I have had the fluid leak by the rear of the right door for some time, but the top worked fine the last time I put it up. Right now it stays down with the car covered. I have had a bit of battery drain and chasing the black box that holds the hungry little parisite has lead to some other discoveries. The cables to the top latch are much smaller than the ram hoses. They look new with black ends attached to the pump of the side that can be seen. Someone must have had the green shower in the past because looking at some of the pictures of Gus and others, they are not like the ones on the rear of the pump. So my job in the near future will be to get the ram hoses and see what my friend can do with the rams, if nothing I can send them off.
I do wish it was warmer, my hands don't work as good as even 10 years ago. A heating system in the garage may be a bigger priority than a lift.
Just a quick question, after a green shower, do most people just change out the latch hoses?? Surely the ram hoses are short and only require a little more effort, or do they require so much more stuff to be disasembled??
It's always interesting what a PO will or has done.
Wayne

 

If by cables you mean hoses(top latch) then my guess would be they were replaced with something like those from Top Hydraulics rather than Jaguar parts. The T.H. hoses are Kevlar reinforced and a smaller outside diameter than the original hoses although I understand that the I.D. is the same. I used them when I replaced mine because they are a higher burst pressure than the originals - time will tell. Whilst all the trim is out to do the top hoses you are right in thinking that the ram hoses are exposed and it's easy to change them at that point - the cost to do so is another $400 in parts(the 4 ram hoses) so that can, understandably, be a factor for some. Also, if you've replaced the top hoses and then the rams hoses fail it's not too much work to pull the rear seats and trim to gain access. The latch hoses are exposed to more heat in the header rail and that, plus the unlatch pressure, means they fail more than the ram hoses from what I read on here.Personally my thinking is that if one fails the others are probably on their last legs so do 'em all and have piece of mind.

 

batroute, Thanks, that clears up my question. Another $400 is a reason for just fixing the existing problem. I need to figure on $700 just on rams and hoses. Now that was a shock. LOL Hope the latch was rebuilt along with the hoses, as it was T H surely it was recommended.


Wayne

 

If you are doing the work yourself, you would likely replace all the hoses. If the previous owner went to a mechanic, he probably gave a price that the owner balked at ("can't you fix it for less?") and so they ended up doing only the front hoses.


I speak from stupid experience.

 

B6283, I would do the work, when it gets to the point I can't do it, I will either give up the car or go to the house banker and promise to plant all her flowers next spring.


Wayne

 

A little history on the hoses

Link JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

Pressure and heat are big factors in the failure of the hoses and It appears that the roof latch hoses fail earlier than ram hoses but not all leaks are from hoses. Check your rams for leakage as well.

A little information on the hydraulic system pressure

Link JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

 

Some further info, taking into account pressure rate-of-change per ISO hose testing standards.

IMO, nothing wrong with leaving ram hoses in place -- if there is no sign of deterioration -- when replacing latch hoses. From reports here, failure rates much lower for the rams, perhaps by a factor of 10.

 

Gus and Dennis, You guys are the expects and I can see the ram hoses holding up for a much longer period and they are out of the heat and with your testing, a lot lower pressure is being excreted on the fittings and hoses. When I get it all apart I will send out a few pictures of the connections, as that seems to be the weak area.
Thanks for the direction, it may be a week or two before I get to it, with the holidays and getting the wife around to all the doctors. She is looking forward to getting better, as she started with shots in the knees today and we will see if that helps and were to go on the back. I may have asked to much of her over the years, been my right hand when working on the cars.


Wayne

 

Do not be confused the trunk does contain heat. The sun beating down on the fender and the hoses are only inches from the fenders can and over time create the same issue as the roof hoses. It is best to check your hoses and rams frequently.

 

Wayne,

Keep in mind that I want to join in the fun of your XK8 top hose replacement when the time comes. But making the trip to Spencer during the holidays will be a challenge, especially given the downstairs HVAC system failure I am dealing with now. Keep me posted and I'll be there if the situation permits....

Please give Christine my best wishes for a speedy recovery....

 

When you guys get together, good posts follow. So I hope this will work out.

Wayne, best wishes from here too for your wife's recovery.

 

None of it is difficult just time consuming to work around all the other stuff that is in the way. I have mine to do and plan to get the rams done at the same time. When you install the new hoses make sure you install the new ones in the same order, this system is a push/push system and reversing a hose is a problem. The attached link should help.

Link JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

 

Jon, will be glad to have your help. The bad part is the rams may need to be sent off, but my buddy Lee said he would have a look and that would sure simplify the operation. It should be well into January before we take this on. If we hear from Dave on his tensioners, that is a one day job we can relax and enjoy some fellowship.


We have lots to look forward too and you need to get some heat in the downstairs.


Wayne