I was enjoying a beautiful day of sunshine and wind with the top down.
I got home to put it up and suddenly it didn't work.
The rain was coming in so after reading the manual we figured out how to raise her manually and lock her down but the rear quarter windows wouldn't go up.
I called the dealer service dept and he said just turn the petcock the other direction and it should reengage (we had also just replaced the alternator).
I tried putting the top back down after that and it wouldn't go. We had to readjust the petcock again to get it to relock.
The rear windows still won't go up.
I'm so sad; she's just sitting in the driveway under a cover to keep the recent rains out of her.
It's beautiful outside and I really want to get her functioning again.
We noticed the hydraulic fluid leaked out only when the petcock was manipulated. Is it as simple as just adding more fluid or is there more to it?
Please help! I miss her!

 

Where did the hyd fluid leak out? How much fluid is in your pump tank? Sounds like you didn't lock the top after you closed it manually. The rear windows will not go up unless the top is locked.

 

Sorry to hear that you were hit by the green monster. It is unfortunate but you are not alone. First let’s see if we can get the windows up. Your operating system for the roof is a series of switches, control modules and hydraulics when one gets out of sync the system will fail to operate properly. You say you have a leak, let me guess the fluid is coming from above the interior lights or on the left “A” piller. This leak will prevent the system from operating. You opened the petcock to close the roof and you used the allen wrench to lock it closed and now the windows will not go up. This is because the two hyd rams that push the roof up are not locked into position. You will need to verify that the roof is locked with the allen wrench then close the petcock at the pump and check that you have fluid in the tank (look to the end of the tank to find level indicators) and fill if necessary to restore the fluid level. When that is done push the closed button. This will supply hyd pressure to the rams to lock and once they are locked the windows will go up. Just a note the hyd fluid is disabled to the header latch once it is manually closed so no worry about additional leaking to close the windows. Do this and then we can talk about a fix for the problem.

 

Will do that a bit later today. just a note, though, no fluid leaked out of the light or pillar areas, only at the pump itself in the trunk. The resevoir is now empty so I'll get more fluid. Neither Advance Auto Parts nor even the jaguar dealer know what hydraulic fluid I need to get. Do you? I'll check everything else you mentioned and get back to you.

 

Before operating anything you need to find out where the fluid went. Advance Auto Parts $24.00 Jaguar $45.00 to $75.00 Advance Auto Parts is not a problem! This should help http://www.gusglikas.com/AutoRepairHydFluid.htm

 

I was looking over my 2005 Jaguar XK sales brochure recently and found this description of the convertible top:I just had to chuckle at that one.

Doug

 

You should be sitting here with me reading what you just posted.

 

I wonder given the current state of hostility between Ford and the current US government administration and the current US administration and Great Britain if some kind of recall could be induced? You know, getting squirted in the eye with hydraulic fluid could be considered a safety issue.

 

In my brief experience with two dealers and Jaguar USA (New Jersey) regarding this issue (at the time my leak occurred the car was under Select Edition warranty), I got the impression that there was some "unofficial" policy as to how this issue was addressed. In my case, the hose replacement was done without expense to me but I have seen posts of others here who had to pay.

Considering how common this problem is, how costly it is to address, and the collateral damage that can occur due to sprayed hydraulic fluid, it is amazing to me that there was never some class action lawsuit or some filing with the NHTSA for the hose problem that would generate some blanket recall action.

Doug

 

Well think about the Nikasil issue and how it was resolved. Not our Problem!

 

Well is it back to normal?

 

Yeah but Nikasil was more of a generic industry problem (other manufacturers had this issue as well) and, more importantly, it was really strictly a pocketbook issue (expense by the owner to address). The hydraulic hose issue is very specific to XK8/XKR and failure of the hose at an inopportune could certainly be a safety issue (e.g., driver being distracted by dripping fluid and getting into an accident, or the fluid itself being a skin irritant, etc.) I am sure that some clever attorney or auto safety advocate could have made a big deal out of this.

Doug

 

Doug
We route a polyethylene sign board, The manufacturer has a lifetime guarantee on the material. Their reps told us that the lifetime guarantee was 7 years. I guess they consider that a lifetime. So a longlife cycle in their eyes might be 12 months.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

I was able to buy fluid at NAPA for about $23. I think it was CHF11. Gus, I tried your method to raise the windows last summer when my hoses leaked. I could not get it to work even though my roof was latched and the rams were locked. I ended up with more fluid coming out of the header.

 

If the latch is closed at the header it should not leak, now this is based on the switches in the header working properly and that the plugs on the pump match the color code on the pump solenoids.