I am a proud new owner of a beautiful 98 convertable. with approx 67K miles. Have had it
about 2 weeks and have used the top a couple of times with no
problems. Today however I tried to put the top down and no go. Car
was stopped, in park with key on. The chime sounded, back windows
retracted, front windows dropped down about quarter inch, and I
heard the pump,however it seemed to stop after only several
seconds, then the front windows moved back up.This sequence was repeated several times with the same
result. It appears all normal except the pump quits too soon.
Any help greatly appreciated. I currently have an 89 XJS and a 99
XJR and am familiar with the breed, however I'm barely rookie
status with the XK8...and am completely smitten with the new cat in
the house. Thanks all.

 

Welcome aboard. Did you check if there was fluid in the pump and also the condition of the fluid. Search the FAQ area for a plethora of threads regarding the convertible top, as well as other subjects.


Doug

 

Hard to say what you have going on. As mentioned check the fluid in the tank. You should also check the petcock closed. This link might help Body In it has information on the mechanical and electrical. Take a look at it and let us know what you come up with. Keep in mind the roof at times fails to operate properly if the fluid is at the lower line of the tank. Also Jaguar wants you to sell your first born to get a container of fluid, you can get it a lot cheaper at NAPA, AutoZone and I think Honda. Hydraulic Fluid If your fluid is green it would appear the fluid has been upgraded. I hope this helps!

 

Thanks Doug and all. Your directive to look at the fluid level caused me to check things out further at the pump. I noticed the T handle?? was not closed all the way. I twisted it clockwise until it snugged and tried the top again...voila, working again. Some how it had managed to undo? Vibration or something..anyway Thanks again.
Dave

 

Glad it turned out to be something simple. However, the next thing you have to address is the potential for the hoses to leak giving you a nice green shower. Be sure to read through the zillion posts about the hydraulic hose issue and pick one of the 2 solutions (pressure relief valve or resistor) to mitigate the problem.


Doug

 

That's weird... I can't imagine the petcock unscrewing itself. I wonder if the previous owner loosened it ever so slightly to reduce the pressure in the hydraulic system. I guess we'll never know. I bet a partially opened petcock would allow fluid to leak past it and reduce the pressure in the hydraulic lines. It would also cause a greater reduction in pressure when the pressure was at its peak.

 

At one time few thought that releasing the pressure on the system would extend the life of the hoses. This could have been one of the cars that fell into that category. It could also be that the 1650psi on the system caused it to open. I am inclined to think that the pressure was released by the previous owner.