Rear latch does not release all the way. How do I get to the latch and/or cables? (turning the crank does cinch it down, so it's connected. Any help would be appreciated.

There is a little chrome lever right next to the crank handle. When the crank handle is released, pull the little lever as far as it will go while two people on opposite sides of the hardtop GENTLY rock it around a bit while lifting up on it. This should release the center rear peg from the car. Once the top is off, the entire mechanism is visible when the top well cover is open and the soft top is up. The release for the center peg is operated by a cable, much like a bicycle brake cable. Make sure the cable is in good shape and lube the mechanism with some light grease. Wipe away any excess grease so it does not stain the soft top when it is stowed in the top well. Good Luck!
Colin

I too had this same problem and Colin is correct. The key is the little crank inside the level that will manually release the center post. Assuming, of course, that you can get the darn top off, I placed a couple of washers at the post side cable end to give the release a little extra push. Now my top comes off fine and I don't have to wiggle it back and forth and hope it finally releases.

Well I probably have delt with this at least a hundred times.

The immediate solution requires freeing the center post from the retractor lever. Wiggling won't get you anywhere. To release it you have to understand what happens during normal operation.

The big window crank type lever has large strong links to the large strong retractor to pull the top tight in the center. Once the tention is released the smaller POS lever has a Mickey Mouse ability to pull the retractor out of engagement with the center pin of the top.

The almost universal fault here is the origional way the top is removed. The POS lever does not have the strength to pull the retracting lever away from the pin if it is under any tention. When you get done here and have made the easy adjustments to the POS cable, when removing the top the center pin should be released and then retracted before the other four positions are released. This is hard to do as one needs to remember the finished positions when doing this first as you can't feel whats
happening with the top held down.

NOW to get the pin out. It will take three people. Two to lift the roof gently to get enough room for a radiator hose/cotter key tool to be inserted and manuvered next to the pin. Beneath the surface about one inch down is the hook on the pin. The hook on the retractor needs to be pushed with the tool to the outside and then the roof lifted away. This tool is basicaly a quarter inch diameter rod on a screw driver handle with a inch and a quarter right angle bend in the last part which tapers to a point. You put the point against the side of the pin and follow it down (I think from the pass side of the pin - the lever/retractor will be pushed to the passengers side). The notch that is engaged is about one inch down, you will come at the retractor lever from the top and will use the point to work between the two and push the retractor lever off its perch. Its actually easier to explain this than to accomplish it.

When you get it off remember what I said above and adjust the POS cable to fully back off the retractor when it gets to the end of its travel. The cable adjustment will not hold any force so the thing has to be properly adjusted for clearance by the position of the control levers and like I said above it can not be retracted under any tention.

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Steve Brotherton
Owner 24 bay BSC
Bosch Master, ASE master L1
26 years MB technician

quote:

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Originally posted by stevebfl:
Well I probably have delt with this at least a hundred times.

The immediate solution requires freeing the center post from the retractor lever. Wiggling won't get you anywhere. To release it you have to understand what happens during normal operation.

The big window crank type lever has large strong links to the large strong retractor to pull the top tight in the center. Once the tention is released the smaller POS lever has a Mickey Mouse ability to pull the retractor out of engagement with the center pin of the top.

The almost universal fault here is the origional way the top is removed. The POS lever does not have the strength to pull the retracting lever away from the pin if it is under any tention. When you get done here and have made the easy adjustments to the POS cable, when removing the top the center pin should be released and then retracted before the other four positions are released. This is hard to do as one needs to remember the finished positions when doing this first as you can't feel whats
happening with the top held down.

NOW to get the pin out. It will take three people. Two to lift the roof gently to get enough room for a radiator hose/cotter key tool to be inserted and manuvered next to the pin. Beneath the surface about one inch down is the hook on the pin. The hook on the retractor needs to be pushed with the tool to the outside and then the roof lifted away. This tool is basicaly a quarter inch diameter rod on a screw driver handle with a inch and a quarter right angle bend in the last part which tapers to a point. You put the point against the side of the pin and follow it down (I think from the pass side of the pin - the lever/retractor will be pushed to the passengers side). The notch that is engaged is about one inch down, you will come at the retractor lever from the top and will use the point to work between the two and push the retractor lever off its perch. Its actually easier to explain this than to accomplish it.

When you get it off remember what I said above and adjust the POS cable to fully back off the retractor when it gets to the end of its travel. The cable adjustment will not hold any force so the thing has to be properly adjusted for clearance by the position of the control levers and like I said above it can not be retracted under any tention.

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Thanks for the information, however, I don't have two levers in my 1983 380SL, only the large handle.

I removed the side panel and I don't see any trace of the small release handle.

Very confusing!!!

Stan Wolf

The small handle is right behind the big handle.

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MB STARS Master Guild Technician,12 years MB tech
6 years independent shop owner

Don't worry about the second handle till you have it apart. It isn't working anymore right now anyway, or you wouldn't be in this predictament.

The second handle when adjusted properly works with the large handle. The last part of the act of releasing with the big handle is supposed to engage the small POS and put it to the right position to retract the large lever (which didn't happen and is now necessitating a fishing expedition).

Once you have the top off and lift the soft top out of the well you will be able to see how everything is supposed to work.

I just used the above technique but did not have the tool described. I took a wire coat hanger and pinched one of the corners so I had a double wire. Bent the last inch and a quarter or so 90 degrees then twisted a good 10 inches of the wires around each other to make it stiffer.

With my two buddies holding up each side of the hard top, I slipped the tip of the wire hook to the right of the post (when looking from the rear of the car) and slowly pushed down. The top popped off in a few seconds!

The problem was caused by a small clip that helps the release mechanism work. The clip had broken and fallen off so the hook would not release.