tmwsccsh

Hi All,

Well, the summer is here - has been for a few weeks really.

Took the SL out today and put the roof down and up a few times. Got home tonight and went to put it back up again, the cover popped up, roof started going and stopped about a third of the way up. Nothing. It was noted by my partner that there was a fluid leaking from the passenger side (photo below) and I fear that this is the hydraulic fluid for the roof mechanism.



I got the roof back down again and tried again but it stopped at an even lower level. This is not good! At the moment, the roof is down and locked away. Fortunately I have a hard top so, worst case, will put that back on tonight and hope it will lock in place.

So, question 1 - What has happened and is this indeed the hydraulic fluid for the roof mechanism that has leaked out?

Question 2 - If the roof won't go back up (will try again in an hour or so), is there a way to manually get it back in place (it does seem a tad stiff to move!)?

Question 3 - Will the hard top lock in place if I put that on later?

Question 4 - How do I get this checked and, if it is the fluid, get it replaced and the leak sorted?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Regards

TMW

PS - Would you believe that as this was going up my fiancee asked "What would happen if it got stuck?". And, 5 seconds later, it did...!

tmwsccsh

All,

An update.

I found the following whilst searching through the forum...

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...lic-fluid.html

... which gives an amazing amount of information and detail. Checked the pump in the boot and guess what - it's practically empty and well below the minimum. So off to the main stealer tomorrow to get a 1 litre pot of fluid.

With regards to the hard top, got it out and put it on but it wouldn't lock in - you can hear the whining but there's nothing there on the movement front. So for tonight I am leaving the hard top in position just not locked and will remove it again in the morning and go straight to the dealer to get the fluid.

Need to work out where the leaks are next, but for now let's get it all working again...

Regards

TMW

tmwsccsh

All,

A further update.

I am pleased to advise that topping up the reservoir in the boot has got the roof back up again - it was completely empty this morning and took around 800ml to fill it - £12.36 a litre from the local Main Stealer so that's actually not too bad at all. Had to top up again once the roof was back in place but I am assuming that is because the fluid obviously had to get around the system.

Leak is still happening I noticed (as shown below) but only when the roof is down so that should help a little with diagnostics - maybe...



Need to work out where the leak is coming from next - any ideas at all?

Thanks in advance.

Regards

Tim Watts

ohollenbeck

One of your hydraulic cylinders is leaking, from your picture it looks to be the left side main lift cylinder.

The original factory seals in the hydraulic cylinders all go bad and need to be replaced over time. When one of them starts leaking, (and if they are all factory originals), it's probably time to replace the seals in all the cylinders, (12 cylinders total I think).

A business called Top Hydraulics rebuilds them with new seals for about $55 ea I think.

http://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/en/

Here is a link to a thread where a guy rebuilt them himself

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r129...nfessions.html

No way around the bad seal problem, just don't let the stealership sell you new cylinders, you'll end up with a $$$$$$ bill.

Spend some time reading through the Top Hydraulic website, lots of info there.

http://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/en/18-r129-sl-90-96

Good Luck...

tmwsccsh

Hi,

Thanks for the info here - lot's of good stuff in there.

Will be starting with the visual check tonight and then go from there...

Greatly appreciated and will let you know how I get on!

Regards

Tim Watts

Top Hydraulics

TMW,

based on the photo in your post, you have a leak from either the main lift cylinder p/n 1298000272, the tonneau cover lock cylinder p/n 1298000072 (mounted in the left tonneau cover lock p/n 1298001574 in your case), or from the left fabric bow extension cylinder p/n 1298001772, or a combination thereof. The good news is, you can indeed have these cylinders made into parts that are far better than brand new ones from the dealer, for about 1/10 of what the dealer would charge you. The bad news is, you will find that ALL of the twelve cylinders with original seals will fail in short order. You clearly should take care of everything at the same time. Hundreds of customers have told us "I wish I had listened to you when you said to do them all at the same time".

The original seals all decay with time - there is nothing you can do about it. Yours have lasted 20 years, and that is above average.

In answer to your questions:
1) Yes, positively.
2) Yes, you can move it manually. Make sure to turn off the ignition. The emergency roof closure procedure is described in your owner's manual. For model years '95+, there is the added complication that the rear locks are harder to access and Mercedes wants you to come in for service if you need the rear locked manually. Check out the second page of http://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/maunuallockhardtop.pdf for details on how to access and operate the rear locks on a model year '95 and younger. Things become more complicated once you decide to manually unlock the rear locks, because that will freeze up the system next time you try to use the pump, unless you properly reset the manually released locks. More on that later, if you should run into this problem.
3) Yes, see above.
4) As I wrote before, it certainly is a cylinder leak. Just as certain, all remaining cylinders with original seals are ready to fail in short order. Your '95 has twelve cylinders. See location diagram below. Most of those cylinders are mounted upright, and you can inspect them for leaks fairly easily. With the storage compartment cover (aka tonneau cover) open, you can find all ten rear cylinders in your car. The cylinders typically leak first where the chromed shaft comes out of the housing. If you find ANY oil in that spot, then you have bad seals.
There are more details in our step-by-step DIY cylinder removal instructions at http://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/en/c...y-instructions. These instructions show you how to remove the cylinders yourself. They also show you how to inspect the cylinders for leaks.

For hydraulic fluid, you have a few choices:
Mercedes fluid A0009899103
FeBi 02615 (mostly used in the US - identical to MB fluid)
Aral Vitamol (same as the above, available in Europe)

Klaus

www.tophydraulicsinc.com

Top Hydraulics

Just a little clarification:

Top Hydraulics replaces and upgrades ALL seals in the R129 cylinders:
1) Rod seals. Those are the cup-shaped seals that seal the cylinder shaft from the housing, and they are typically the first ones to fail. There is no match to Top Hydraulics' seal quality.
2) Piston seals. Failing piston seals cause internal leaks and lots of other problems. Especially in early model years, it is essential to get the piston seals replaced and upgraded. This is absolutely not a DIY job.
3) Cap seals aka gland seals. Just a static seal between the top cap and the cylinder housing. No big deal.
4) Port seals. They seal the hydraulic line fitting to the cylinder. This is a big deal. Port seals do fail with time, and their replacement is absolutely not a DIY job. These are not o-rings. They seal on the edge. The brass bushings that hold them in place are made to 1/100 millimeter tolerance, and you would be certain to ruin them in DIY repair attempts. Our replacement port seals are made of Viton, molded to an extremely tight tolerance.

If you have ANY of the nine or ten cylinders in the rear leaking (depending on model year), then ALL cylinders with original seals are going to fail in short order. If you want to replace them one by one, you will end up chasing your tail or paying your mechanic for his next vacation.



Klaus

www.tophydraulicsinc.com

tmwsccsh

Some amazing detail in there - thank you very much.


Will do some snooping this weekend and work out the route forward...


Regards


TMW

Bob M

Hi all
I have a 1995 SL320 and noticed today that when I put the roof down there was oil leaking from the right front A pillar.
I assume my right front lock cylinder is leaking or a line let go.
Any one have a diagram or link to access the cylinder and hydraulic line?
also once I change the cylinder or fix the leak is there a top up and bleed procedure to make the top go up and down without issue?
Thanks, need help ASAP.

Top Hydraulics

Bob M,

I have responded in more detail to your other, almost identical post.
Here is the answer in a nutshell:
1) You have a leak from one or both front top lock cylinders 1298001672.
2) It is not a leaking line - they are made of steel.
3) Here is the step-by-step DIY for cylinder removal: http://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/R129...%20Removal.pdf
4) Leave fixing the cylinders to the pros. It is much more involved than what meets the eye.
5) You only need to fill the reservoir next to the pump (under the spare tire). The system is self bleeding.

Klaus

www.tophydraulicsinc.com