Good Morning, I need some sage advice from the members of the forum.

I recently noticed that there was some sticky material on the overhead console buttons on the 2003 XK8 Convertible. In an abundance of caution I released the pressure at the pump, disconnected the lines and capped the pump outlets per instructions in this forum as a temporary measure. I assumed that I would be looking at replacing the lines to the latch but it appears that they were already replaced as the dates on the lines are marked with a date in 2010. I did not disassemble anything at the latch yet because it is just too hot to comfortably work in the garage in Texas right now and I will get into this when it cools off. Unfortunately I discovered the lines to the rams had completely lost their black coating so I will need to replace all four of those for sure.

My questions in preparation for this work, if I can get some advice are:

1) Is it reasonable to presume that if the lines to the latch have been replaced, the seepage that I found is probably coming from the latch mechanism itself?
2) If the seepage is coming from the latch, can I rebuild it myself or is this a job best outsourced?
3) Is there a detailed description to replace the lines to the rams? I have searched and found a lot of information on the long lines but not much on the other lines.

I know that without actually tearing the latch area open and seeing what is going on I'm kind of just shooting in the dark but I'm tapping the resources and experience of this forum for some guidance on what others have done. Once the weather cools some I'll be able to tear into it but would like to have as much of the materials on hand for the job.

Thanks in advance, Jeff

 

Back in March / April 2015, Wayne (cjd777) and I did the rear hoses replacement job on Wayne's 2000 XK8. Wayne ordered the much more robust hoses from Top Hydraulics, and he also sent his rams to Top Hydraulics to have them refurbished. We documented every step of this job in a thread entitled "2000 XK8 Ragtop Rams / Rear Hoses Replacement" shortly after we finished the job. Use that thread title as your search phrase and you can read all about it....

 

What Jon said. It does look like your front hoses are new, so that would leave the latch as the suspect at the header rail.
TH does that part and the hoses were a perfect fit. Have a look in the area under the back seat near the rams for fluid, generally will leave a puddle at the back of the door on the ground if the rams are leaking.
Not a bad job but requires a lot of taking things out of the car to get at the connects on the rams.
Good luck on getting any cool weather any time soon.

 

My front hoses were replaced by the previous owner, the rear hoses are OEM and have lost or are losing the black coating. I don't see where that original sheath adds any strength to the lines and they aren't exposed to any sort of UV so I'm leaving them alone...for now.

 

If you haven't already, I would pull down and remove the overhead console and check for oil inside. That oil can degrade the plastic and a replacement console would be difficult to find.

A date code of 20 10 doesn't tell you when the lines were replaced, could be 2010 or just before you bought the car. If you are going to replace the ram lines, you will need to remove
most of the rear pass compartment trim and seat, that's half the job of doing the front lines.

 

Thanks, the rams are good; I haven't lost any fluid and the the top worked perfectly until I noticed the very slight fluid at the top console. I was surprised to see the deterioration of the lines to them.

 

Thanks, I hadn't considered that option and wasn't sure if the deterioration of the jacket had an effect on the overall strength of the hoses.

BTW I see that you are in Carlisle; I grew up down the road in Mechanicsburg.

 

Thanks, I bought this car in 2015 and the top has worked fine since then. I'll pull the console down and take a look. I just don't want to do the whole job until it cools down as it's just too hot in the garage for a big job. Once I see the actual latch, I should be able to see where the seepage is originating.

 

Thanks, this is what I couldn't find. I appreciate the help.

 

I'm a Pittsburgh (yinzer) native, moved to this little outpost in the wilderness 18 years ago. It has become home and I don't miss the city at all.