[boomer]

Welcome to the club. Are there any messages on the radio / driver information center when you try to operate the top?

If the hydraulic pump spins but nothing moves, you may have a leak / have run low on fluid. When the pump is working normally you can usually hear a descending note sound as the pump builds pressure. If the tone remains the same you may not be building pressure (another sign of a leak).

Whilst the top is down, it may be worthwhile lifting the covers between the rear seats and rear windows so you can see the main hydraulic rams on each side that move the top and see if there is any fluid on or below them

If there are a two people available you can lift the roof out of the trunk, through the normal motion and rest in the "close to closed" position. Clearly you need to be careful as it is heavy and could trap fingers etc. This would give you more room to check the hydraulic fluid level in the pump. If it is low you can top it up (Pentosin CHF 11S). If you are lucky the hydraulics may close the top the rest of the way once there is enough fluid.

Hope that helps.

 

[boomer]

Is it possible that I compressed the cylinder unnaturally causing the leak? If not, I'm not sure what to do. No replacement parts from what I'm told

It is possible, it is also possible that the cylinder was on its way out regardless. Take a look at Top Hydraulics | Rebuilt and Upgraded Convertible Top Cylinders, Pumps, Hydraulic Lines, they can rebuild them. I had to repair both of mine as the second failed soon after. Since the repair they have been great.

Did I burn the pump, or is there a reason it doesn't seem to be responding?

When you checked the hydraulic fluid, perhaps you forgot to reconnect the trunk cover switch or put the trunk cover back into position?

 

[boomer]

Also doesn't the system have to be bled?

Once my leaks were fixed the system self-primed. If I remember correctly, the pump 'ran and stopped' for 3 or 4 times (just moving fluid or getting rid of the air I guess). After that I started to hear the telltale descending tone of the pump building pressure and the roof started to move.

As Legrace said, if you want this to work you are going to have to get the rams re-sealed. Maybe ask the mechanic where they noted the hose leak. There are o-rings for the connections at the rams that could have failed rather than the hose itself. If you get a repair at tophydraulics they sent replacement o-rings when I did nine.

 

[boomer]

I changed mine out myself. See How To replace the convertible top hydraulic ram

 

[boomer]

The paper clip is to defeat the trunk cover sense switch. It would allow you to operate the hydraulics without the trunk cover or the plastic side panel that covers the hydraulic pump being in place. When you take the connector off of the sense switch you can bridge the connector pins with the paper clip to complete the circuit and make it appear to the folding top module that that the trunk cover is in place.

It would be better to replace the O-rings if you can, but I would say it is only necessary if they are leaking. Good luck with the fix.

 

[boomer]

My guess is that you would be getting an error message on the radio if you had the original. If you decide to keep the car, you might want to consider doing the 2009.5 instrument cluster upgrade to get the messages and the controls back. That is for another day.

The dinging is a warning that something is not right. The most likely item is that the trunk cover is not in place (or not being sensed). Looking into the trunk from the rear, look to the right and you will see the plastic side panel with the trunk light on it. You will also see the spot where the trunk cover hooks into place. In that spot you sill see a switch that gets pushed in when the cover is in place. That is how the folding top module senses the cover is in position. Problems in this area would be:-

• Someone checked the hydraulic fluid / pump and forgot to reconnect the switch
• The switch could be faulty
• The cover might not be in position to properly depress the switch

The paper clip trick is to remove the connector from the switch and bridge the connector pins so that the folding top module thinks the cover is in place. Just for testing and whilst working on the top with the side panel out so you can get to the pump and operate the top at the same time, don't leave it like that once you have fixed the problem

As with any internet advice, especially when defeating safety features, do your own research and attempt at your own risk..... Good luck with getting it working again.

 

[boomer]

You could, depending on how they made the swap. If the original harness is intact. Personally, I would not bother at this stage. The information you get from the DIC in this instance is minimal. Usually something like check cargo top, top not allowed, top not secure, trunk ajar, etc. It is not going to tell you in any real detail what is wrong, just provide some clues that you could probably work out for yourself. If it turns out you have a more complicated electrical problem with the operation of the top, a bi-directional OBD II scan tool that can address the folding top module would provide additional insight. For now I would stick with and check the basics, before spending more time and money. Just my opinion, you get to make our own choices

 

[boomer]

Your knowledge is incredible. Must be one heck of a mechanic!!!!!

Just a convertible owner who has experienced some of the same issues

The top is fully up. Can't get to the front of the ram. Soooo close! Is it safe to put the top back by hand? With help of course

It can be one if you are careful. Another option would be to keep adding more hydraulic fluid (Pentosin CHF 11S) until you get it fixed. If required, you can then do what I would term a 'hydraulic assist' (two people lift / assist the top through its range of motion whilst the 3rd person presses the button to move the top). This would only be appropriate if all the rams were still connected and in place. Please also have everyone be careful as the top is heavy, the hydraulics powerful and human appendages quite fragile by comparison. I should add that you need to wait 5-10 mins since you last activated the pump for the pump to lose pressure before you attempt to move the top by hand if you are doing so without the assistance of the hydraulics.

Once the top is in the trunk, it is easy to lift off the cover by the rear windows to expose the front of the ram.

 

[boomer]

The batwings are purely mechanical, they will move by themselves at the right time unless you get in their way.

 

[boomer]

Top Hydraulics | Rebuilt and Upgraded Convertible Top Cylinders, Pumps, Hydraulic Lines