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...screams. I had pulled Reggie out of the garage in order to photograph the back seat area for resolving the mat situation mentioned in another thread, and wanted to put the top down for an aerial shot. And it sounded like a cat being tortured (how fitting!), and was not immediately responsive. It did move about half an inch eventually but I stopped it there and put it back down for fear that if I persisted it would die halfway and I'd never get it back in the garage. Is it correct to suppose that there's probably a motor dedicated to just operating the top, which is dying on me? If so, what am I in for?
Jenise, it's in the trunk, right side above the CD changer.
Do a UTube search on replacing the convertible top pump on a XK8. Hope it's just low on fluid but the problem most likely is in the hoses that control the pressure to the top or the Ram's that lift the top are leaking. Just do a search at the top of the page and you will find it's not a job for the faint of heart.
...screams. I had pulled Reggie out of the garage in order to photograph the back seat area for resolving the mat situation mentioned in another thread, and wanted to put the top down for an aerial shot. And it sounded like a cat being tortured (how fitting!), and was not immediately responsive. It did move about half an inch eventually but I stopped it there and put it back down for fear that if I persisted it would die halfway and I'd never get it back in the garage. Is it correct to suppose that there's probably a motor dedicated to just operating the top, which is dying on me? If so, what am I in for?
It's a hydrolic system and there are procedures for manually operating it you can find easily on a search. I personally would have someone who knows these systems take a look. You probably dont want a green shower added to your list but if the tubing brakes...Leave it down and secured untill they can tell you whats wrong.
Oh, I wasn't planning on trying this myself, hence my question about what to brace myself for when my mechanic (who thankfully loves Jags) gets in there. We did get the hydraulic shower shortly after purchasing the car when it was only two years old (when thank god it was still under warranty). We definitely don't want to go thru that again!
Jenise, if you had the car serviced by Jaguar in the early part of it's life, most likely they installed a kit consisting of a repair hose that was installed in the A pillar. It replaced the connections at the top lock.
That part may be just fine but everything up to the new connections is mostly falling apart externally. Look in the trunk and pull the cover off the right side were the CD changer is and that will expose the motor and fluid container. Have a look at the container, it has a mark on it for the correct level, that's first, then start looking for small black bits of the outer hose to be laying around the area. Fluid would of course be a big indicator of a big problem,. You can also look at the floor in the garage to see if any fluid is there coming from the back of either door. This would be the rams leaking or the hose connection going into them.
Replacing the hoses is not complicated, just takes a while to remove all that's in the way, plus have the rams rebuilt at the same time.
Hoses and rams can run around $600 or $700 and then the labor on the replacing them.
Lots of quotes range from $1500 to $2500 for the completed job.
Hope you can find it within your range to fix it.
That estimate of up to $2500 is about what I thought I'd hear. And there's probably no way around it. I *DO* have the best mechanic in the world though, a super honest guy who loves Jags. For instance, we just had a problem with the ABS system. A dealership would have installed a brand new part for three grand or so, but Mark found a re-manufactured part for $500 and we were good as new for under a grand. If there's a work-around like that for this issue, he'll find it, and I've already booked an appointment. Back to your advice, there's no goo leaking from the doors, we'll check the rest.
Hey, speaking of old Jags, I was tooling around the neighborhood the other day and passed one in a driveway, flat tire. Stopped to talk to the owner who has purchased another brand convertible because he has no hope of fixing his--a '97 XK8, he's had nothing but problems. (Not surprising for a '97, apparently.) He said he's going to sell it for parts. I don't know to who for that and I suspect he doesn't even have anything lined up, but if anyone knows--what's the market for that? The body looks great, btw. (Tan or champagne metallic, not sure what the right name for that color is).
Jenise, I wish you all the best with your top. I have a '01 XK8 that was my grandfathers, my dad and I took it to the dealership and they wanted $2500 to fix the top but they didn't know what was wrong with it. We weren't sure how often we were going to drive the car so we couldn't justify the expense. I now drive the car mostly in the summer and let the top down manually. It only takes a minute or two to change the position, the only problem is the dealership disconnected the rear windows so they stay up. I would just like you to keep in mind that there is a manual operation that isn't too hard to do.
Tell him to advertise it as a LS1 candidate.
How do you sale a car for parts, other than body bits if you gave up on everything that makes it go. I'll bet the tires, even if they look good are out of date and if the original Revolution wheels, not much market for that.
Then selling the parts requires packing and shipping to who knows where. I must admit, lots of XK8's in Florida and he might be in a better position to get a good price.
Still, Shame.
Glad you have a honest man working for you and surely he will be swamped if you give his name out, better check with him before you do that. We have a group in NC that is about as good as it gets and they are 4 to 6 months waiting to get in the door.
Searching for parts is a art in itself and takes time getting the right part, hold on to him and just nod your head when he gives you a price.
Oh we know how lucky we are. And Reggie's booked in to see him on the 28th about this top problem--I can't imagine waiting 4-6 months.
My mechanic's specialty, besides Jags, is German cars. He has, like, 13 Westfalias and god knows what else. But he loves everything on wheels. He bought a Tesla just to figure what makes it go. Last year we took our Sprinter Van (a Pleasureway conversion luxury camper) to him because we couldn't get to the bottom of constant Check Engine Lights. He had it for nine days and never could get to the bottom of the issue. I can't imagine the hours they poured into it. So what did he charge me? $80. (Mercedes has since admitted to a parts problem, which is now fixed under warranty even though it's technically out of warranty.) I show up with bottles of wine for the crew now and then, I'm so appreciative.
I probably wouldn't own a Jag here if I didn't have him. The nearest dealership is 120 miles away, and I'm mistrustful of dealerships. We bought him from a dealership in Santa Ana, California. He spent 6 of the first 12 months we owned him in their shop. All warranty work and, we're convinced, deliberate sabotage by them. It was in an economic downturn and they weren't selling cars. As soon as we moved to Washington, like magic the problems stopped.
Yes re selling a car for parts. I'm shocked that he hasn't looked into it further himself. He's not doing it favors by letting it sit there (outdoors, marine environment, wet). I'm guessing he doesn't even have the spare cash around to do any fixing, and it's now just too much.
That is such great news! For future repairs on hydraulic tops, we use https://www.tophydraulics.com/36-jaguar for the hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic hoses. Jaguar originally charged way more than this company and they have been great for us! Just some extra information for those in need of repairing these tops!
Hi mates, I accidentally tried to close the roof with the cover on, the result is a broken part... I believe it's a kind of cast. Now it's welded but I don't use it, afraid of breaking again. The part number is HJA8407 if I'm right, not easy to read out. (see pic) Do you have any idea where to get one? I dug every corner of the net but nothing.
Cheers
George from Budapest/Hungary
That is great news. Nevertheless, you should try to determine why the fluid was low, and if it's leaking, where the leak is. You don't need a future problem with the top. Best of luck!
As 'Stamford' says, if the fluid is low, it is going somewhere. I have the same problem on my '06 and plan to have it checked next week when I can get some downtime on it. These things do not heal themselves, as good as they are.
Hello! My best advice would be to call Brian at Coventry West. They are our go to for salvage Jaguar parts. We also may be getting in a 1996 or97 Jaguar XK8 from a customer for parts. https://www.coventrywest.com/ Here is the website for Coventry West. They just might have the part you need! Best of luck!
And now the convertible roof...
