Originally Posted by
Blaze_Red_Crossfire
I live in Florida [...] I can't even get my top to go up or down, everything was fine a few days ago, then I heard a buzzing sound yesterday so I thought uh oh, now today I tried putting my top up and it just buzzed and died on me. It will not move and will not lock into place, so I'm basically driving with this intermittent beeping noise telling me my top is not all the way down and the convertible latch is not secured. Can someone please tell me what could be wrong? Do you think one of the hydraulics failed? If so is there a way to fix it? Ideally I want to try a fast fix like putting more fluid in it, how would I go about that?
Since you are describing a beeping AND a buzzing, you are likely having a low hydraulic fluid level. The beeping would be a warning that there is a problem with the system, such as you trying to drive the car without the top being locked down. If the hydraulic convertible top pump makes a different noise than it used to (you are describing a buzzing), then that is likely from the pump sucking air, as a result from hydraulic fluid leaking. Check the reservoir attached to the pump - it has min/max markers.
The hydraulic fluid doesn't evaporate. If the fluid level is low, then you very likely have a leak from one of the hydraulic cylinders' seals. Your Crossfire roadster has hydraulic cylinders for locking the rear, lifting the top, and moving the rear bow (i.e., flipping the window portion up and down). All these cylinders have Polyurethane seals in them that decay with time. It's an unavoidable chemical reaction that gets accelerated by heat. You can have those cylinders upgraded by having the seals replaced with a much better material, so that your used cylinders will be much better than new ones. No kidding.
What concerns me, is that you say the system eventually died on you. I hope it just timed out, but am worried that the pump may have burnt out from running dry for too long. If you find that the reservoir is empty, then you could still put in some proper fluid (Pentosin CHF-11S or FeBi 02615) and check if the pump will come back to life. You can fill the reservoir with a syringe, if needed.
Please let us know what you find, and we can take it from there. I'm sure that pizzaguy has some additional, valuable input for you - he is an incredibly helpful forum member!
Klaus