It is almost guaranteed that the top hoses are going to fail with a MTBF on my cars of 4 years. First car, a '00, failed under warranty at 42k miles and again under Select Edition warranty at 82k and again at 106k under my care and control. Current car, an '02, had the hoses replaced under warranty at 38k.

After some examination I decided that the kick plate was not coming off without removing the sill cover. I got the door sill bolt cover off with a hot air gun and utility knife that extended out an inch and a half. Most techs plan on replacing the sill bolt cover as it takes a lot of care to get it off without bending. That is the strongest double backed tape I have ever run into.

 

I did it. It took me 5.5 hours. I made a few erroneous steps, which cost me some time. I also ailed to remove center console. I could not find how it is attached. The wooden trim around shifter refused to move and i was afraid ot would crack if more prying force applied. Job is not completely finished because when i reached under the carpet I found out that the foam cushion was soaked. Strangely, carpet itself is dry. I tried to use a shop-vac to suck water out of it, but it is too powerful and the foam has tendency disintegrate. For now the undercarpet is on layers of paper towel and tomorrow it will be all exposed to sun (hopefully). I took pictures of this process and later I will publish them here.
First: I found that 20 ft hose is too long. I had to run it in "S" pattern ander the carpet.
I also started from the windshield from than form the pump side as other enthusiasts did before me. Most annoying part of the job was the speaker removing and cutting those dozens of wire ties.
After I finish the job, I will give a detailed description of my approach.
I am sure that someone younger and without braced wrist could do it easily in five hours.

here is a link to some pictures:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/a...p?albumid=1415

 

Unless you park your car through summer outdoors - as I do - you should be OK...

 

Hi, Many thanks for this great info..
My 1999 XKR blew a latch hose, and I've just stripped out the interior to replace them both, (not a job for the faint hearted, but I simply refused to pay the price the garage quoted..)
The hose that has failed is a Polyflex 363, and I'm waiting for the new ones to arrive from the jag dealers.
This thread has made me realise that this isn't an isolated incident, and I've contacted LSI contols to enquire about getting a low pressure conversion kit sent out to me here in the Uk..
I also have some oil soaked into the foam under the back seat swab, which appears to have come from the hood lift ram on the left hand side of the car ( RHD) there are no specific signs of where its come from, the whole ram and the area are covered in dirt and oil, so I assume its oil mist from the ram top seal.. I was going to replace the ram, but I may just see how it goes once the low pressure kit is installed..
Once again thanks for the valuable info..
Regards
Andy

 

Good to know we could help!

 

I installed the Pressure Relief valve today. Thanks to Gus, Walt, and Tom for their diligence in effecting a solution affecting everyone with a 97-05 convertible.

It is obvious the 'strain' on the pump motor has be lessened by the reduction in hydraulic pressure; especially when the latch is closing. The audible pitch of the pump motor remains more constant and it clearly is not working as hard as before. What you can't hear, but is even more important, is the reduction in line pressure resulting in 30% less stress on the weak points in the system.

I have had some intermittent leaking around the lift cylinder piston seals. It has only occurred three or four times over the last 18 months. I am hoping this will fix it, or at least minimize the leakage of fluid. I will post next time it happens. Otherwise, no news is good news. Gordo

 

Gordo,

Good to hear from you! Jump in occasionally. We miss your contributions.

 

I installed mine last week - before breakfast. 1 hour or so. Excellent product, excellent instructions.

Rather than zip tie mine I made a styrofoam "pedestal" of sorts. It rests on the edge of the platform that the pump affixes to and supports the valve just ahead of the pump. A little trimming made for a nice secure fit. Double sided tape keeps it from vibrating around. The final installation looks perfectly OEM. (Of course, if it WAS Jaguar OEM it would be overengineered to crack or leak or short somehow...)

I'd recommend this upgrade to everyone. I have the original old manufacture hoses on my 2000 model, I'm hoping to aviod the leaking problem entirely.

 

Statements like this make all worth the time and effort that went into making it happen!

 

Gus, just thinking back to the pressure graphs you have on the top operation. I see where you tried to limit the peak pressure to that which was there when the lifts were actuated and the latch was operating. Just wondering if you guys tried to see if it all worked with even less psi (although maybe a little slower)? Hat's off to you for the effort and kit development. Feel like redesigning the chassis or transmission now?

 

Did anyone ever get a group buy yet?

 

PowerPackers was not forthcoming on information that was necessary to the operation of the system. Walt and I talked about it on several occasions and elected to use the 1,000psi because we did not see a change in the time/duration of the operation. What we did not want to do is to take away from the quality and unique operation of the roof. Not sure about redesigning the chassis but with the recent transmission failures and problems that might be a good idea. However, I know nothing about transmission but someone that does should!

 

This might not make me a lot of friends, but...
I have now replaced my hoses, which to be honest was very hard work.. damn near had to strip the entire interior out of the car, and then replace it..
So.. I decided that the low pressure relief valve kit was a must have.
The kit offered, with shipping to the UK, was 379 dollars, which seemed rather a lot..
So, since I have some background in hydraulics, I went to see a company who I used to deal with on hydraulic components, and bought a 1000 psi (adjustable) pressure relief valve, and all the hoses and hoses and adapters, plus a tee piece and a guage, so I can test the pressures.. Total cost, 85 UK pounds.. ( approx 100 dollars)

 

I am not sure what to say! I am pleased because you did the right thing to install the pressure relief valve I am sad that you think you overpaid for the unit you got. It is a real shame that when we both contacted the European company that designed the entire system (PowerPackers) they would not talk to us. On the flip side of this I hope that you are satisfied with the product and that it works well for you.

 

You are not alienating anybody here by posting that you found your own fix to the line pressure problem. I am glad for you. However, unlike yourself, most of us are not experienced in hydraulics; and we would have no idea where to begin this type of DIY project. Just because I have a quarter inch drill and a dremel in my workshop doesn't make me want to save a few bucks on my next root canal. I'll pay the Dentist thank you.

As for the price; I examined this purchase based on risk management, not actual costs. I looked at the consequences of not investing this preventive measurem and the cost/benefit return began to look quite attractive. I for one am happy to pay the price for some peace of mind every time my top goes up and down.

I know Gus and Walt, and they are not rolling in cash selling overpriced retrofits to naive Jaguar owners. Gus especially has spent a lot of time and energy on this project. If he and Walt end up making a few bucks to compensate them for their innovation and efforts, I am more than happy to contribute to innovators making these types of parts.

 

I'll respond to the recent comments regarding the hydraulic kit.

As Gus has mentioned, he and I discussed the pressure setting and decided it was wise to be conservative. The first rule is do no harm. If someone wants to twiddle with the pressure setting the process is described in the installation instructions. The valve is spring operated and the pressure can be easily reduced (counter clockwise adjustment) to find the lowest operating point, which is variable based on the weight and mechanical efficiency of the combined parts. There is no harm in reducing the pressure below this point other than the top will not lift all the way. It will require some trial and error. The maximum pressure occurs just as the top reaches the apex of lift. Keep in mind that temperature affects the hydraulic oil viscosity, and mechanical efficiency, so it takes more pressure to operate on a cool day.

Regarding the price, the parts used have high grade industrial specs and are certainly not cheap. I am certain you can find less expensive parts out there but I am not interested in providing something that can turn around and bite me in the butt as people can get nasty. My company is buying the kits in large lots with factory calibrated adjustment so anyone can install it with high likelihood of success. This means putting big chunks of cash at risk on the hope that they will sell. The first prototype, that is still in my car, was done with catalog parts and I adjusted it with the help of a pressure transducer and a data logger. Anyone can do this to save money if you don't count your time. If you want something that goes in and works, we will continue to stock the parts at least for awhile. This is definitely not a get rich quick scheme as I currently see a large pile of formerly liquid assets sitting on the shelf so as far as business decisions are concerned, it sucks.

A lesson for those who would venture into this kind of thing: it is human nature to not do anything until it hits you on the head, or in this case, sprays you in the face. The idea of doing preventative measures that require the spending of money is a foreign concept. Most of the inquiries we get are associated with system failure.

Regarding offshore shipping costs, this is always a problem. The best price is usually with DHL which was about $85 to the UK. The lovely state of Pennsylvania requires us to charge sales tax or else we get whacked with a fine in audit. We normally ship domestically with FedEx Ground as this gives the best price that includes tracking. USPS, without tracking, has the best price but who knows when or if you will get it. For insurance purposes, FedEx works out best and we carry insurance to cover all shipments. We have shipped these kits all over the world and with one exception on this page there have been no issues. One guy in Australia had some electrical problems with those connectors but we got that straightened out.

 

Thanks Gus for all your work, as you know the hose on my 2003 XKR had failed in 2008 and had been replaced with the repair kit. The repait kit only moved the leak down into the splice area near the fuse panel. Replaced the entire hose in early 2009. My son and I installed the kit yesterday, purchased back in November, took about one and half hour. Instructions were great but had to remove pressure relief valve to get clearance for wrench to move hose fitting. Took another half hour to find a small funnel to pour about two oz fluid. Top cycled without any problem.
I'm going to attach two pictures.

 

Bob, I should be thanking you! Your old hose and connectors were part of my tests guiding me to the findings we now have and the results of the hose and pressure valve. Glad to see you got it in and working.

 

Given the amount of time and effort that both Gus and Walt put into the research and production, I do not believe that anyone here should be complaining about the price. The $279 that is currently being asked for units shipped here (the States) seems very fair and I was happy both with the unit itself and the relative ease of installation.

Doug

 

If you ever change your mind, please make a video of it WITH SOUND and post it on YouTube!!