gbokas

All,
my 1999 996 cab top is working but it raises and lowers extremely slow, sometimes stopping and requiring me to release and again press the button to open/close the top.
A couple of months ago I filled the reservoir which was a bit low and the top worked great but recently it started to act up as above and opening/closing slow. I checked the fluid and it is still full above the + marker. I have not found any leaks. Any ideas on what to check next?

Thanks!

George

Hurdigurdiman

Low battery would seem like the obvious culprit. Put it on charge overnight and try again. If all is normal then get pep boys to check the battery free for you. It may be loosing it's charge over time. They last 3 to 5 years tops.

gbokas

Thanks for the quick reply. I have a new battery. Replaced a few weeks ago.

rustymon

Does it change when the car is running vs. not running (this would help you determine if it was the battery or not). Also, does your car have an aftermarket auto-top add-on? I had one, not the smarttop, but a different one that goes in the dash behind the open/close button. This was nothing more than a timer and never seemed to work right for me... worked better once removed and I never had to guess if it was going to finish closing or not!

Hurdigurdiman

Other option. Get it into service position. (and here is where I will get some ribbing from some posters) spray a little WD40 on all moving parts of the top.

gbokas

Same when running or not. I do have the Smarttop module. Think I will pull it to see if anything changes. next step after that might be to lube the hinges.

thanks for the replies.

dcdrechsel

what oil did you fill it with ?

frisbee91

Good advice so far. I would follow up on the above items first.

The next thing I would consider is a bad hydraulic pump or pump motor. Has the sound of it changed significantly since this issue has started to occur?

gbokas

I used pentosin chf 11s. motor sounds the same as it always has. Does hydraulic fluid go bad?

dcdrechsel

Never heard of that type of fluid going bad .Have you tried the key in the door to rule out a flaky cockpit switch ?

gbokas

turns out it needed some more fluid. i was looking at it with the top up instead of in the service position. Which is different. I guess this means I have a small leak somewhere since I filled it a few months ago as well...

Hurdigurdiman

Possible leak on both or one of the pistons which raise and lowers the roof. You can have yours refurbished. Easy to check when in service position. The lower end should be wiped around with tissue for the leak.

dcdrechsel

Just had mine rebuilt by Cabriolet Hydraulics .I started with a small leak that got progressively worse .