I recently purchased a 2002 XK8 convertible with 70K miles on it and I absolutely love this car. Cosmetically, it's pristine. But, there's an issue with the convertible top and its operation. First, it doe not latch when the roof closes. I get an error message on the dash "convertible not latched". Secondly, the roof does go up and down, but it moves very slowly and sounds as though the power or motor is straining. Thirdly, the rear windows on both sides don't go down when the roof is being opened. I'm not operating the roof at all until I get these problems fixed. But, I'm wondering if having the "not latched" error message on constantly is affecting any other aspect of the car's operation and performance, such as: is the car's speed and ease of motion restricted due a safety concern? Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

2002 Jaguar XK8 enjoying Arizona

 

First thing to do is check the level of hydraulic fluid in the reservoir on the pump. It is located above the CD changer/GPS DVD system behind the carpeted trim. You will need to loosen the trim across the trunk (holds the lights) to get that trim loose. If the fluid is low, you will need to find out where it is leaking.

 

You probably have more than one issue. It sounds like the system is low on fluid. That's the first thing to check. The reservoir is on the RH side of the car, in the trunk, on top of the rack that holds the radio amplifier and SatNav DVD player. I *think* low pressure can also cause the top not to latch, as the latch is also hydraulic. There is also a ticking time bomb in the system - the hydraulic lines themselves. They age, get brittle, and burst. Google XK8 green shower for more details. You may already have a leak. The lines are a bit hard to access, and will require pulling out the rear seats, speakers, etc., to access the hydraulic rams. Which can also leak after 25 years. Or, in other words, if the system is low on fluid, the fluid went somewhere.

The rear windows likely have failed regulators. Jag's design is terrible. There's a motor and a plastic spool, and a wire operates the lift mechanism. Wire alignment is provided by a plastic pulley with a crummy bushing. Bushing wears. pulley no longer rotates in the correct plane, wire becomes tangled on the spool, bam, inop rear windows. Very common. Also a doable but PITA DIY fix. However, those failures tend to manifest themselves when the window is in operation, and they get stuck somewhere in their travel. If they are both fully at the top of their travel then you may be looking at an electrical issue or fuse.

 

I'm not a mechanic myself, but I might give this a shot as a starting point. Great info, Mike, thanks so much for the tip.

 

Lots of great info, Y2KJag... very thorough. I can now have a reasonably intelligent conversation with the professional mechanic who I'll ask to fix it. Thanks so much for your insight.

 

A good place for parts is Top Hydraulics - they have complete kits that include hoses, cylinders and latches. You can purchase what you need from them and send your used cylinders and latch back to recover a core fee.

https://tophydraulics.com/jaguar/871...del_year_-1996

or you can order individual parts depending on your needs.

It's pretty invasive to replace everything, so labor costs will be a factor.

There are some limit switches in various places to inform the controller of the top raise/lower progress. There are switches in the header to indicate if the latch is open or closed, stuff like that. These signals are used by the controller to step through the process. If the hydraulic fluid is low and, for instance, the header latch can't cycle completely, the controller won't know when to raise or lower the rear windows. I would tackle the top first, then see if the windows are still a problem. Another option would be to use the manual top raise process and see how the windows respond.

 

Hello,
If you are at the rear of the hydraulic reservoir, I would first open the tap (you will see it) and close and reopen the soft top by hand. There is usually an Allen key (I think 8 mm) at the rear of the reservoir for this purpose. There is a small plastic cover at the front of the soft top lock. You can remove this and use the Allen key to close or open the soft top completely. (Fiddle around until the Allen key grips properly). Then check the reservoir and look for the Green Shower if necessary. With a bit of luck, if there is enough fluid in it, the windows will work again. Don't forget to close the tap on the hydraulic reservoir again before operating the electric controls.

Best regards, Willi