A couple of weeks ago I posted for some help about leaking roof cylinder. After some advice and reviewing service info, I took the plunge. Two weeks ago, I pulled all eight roof cylinders and shipped them to Cabriolet Hydraulics in FL. Two days to get there , one day to rebuild them, and two days back. Sent them on a Monday, had them back by Friday. Pulling them went as planned and by the book (thanks Dick for a great set of instructions). Putting them back in, was a little more challenging. Six of the eight went back in as easy as they came out. The two larger cylinders for the roof were a bitch (pardon my french ) to get back in. What added to the fun is that I dropped one of the hydraulic line clips and could not find it....for want of a nail a shoe was lost, for want of a shoe, the horse was lost, for want of a horse the rider was lost, etc. So I was stuck until the following Monday. Contacted Cabriolet and they had some. I ordered two. I got them in two days. Put the clip in and was done. I filled up the hydraulic fluid and after running it back and forth about a half dozen times to purge air, I was back to driving a convertible again. I also replaced the struts with the 130lb struts from Mike. That was the easiest part of this whole project....thanks, Mike. Last, but not least, I cleaned all the micro switches. Everything runs smoother and faster now. In the end, it was worth the time and money. Should be good for another 10 years.....knock on wood.
Alright! Always feels good after tackling a daunting task and being victorious! woohoo
As I understand it though, they should last much longer than OEM.
:ssr
Brian
Dr. Who, thanks for the follow-up regarding your experience with Cabriolet Hydraulics in Florida. Gives me confidence that my truck can once again function as a convertible. I am signed up for Dicktator's Tech Day on the 18th of June specifically to exploit the experience and knowledge of the pros on this site. I'll be pulling all 8 cylinders for repair. Looking forward to riding topless this summer!
~ Carl
I had everything marked and laid out. I even marked which clip was at the top of the cylinder. I did not lose the clip, I know where it is. It is in the roof bay.....I just can't find it. It popped off while trying to bend like a pretzel to put it on the passenger roof cylinder. So in truth, I will always have a spare with me, somewhere. I would suggest , to play it safe, have a spare or two shipped back with the rebuilt cylinders. I ordered two of them at $5 a piece plus $13 UPS shipping (that was the only way they would ship them).