tophydraulics.com but they are expensive. I have seen a cheaper option from UK.
https://tophydraulics.com/jaguar/133...nes-hoses.html

 

I just bought a 1998 XK8 convertible that had the top latch hydraulic hoses replaced (documented receipts included with paperwork) and it dripped fluid when I operated the top.

I removed the trim and header rail to discover the hydraulic latch 'cylinder' itself leaking.(the hoses looked new)

I have a few spare cylinder blocks on my parts shelves so I just swapped in a new one.
The cylinder block can leak so check that also.
I sent a few cylinder blocks to TOP HYDRAULICS for repair so I don't have to wait for one if they are faulty/leaking when I replace the hoses for me or a customer.

So far I have replaced 3 of them in a decade. Not too common but it IS a possibility.

 

Welcome to the XK8 life. My hydraulics failed within a week of me buying mine. I did a complete replacement of hoses, rams and latch. Fix it all once was my motto.