Guess what, another soft top question!!!

[rfpmoxie]

Hello all, I've posted this item on another forum and received a detailed response that it is most likely either a leaky cylinder or a weak pump. I don't seem to be losing fluid and thought that maybe there are other thoughts/opinions. Thanks in advance, Ron

Hello, I have a '90 300SL with 84K in great condition. I've had soft top paranoia since I bought the car 2 1/2 yrs. ago. I don't drive it in the rain; thus, I don't put the top up often. Today, as I parked the sky was threatening so it was time to cross my fingers and raise the top. Everything appeared OK except the red light (top up/down button) did not go off although it wasn't flashing and the annoying chime didn't come on. After returning from a walk 2 hrs later (it never rained), I lowered the top. The back cover unlatched and only raised 6" or so. I raised it by hand and the rear of the soft also only rose a few inches. As my wife pushed the button I slowly raised the back section and when it reached the proper height all else operated fine. The red light went out. I did check the hydraulic fluid tank and it was at the proper level. Also, there are no signs of any leaking cylinders. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Ron

[symplered]

At least I'm not alone. I disconnected my neg terminal last night for about 2 hrs to replace my stereo. When I tried to raise the top this morning, the darn thing stopped half way. My windows would was inoperable as well. This is the 1st time it happened and i'm sure it was related to removing the neg terminal from my battery for an extended period of time. I manage to use the MB tool to lock the front, once locked, everything start to work in synch with each other. I resynched the windows and all went well. crossing my fingers to see what happens today when i attempt to lower it.

When was the last time you check your battery voltage? The control unit requires a certain amount of voltage. If it's low, it might not operate properly. Or you may have some low voltage codes that may need clearing..

[London380sl]

Man...when I read these posts I'm glad I have a manual soft top. These power ones sound pretty scarey.

[tecqboy]

Your symtoms ( red lamp stays on at end of cycle ) are usually caused by low battery terminal voltage. Try running up the engine speed to about 1K rpm while operating the top. That causes the alternator to assist the battery.