As if this car couldn't get any weirder.

The OP spent $5K on a new roof before his trans spit the dummy and he parked it. As far as I can tell, the hoses were also all replaced, The upholsterer's invoice doesn't really say what was done in any detail. The upper console interior light thing had been ruined by what I learned later was the green shower and never replaced.

Anyway, the roof has been working fine since I bought the car, with the exception of when the RR regulator failed. I had been chasing this O2 sensor problem since well before April, and hadn't used the car much or the roof at all. Earlier in August, when my friend came to town for some Dodgers games, we took the Jag. After the game I lowered the top. The next night at the game I wanted to turn on a map light and I looked at the button above and the driver side was swollen and pooched out far more than the passenger side. Shining a light up into the lenses revealed a puddle of liquid in the LH side light. Arrrrrrgh. Based on the rubber button swelling, it probably leaked that first night. A couple days later I pulled off the assembly and sure enough it looked like hydraulic fluid. I disassembled it to the extent possible and cleaned everything to the extent possible. Nasty stuff! I put down a towel to catch any drips.

This weekend I got around to working on it. Zero drops of fluid on the towel. I pulled off the black metal piece that covers the windshield header to see if I could find the leak. I shone a strong light into the crevices. The hose connectors and the elbow connectors themselves, on the latch cylinder, are dry as a bone. You can't really see the other end of the cylinder, but I can see traces of fluid in the tray around the latch mechanism. Just faint traces. I raised and lowered the top three or four times during testing, holding the towel below, and nothing. Not one freaking drop. WTF?

So, here we are. I have evidence that the latch cylinder likely leaked at the shaft, not the elbows. The LH interior light is almost in line with the end of the latch cylinder, and that was the one that got dribbled on. Yet I can't duplicate the issue. Could this have just been caused by disuse for six or seven months? Could it be caused by somewhat lower ambient temps? At the stadium, at night, it was in the mid-70s Fahrenheit. This weekend, under the carport, it's been in the low-90s. Would a 20 degree difference cause an issue with an unknown provenance cylinder seal?

Anybody experienced this?

Thanks!!

 

I am faced with a similar problem - my fluid is clear, so it appears the previous owner had some work done on the top and replaced the fluid. I have no idea what that work would have entailed as I got no service records with the car and the dealership where all the work was done had purged their records. I don't think it's a split hose as it doesn't leak just sitting there, so an o-ring or seal in the latch is my guess.

 

I have had the latch hydraulic cylinder fail/leak but I always had a spare.
I replaced the leaky unit and sent the failed one to TOP HYDRAULICS for rebuild.

Years later I had another failed cylinder so I installed the repaired one.
All is good and they can reliably repair the unit.

Most of the time it is the lines/hoses but I have replaced 4 or 5 latch cylinders in the last 20 years for my self and customers.
Jaguar parts dept used to charge about $500 for a new latch cylinder.

 

Very good to know about rebuild services - thanks!

 

Hi,

I've also been quite happy with Top Hydraulics for rebuilding cylinders and replacement lines. Very friendly and Top Quality.

Best,
Rick

 

Hi, i can confirm that, based on the description, most probably the seal on the pressure piston in the hydraulic cylinder is leaking.
I had the same problem last year, but couldn't find anyone who could seal the cylinder. A new one is ridiculously expensive (€700+) and almost not available.

I took the latch cylinder apart and sent the seven seals as samples to a company that specializes in hydraulic seals, and they all had them in stock. Replacing the seals requires a bit careful work, but it is doable.

Best, Fritz

 

Who did you get the new seals from? Do you have the part numbers?

 

 

When I first started researching this I found them and bookmarked their page. And we may need to do this. The thing that puzzles me is that it's not leaking anymore, as far as I can tell. I cycled the top again last night - nothing. No drips or anything. It's the intermittent part that bugs me.

 

It was very similar for me, I also wondered for a while where the oil was coming out. And it always took a while until there was enough oil to collect in the overhead console and be sure it will happen again.
I then put a piece of tissue under the cylinder and checked it regularly, and at some point it became clear where the oil came from.

Fritz

 

I wonder if the amount of time you hold the top button down influences the leak. There isn't any indication that the top is completely up or down or if the mechanism "knows" enough to stop the pump once it is retracted/deployed. If it keeps running as long as you hold the button down, that might contribute to a leak. Just speculation.

 

This is a good idea. I'll do that. I'm sure it leaked from the cylinder rod seal, but you may be right. Maybe it's accumulating.

 

Hmmm. Interesting theory. On the way down I hold it until it dings. On the way back up I hold it until the rear windows have raised, and perhaps a couple seconds longer. I'll check into that.

 

vielen Dank 👍

 

I was lucky enough that my top latch cylinder started leaking just a little bit, and the fluid was dripping one drop at a time down the black trim just in front of the driver's door sill. It did no damage. I too had the cylinder replaced by a rebuilt one from Top Hydraulics, along with new hoses from them.

 

It's the strangest thing. I can detect no leaks or drips. I've had the top up and down a dozen times. Nuthin'.

I put the top console back on yesterday and went for a 200+ mile R/T. If anything causes it to leak again it will be me reinstalling that console after I got it cleaned up.

 

Sooner or later it will happen again, the leak won't fix itself. If you want peace of mind, seal the cylinder. If you plan to keep the car, I would also replace the two hoses from the pump to the latch cylinder.

Fritz

 

Hi, I had a similar experience in that I noticed a tiny drip from the overhead console, which wasn't there a week or so earlier when I replaced the Homelink module. The top latch had been leaking slightly and there was more of an accumulation in the header rail. Like others here, I opted to replace the hydraulic latch AND the pipes. I did all the lines, though the latch ones had been replaced at some point but with OEM version. I used Top Hydraulic lines and their rebuilt latch cylinder. Now if only I hadn't broken the electrical connectors on the pump actuators I'd be all done (didn't see them while struggling to get the pump out).
Of course one thing always leads to another and now both the front seats don't operate (fuses are OK, suspect modules picking an opportune moment to screw with me) and I have the airbag light (2-2).
Oh the joys. Anyway, my advice is along with other's catch it before it's a bigger clean up and preventive maintenance is always cheaper in the long run.
Dave

 

As far as I can tell, based on observations and a vague $5K receipt from a car upholstery shop, the hoses have been replaced. I'm keeping an eye on it to see if any more leaks occur. I have a laundry list of things to do on this thing, but other stuff keeps popping up.