heung

Hi Gang,

I understand the Hydraulic Cylinders to operate the soft tops detriorated and eventually leaks more base on duration than on frequence usage. By now most of the cylinders on my 91 SL 500 is either leaking or about to. I have checked with the Merc agent here in Malaysia and the parts are pretty expensive ranching from $350 for each cylinder. I understand that there are several. How many cylinders are there in a 129 Does anyone knows???? Question is does anyone know of anybody refurbishing or repairing these cylinders...??

Cheers- Heung

molson2000

theres 4, 2 in the front, 2 in the back as for kits you can get them but i'm sure where, good luck

BJonesFL

There are closer to a dozen cylinders involved in the complete operation of your soft top; from moving the top itself, opening/closing the storage cover, roll bar, etc.

PM me with your email address and I'll send you a schematic of all of them, location, type, etc. The file is to large to upload here. You are absolutely correct that the seal deterioration is from heat and age moreso than use.

Bob

symplered

I had both front cylinders repaired by Dennis 2 yrs ago for about 30 bucks each. Not sure if he's still in the repair business. Here's his contact info

Mercedes Hydraulic Cylinder Rebuilder

Dennis Ficken
16285 S. Chester
Olathe, Ks 66062
(913) 390-0506
mercedescylinders@sbcglobal.net

heung

Thanks Guys for the informative replies. Bob pls sent the info to my Email address. heung_kk@yahoo.com

Thanks- Heung

BJonesFL

Sending now...

Whitelist my address... bjonesny@aol.com , so the yahoo server will accept the large attached file.

jsargent99

Hi Bob,

the cylinders for the soft top of my 94 SL 500 cratered today and i wanted to ask if you would send me the schematic referenced in this thread. thanks jbs@sargentconsulting.net

Baybear

Try tophydraulicsinc.com. They will rebuild all of them ( 11 or 12 depending on model yr) for $550 plus they have instructions on their website for removing them.
Baybear

Rahray

I agree, top hydraulics is the place to go. Just had mine done and couldn't ask for a fairer or better person to work with than Klauss.

aerowerks

I just finished rebuilding my own. Two days for removing and reinstall, couple hours for the actual rebuild of the cylinders. Finding the seals was the tough part.

dsC32

Dennis Ficken did mine a few months ago. He said he gets these parts in from around the world. Contact him for details.

Top Hydraulics

That is correct, and Bob Jones was correct in adding that heat accelerates the decay process. It is a chemical reaction, and most chemical reactions get accelerated with time. The first cylinders to go are usually the ones above the windshield, because these get the hottest. The nine or ten cylinders in the rear come up to about the same temperature, which usually means that if you have one of them leaking in the rear, all the rest is likely in very bad shape unless they have been exchanged before.

It is important to note that we use far better seal material (chemically stable) than OEM. Mercedes has slightly improved their seal material in the late 90s (when introducing CLK and SLK), but those are now failing on a grand scale, as well. We find the SLK seals to be a close match in seal material to what Dennis is using on those rebuilds of his that we are rebuilding...

One can argue that very infrequent use is more harmful than frequent use, because the cylinder shafts get lubricated less. However, that is a minor effect. The single most important thing you can do to extend the life of your cylinders, is to flush your hydraulic fluid every 3-5 years. Use MB approved fluid, which is available as the fluid from the dealer or online as FeBi 02615 (just put 02615 in your favorite online place's search box).

It is 12 cylinders for model years '90-'96 and 11 cylinders for MY '97-'02 (removal and inspection instructions added here, and a schematic with all cylinders attached to the bottom of this post):
2 Front Lock Cylinders: http://tophydraulicsinc.com/R129%20F...%20Removal.pdf
2 Rear (Bow Window) Latch Cylinders: http://tophydraulicsinc.com/R129%20R...%20Removal.pdf
2 Tonneau (Case) Cover Lift Cylinders: http://tophydraulicsinc.com/R129%20T...0Cylinders.pdf
1 or 2 Case (Tonneau) Cover Lock Cylinder(s): http://tophydraulicsinc.com/R129%20T...0Cylinders.pdf
2 Bow Extension (Window Flip) Cylinders: http://tophydraulicsinc.com/R129%20B...%20Removal.pdf
2 Main Lift Cylinders: http://tophydraulicsinc.com/R129%20M...%20Removal.pdf

Thank you for the referral, Baybear. We also have an FAQ section on the website. Shipping (Priority Mail) is $10 flat per order. As far as I know, our package price is the best you can find, our material is the best, and so is our warranty (read the others' fine print!).

Thank you, Ray, happy customers always make our day!

Congratulations, you are in the ranks of the very best DIYers! We could make very good money in selling our seals, but I try hard to talk people out of DIY repairs on the cylinders themselves. We simply see far too many damaged cylinders coming in, on a daily basis, from failed DIY attempts. An excellent seal geometry, the right material, and the right size are crucial for the perfect rebuild/upgrade. Slight scratches won't show up as leaks right away when new, soft seals cover them up. We constantly get "professional" rebuilds from shops doing this on the side, where the leaks show up through tiny scratches inflicted once the soft seal material hardens. It is amazing, though, how many "hydraulic shops" and "rebuilders" scratch the heck out of the cylinders.

Those who are contemplating DIY, do the math first, please:
It costs over $6,000 to get all cylinders new from the dealer. That makes for an average cost of over $500 per cylinder. What do you think your chances are for accidentally nicking even one out of 12 cylinders? (Let me tell you, they are huge for most people...) We have the right tools at Top Hydraulics, custom made for each cylinder. It can be rewarding to do the seal replacement yourself, but devestating when you realize it cost you many times what the pros with the warranty would have charged. And what will you do when you find that you have to replace the piston seals as well? Those are highly customized.

-Klaus

klaus@tophydraulicsinc.com

(The schematic below shows up as a thumbnail. Click on it, and you will get higher resolution. Go to our website's FAQ section for a crisp image.)

Attached Thumbnails

turkcrosby5

Does anyone know of a service near Richmond Va. that can install the hydraulic cylinders for the soft top activation( not the dealer). I plan to get Top Hydraulics to refurbish them, but I am not a DIY, especially not with cars

ou1954

Where did you find the parts? Cups or O-rings?


Thanks,


DAW