Just in case you are new here, and don't have an owner's manual, I thought I'd do a video on manual top operation.

I did my best, took (believe it or not) I THINK 12 takes - this was the best one. Sorry I could not get a hot model to stand in for me.


HEY, I uploaded in HD, what happened?

 

As a fellow roadster owner I Thank you.. Great video, very helpful, greatly appreciate you doing this, You made something that appeared to be very complex look very, very easy. Again THANK YOU.

 

Yea, But I'm my own worst critic. Still not happy with it - but I met a lady on Facebook who bought her car with no manual, from a Ford dealer who knew nothing, and she had NO idea you could do this. So I KNOW there are people who have no idea, and I hate that someone might run into trouble just 'cause they didn't know.





And that lady? She just messaged me on Facebook that she found the tool in the pouch between the seats....

 

I truly enjoyed the video Marc.
You appeared relaxed and were very informative in a simple step by step process that anyone can appreciate if they own a Roadster and I'm sure there is no other video out there that shows the real simplicity to doing this operation

Thank You on behalf of ALL Roadster owners out there

Gary

 

Also posted as a sticky in the TSBs and How-To Articles Section

 

Thanks, Gary. Now, will SOMEONE fix Youtube? 'Cause that was uploaded in HD. (Insert angry emoticon here...)

 

pizzaguy,

thank you, that's a really good tutorial!

You made a remark (with an implied question in it) about the rear bow latch when you were locking it, and I would like to respond. When you locked the rear bow latch with the 6-mm Allen wrench, you humbly said that you were not sure whether the hydraulics lock the rear bow any tighter than the Allen wrench does after you hear the "click". The answer is, the hydraulics might pull down the rear bow a tiny bit farther during the locking process (depending on how much force you used manually), but the end result is the same: once the lock clicks, that is its final latched position. Thank you for bringing it up in the video, and thank you for your attitude that makes people avoid panicking.

One more (lengthy) comment: it appears that Crossfire owners have more than their fair share of tops needing to be moved manually. Most of the posts on this forum show electrical causes for the top not moving via the hydraulic system any more. Over the years, the main cause for the system not working will be shifting to hydraulic leaks. At Top Hydraulics, we are now rebuilding and upgrading Crossfire top hydraulic cylinders on a daily basis, and so far the cylinders mostly come from fairly warm climates. The reason is, the seals in ALL Crossfire cylinders are decaying with time, and that decay is a chemical reaction. The chemical reaction is accelerated by heat and by contamination in the hydraulic fluid. The design criteria for the cylinder seals were for a service life of ten years in relatively warm climates. It is a shame that the OEM manufacturer didn't spend a little more money on putting better seals into the cylinders. There is no DIY fix for all Crossfire cylinders - leave it to the pros, and we can do an excellent job for a relatively low price after you take the cylinders out of your car in DIY and send them to us. I hope that some awesome forum member will be willing to make a DIY on how to remove the cylinders - I don't own a Crossfire and don't have access to one. In a few years, there will be many posts on this forum about folks dealing with leaks in their hydraulic system. Pizzaguy, it is awesome that you made this video, because it is going to be very helpful for folks with hydraulic leaks once they become commonplace.

Klaus

Top Hydraulics | Rebuilt and Upgraded Convertible Top Cylinders, Pumps, Hydraulic Lines - Top Hydraulics, Inc

relevant part numbers for hydraulic cylinders:
Rear bow latch 05142957AA aka A 193 750 0184
Tonneau cover latch 05166559AA aka A 193 750 0183
Folding top rear bow hydraulic cylinder 05142640AA (left side)
Folding top rear bow hydraulic cylinder 05170014AA (right side)
Main drive cylinder 05142639AA (left side)
Main drive cylinder 05170015AA (right side)
Tonneau cover lift cylinder 05142641AA

 

Yea, your business is going to get busy over time. I have a lady on FB about to pay $800 for a leak fix, I will send her your way.
MAN, where where you when that guy showed up this spring looking for a cylinder repair?

 

Spring? They first posted in the middle of March, you just have to stay on top of the posts or use the search features more efficiently.
We figure Spring starts in April, or even May or even ......

 

March IS spring down here, Dave.

 

pizzaguy, thanks for the referral. We rebuild/upgrade Crossfire cylinders pretty much every day now, so I'm surprised at how few posts there are on this forum about the subject. Well, that'll change...

Klaus

Top Hydraulics | Rebuilt and Upgraded Convertible Top Cylinders, Pumps, Hydraulic Lines - Top Hydraulics, Inc

 

Thnks Mark.

Even I understood your instructions.

Well done!

 

Thanks for taking the time to make the video. Very helpful. I guess I better locate a "TOOL" just in case. Thanks again!!!!
Mark

 

make that TOOLS
1. the 'official' flat metal tool, or a 10 mm open end wrench ground thin and painted so it doesn't rust.
2. a 6 mm Allen wrench.

 

Even thought I have the Owners Manual, "your picture (vid in this case) is worth a thousand words"
Thank You

 

Just jumped into the notepad world.. and reading this thread I'm thinking load that up on it.. notepad will be to leave the laptop at home while out and about on vacations.. and that could prove pretty valuable to have at your finger tips..

 

so... who is still selling the Chrysler tool? I dont think i have one, or if i do, i have no idea where it is in the car.

 

Many owners had their car and never even knew they had the tool - look in the flap between the seats first, then the glove box, center console and finally in all the cavities under the trunk mat (which is a very bad place to keep it).

 

You don't REALLY need the 'special tool', take a cheap 10mm open end wrench and grind it thin and paint it to prevent rust.
Throw that and the 6mm hex Allen wrench in the console.
If you just got to have it, fire a PM to MrMiata and see if he has any left from the batch he had made.

 

I worked on my srt-6 for about 1 hr. Finally found the bolt to open top manually.:Top is up & so is tough to feel around in there.thanks for the help.