Found the reason my top woun't work, one of the hydraulic lines was cut in half. Not sure how that happened. it was cut behind the left tail light. I am hoping i can repair it with some type of repair kit. Does anyone know of a repair kit to splice and repair a line? I think I would be a bear to replace.

Thanks For Any Suggestions,

Dennis

 

Great news. At least you know the problem and saved $4000 to boot. With hydraliics you will need to secure it very tight. You may want to see how much a new line would cost. Also you may want to go to a Checker, etc. and see if they have a hose that your line fits in tightly and put claps on each end. Let us know how it comes out.

 

Dennis,

I'm new to Crossfires (and the thrill has not worn off any) so this may not be helpful. I suspect the line is polyethylene or something similar. That's been used for decades, and is the orginal line material on my 67 Dart GT convertible. Compression fittings should be available for polyethylene or steele lines. There will be a fitting between the cut ends. Slinde a nut over the end, then the compression "washer," then tighten. I've used them on water lines and even brake lines, with no failures ever. Unless there is something unusual, the compression fitting should cost only a few dollars.

Good luck.

Michael

 

You will need to reset the hydraulic pressure after the repair, as the manual states

 

what is Checker, etc? and I would rather repair the line than pay to have it replaced. do you know the IO Inside and OS outside diameters of the Hydraulic lines what work the top? several people are talking about compression fittings do you know anything about them?

 

Hello, I am needing more info on these compression fittings etc....where can i get them? can you send me a link on where I might find them? Do you happen to know the size of my line? and what they are called? They are black and look like they are polyethylene...thanks for any help..

.Dennis
678-897-8493

 

Since the lines are already broken perhaps you could snip off a small piece to use as a sample to take with you. Checker = Autozone = OReillys. I beleve you should be able to get the compression fitttings at Ace, Home Depot, Lowe's, plumbing suppy. I like the issue of compression fittings.

 

Look in the yellow pages for a local Hydraulic shop or industrial supply. Then , as stated above, snip about a 1/2 inch piece off and take it in to the store. Tell them you want a coupler.
They will size it for you and will tell you how to splice the line.
You will want to make sure you have room for a coupler. If the line was cut during operation there might be a pinch point causing the failure. If thats the case then you might want to splice on either side of the pinch point with a new piece of line.

 

Ok thanks for your help I was going to get started tomorrow....Dennis

 

Went out and got the compression coupling and it was a 3/16 or a 1/4 or and 1/8 does that sound right?

 

sounds about right. Let us know the exact size so I can update my manual.

 

I hope that the repair holds. I think I would be more confident of a complete replacement of the line.

Why am I not surprised that the dealer didn't have a clue what your problem was, but was ready to charge you $4000 to fix it? Or maybe they knew exactly what the problem was, and were going to charge you $4000 for a $150 repair.

 

When using compression fittings on plastic you have to make sure and use inserts that go into the line to keep it from crushing. These fittings are used in the trucking industry for the air brake lines. Just an FYI so you dont crush the line to small or have it come apart.