daveintrouble

Hi Guys,

I own an early W209 an have recently encountered the following problem with the soft top. On opening the 4 windows open, the top unlocks from the front, but the cover doesn’t open. I hear the pump running for about 10s and then it stops.

anybody any clue where to start looking?

regards,

Dave

umersohail

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zill

Dave,

There is your answer a top carrier. Huh, would not have thought that.

check the forum, loads of threads. Any fluid leaks?

daveintrouble

Thanks Zill. There’s a lot on the microswitches in the threads. I think it will be hydraulic. Tonight I will look for leaks …

zill

Dave,

Oh yes. there are about a dozen.

crazy00c230k

Great video on micro switch issues. If the pump isn't making crazy noises and the fluid level is OK its likely not being caused by a leak.

daveintrouble

Indeed great video on the switches, thanks. I didn’t find any leaks and all switches seem to be OK at first sight. I’ll start by replacing the two relays next to the pump, though swapping them didn’t make a difference.

zill

Crazy,

got a question for you and the forum. I really appreciated that top hydraulic clip, thanks for that.

I have no issues with my top. After looking at other clips, what do you guys think about proactively replacing all the hydraulic rams before they start leaking?

im thinking at 14 years on those o rings are aging it it might be nice to avoid fluid puddles on my lap or in the trunk.

Thanks,
zill.

daveintrouble

To my experience there is certainly one I would replace preventively: the top lock cylinder. It leaks into the interior and the oil damages the lining(I know what I am talking about). The other ones leak into more “technical environments” where there will be less visual damage.

kind regards,

David

zill

Hi David,

I just watched the clip of Tophydralics replacing the center, windshield, ram. The clip did not mention bleeding the system after the replacement.

So no bleeding?. Without having to bleed the job looked pretty straight forward. I’m going to attempt it and report back.

Thanks,
zill.

daveintrouble

Hey Zill,

I didn’t do any bleeding when replacing…

greetz,

Dave

zill

Aces! I’ll replace that cylinder next week.

Thanks very much Dave!

zill.

crazy00c230k

I tend to agree with the others on this, its an expensive fix, and relatively time/labor intensive to replace all. Definitely DIY-able if you're handy with a wrench. You can operate the top manually so it's not like you're going to really get stuck anywhere with the top completely inoperable. The top lock leaks into the cabin, can cause damage, so its a good one to do proactively. Plus it is the one cylinder that is separate from all the others, so there really wont be any repitition of work to do it alone. The rest are all in the same general area, so just do them all when one fails.

In regards to bleeding the system, it self bleeds, you just need to run the top a few times and keep topping off the fluid as the air works its way out.

daveintrouble

I replaced the 2 relays … no solution. The windows go down, the top unlocks but the soft top cover doesn’t move though I hear the pump running.

microswitches seem OK

Anybody any clue? I have the old style of cylinders for the tonneau cover … might they be faulty? Or a valve solenoid in the pump? Or wiring?

crazy00c230k

Is the fluid level good? If it is, you likely dont have a leak, so likely not an issue with the cylinders themselves. Also, have you tried to manually open and close the top? That can help to reset things if there is a glitch with a microswitch somewhere in the system. From most of the research I did back when I fixed my mom's car, a running pump with no movement is a sign of a limit switch not being triggered. Might be worth it to just manually open and close a couple if times.

daveintrouble

I will give it a try … but it’s a pain in the *** to open manually. Old cylinders with no release button

daveintrouble

I opened it manually … it doesn’t want to close … practically the same symptoms. I can hear the pump running but the deck cover doesn’t move 😱

Barry O

I had the same problem and mine turned out to be the hydraulic rams. I had 3 leaking and I just bit the bullet and did all seven from top hydraulics. I figured the car is 16 years old and has never been out of Florida with the heat and humidity doing a number on everything. It works perfectly now.