Originally Posted by
Waterwren
Many thanks to everyone who has responded, I appreciate your time and recommendations! I have been searching this site for more information or better yet, a video on how to remove the trunk trim to access the hydraulic reservoir. Saw a post from pizzaguy that says fill level should be half full and is correct amount because it will show higher once the top is done moving and the pressure is released. So if my reservoir is low, only fill to half full? Also, is Pentosin CHF-11S the best hydraulic fluid to use?
I'll let the experts chime in on details. My top wasn't working when I bought my car. I tried adding additional Pentosin fluid. I could see a glimmer of life in the movement of the top, but it stopped immediately and I could see hydraulic fluid had leaked from the two main lifting cylinders. I took those two off and sent them to Top Hydraulics for rebuilding. Everything worked perfectly after I got the two cylinders back and reinstalled them and filled the reservoir to half-full. Haven't touched it since then.
As Pizzaguy has often said, the hydraulic fluid is not consumed and doesn't evaporate. As a result, if you're low, there's a reason.