The removal is going allright, but I have stopped just before the last step when the hydraulic lines (including the cover plate) are detached. Close inspection of the reservoir shows that the level is below the minimum, contrary to what I had thought a few days ago.

This makes me think the more likely cause of my top problem is leaky cylinders and perhaps not the hydraulic pump. Thus I am wondering if I should reinstall the pump after adding fluid to the max level and see if the top operates normally. Since I have not broken the integrity of the lines, this would be a fairly simple task. If so,then the problem is not the pump, agree?

Please give me your advice. Should I test the pump with proper fluid level? If it works normally, should I still send the pump in for analysis?

I will post pics from the removal process so far in another post (actually the next two posts).