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98 SL500 soft top issues

6K views 29 replies 7 participants last post by  Royathome 
#1 ·
I have rebuilt the 11 hydraulic cylinders in my SL500. No leaks now. But the main cylinders will not bring the top out of the stored position, If I pull it up manually to the front, all the rest of the system will lock it in place, but the light flashes on the control button. I can't get the light to go off in any position. Suggestions please.
 
#3 ·
There are no electrical connections on the main soft top lift cylinder. I have only rebuilt the hydraulic cylinders as described by Top Hydraulics. I have not done anything else accept reinstall the hydraulic cylinders and try to put the top up. Before I started working on it, it would try to lift the top out of the storage area and then stop as all the fluid would leak out of all of them. Now it won't even more from the stowed position. You can't help it either, it won't let you pull it up while operating the switch.
 
#5 ·
I don't think you can operate the top manually while the ignition is on.That tends to stop the top in motion. This is because the microswitches take over and wants to know where the top is always and it then can retract or pull it over the top.

In your case you may have installed something slightly off..Maybe a micro switch out of sync. You may want to double check all connections.
Did you also try disconnecting the battery for a moment to see if that helps? At least an hour.
Another factor is you year model needs a mercedes STAR or comparable diagnostic scanner to just reset the micro switches or the controls module for you. Hope this info helps!
 
#8 ·
what has worked for me when the top acts up. (Usually from my own fault).
1) I don't recall if ignition was on or off, but I didn't touch the top switch during the process outlined below.
2) release the rear top latches with the tool
3) manually raise and lower the top. This works if the top is down. don't know if you can manually lower than raise the top.
4) turn on the ignition and try to raise the top.

what can happen if the top is moved by hand is that micro switch(s) get activated indication an out of sequence move, which sends the controller into a tizzy not knowing what to do. By manually fully raising the top and then fully lowering the top everything goes through a proper sequence and lets the controller take over.
 
#17 · (Edited)
NO, you cannot just unplug or short it for the softtop to work.

The Controller must detect the cover is "OPEN" before it will raise the soft top and latch it at the windshield, then it must detect the cover is CLOSED to finish the operation of lowering the rear window and latch it in place. The light will go out when everything is done.

Edit : Attached is the sequence of operation of the soft top
 

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#21 ·
Thank you again. This morning I decided to look at the four micro switches in the storage compartment and you are correct. Once I readjusted three of them, because they were not functioning, I managed to manually get the top up and used the top switch to get it locked in place and the light in the switch went out. Yahoo! That was a 4 am decision to look at the switches, and now after adjusting the locking pals on the soft top, it now locks down. I have the entire system back together now and the car out of the garage for the first time in a month. I will attempt to cycle the system tomorrow. Maybe with the switches adjusted it will cycle, I didn't want to try it tonight as the wife is happy to be able to get her car into the garage again, after a month. I'll update you and the progress tomorrow.
 
#22 ·
Well I tried to lower top again today and it makes it through step 4 on the soft top opening procedure. The storage compartment cover doesn't open. Now if I stow the top manually, then it opens the cover right away in the opening procedure just fine. Right now I can lock the storage compartment with the top out and the top will complete the opening procedure itself. It pushes the top into the front bow and locks and then pushes the back down and locks it in place, and the light goes out. So now I am happy that I can get the top locked in place. Now I can get it out of the garage and take the hard top in to get a new roof liner installed while I trouble shoot the rest. Progress, not the least that it doesn't leak fluid either.
 
#24 ·
Well I tried to lower top again today and it makes it through step 4 on the soft top opening procedure. The storage compartment cover doesn't open.
I believe you installed the left-side fabric bow cylinder incorrectly. The cylinder rod has two assymetric orientations -- with the wrong one the microswitch that detects the fabric bow in the raised position will not close. If this is the problem, then to correct it you need to unbolt the end of the rod, reverse it 180 degrees, and re-attach.
 
#23 · (Edited)
So looks like you have made progress and can raise the top with the button, but is stuck at lowereing the top after stage 4 which is moving the rear window UP.
Check the micro switch associated with the rear window, may be the controller is not getting the signal that the window is up and out of the way before the cover can open.
 
#25 ·
In answer to RKH, thank you and you may be right. Yuck, that is the worst switch to get to.

In answer to bobterry99, thank you also, I did not rebuild the front bow cylinders, that was done just before I bought the car. Is there any way to look at it and see that it is reversed? They lock fine when I put the top up manually and use the switch to finish the last steps of locking the top in the bow and lowering the rear window section and locking it down. As I told RKH, if the top is completely stowed, the cover opens correctly when I try to raise the top, but that is as far as it gets. Nothing happens after the cover goes up.
 
#26 ·
bobterry99, I think I am calling the front windshield bow the bow . I see in the diagram that is not what is called the bow cylinder. So the shaft end of the left Bow cylinder is what you are talking, that is the one that is cautioned that you don't crush the micro switch, right? You are saying that I have that rod end turned around, correct? I did replace that cylinder with a rebuilt one and didn't know which way it went when I reinstalled it, Thanks again for your input and I will try reversing it.
 
#29 ·
Thanks for the info. Yep, I saw the difference when I looked at it today. Relatively easy fix, and the top went up and down twice and then blew fluid out of the windshield bow right cylinder. It built up pressure as it got all air out for the system and popped the right windshield cylinder clip ring out. The two in the windshield bow had already been replaced/rebuilt before I bought the car. Well they didn't get the clip ring seated good, so fluid everywhere. Simple fix, remove the right cylinder and properly install the clip ring, and the whole system now works.
 
#30 ·
I'd like to thank the three people that all came up with the same answer and they were all correct. I had put the right bow cylinder in, in the wrong orientation. Now the top goes up and down just like it is supposed to and I can go have the hard top head liner replaced. I also need to replace those plastic parts up in the windshield area, Suggestions? I need new visors, the plastic cover over the interior lights and the little plastic brackets that cover the visor attachment points. I saw some metal ones for 50 dollars each on line. The visors were 300 a set.
 
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