I noticed the last couple of times when I put up my top the rear window wouldn't go down gar enough to latch. I had to press on it to make it latch. Well this afternoon I took a look at it and noticed a shock type thing leaking on the passenger side. Ive only owned the car maybe 2 months so im still very unfamiliar . In the picture you can see where the liquid is coming out and running down the inside of the car.

 

You will most likely need to replace the seals, then bleed the system and add fluid per the service manual. --> http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...38119709879010

 

see this thread :
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...gon-coast.html

 

Thanks for the link.. really came in handy. I removed the hydraulic actuator or what ever its called and operated the top to see exactly where the leak was. Found it pretty easy. It coming out the sides of the plastic where the rod goes through to attach it to the car. Is this something I can fix myself or do I need to get the entire thing rebuilt? I would hate to have my car down for a few days .. esp since its my daily.

 

I do not know, seems with age this is possibly gonna be the next $$$$ item on the roadster list.
Best give Klaus a call at Phone: 541.902.3214 (pst) | 90730 Southview Lane Florence, Oregon 97439 USA

Let us know what he says, please.

 

awdspyder98,

welcome to the forum! We call the leaking part the "Right Main Lift Cylinder". See Rebuild/Upgrade Service for your Crossfire Right Main Lift Cylinder - send in your cylinder first - Top Hydraulics, Inc. You need to send the part in for rebuild/upgrade service. The function of this cylinder, together with the matching one on the left side is to lift the main portion of the convertible top up or down. Chrysler part number 5170055AA, if you can still find anyone who has the part in stock. There is no consistent nomenclature in convertible-hydraulics-land. Some manufacturers will call a cylinder with the same function the "top drive cylinder, right side". Other manufacturers may call it "top actuation cylinder" (if there are only two cylinders in a simplified hydraulic top system).

It is typical for these cylinders to be leaking out of the bottom bushing first. There are seals inside the cylinder that decay with time, and the one on the bottom is typically first. The seal that is leaking on your cylinder, is the bottom cap seal. It is inside the cylinder. To be specific, the Crossfire cylinders have top and bottom cap seals, rod seals, piston seals, and port seals. All of them need to be replaced for a proper rebuild, and we upgrade them in shape, size, and material for maximum longevity. Wherever the OEM saved a few pennies on the seals, we now do the job right.

Replacing the seals inside these cylinders is absolutely not a DIY job. It is quite involved to open up these crimped aluminum cylinders and to crimp them back together in a manner that is at least as reliable as the original crimp. We have made special tools and presses for this, and we actually replace metal parts in the cylinder for precisely machined ones that accommodate our bigger and better seals.In the very rare case that the polished shaft on the cylinder has been deeply scratched or developed rust, we can replace it with a shaft of our own, made of hardened, polished, stainless steel. We can make the whole rebuild/upgrade process economical because it is our specialty: we rebuild convertible hydraulic cylinders for some 25 brands at this point.

awdspyder98, as you have found out, it is fairly easy to remove the main lift cylinder from your car. To remove the hydraulic lines, you need to slide the small stainless retainer clips on the cylinder's rail out of the way, and pull the hydraulic lines straight out. When you manually move the top, there will be some fluid coming out of the detached lines (you are manually pumping it out of cylinders that are still attached to the system), so take some measures to catch that fluid. There should be a safe way to keep the ends inside an empty oil bottle, for example, or wrapped in a rag and stuffed into a zip-lock bag.

With that said, you can remove any cylinder from the car and still operate the top manually. pizzaguy has posted an awesome video on manual top operation: https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...operation.html

One more comment: you will find more cylinders leaking after you are done with this one. It could be instantly, or weeks, or months. Most likely, the next one to leak will be the matching cylinder on the other side. All seven cylinders in the Crossfire have the same, decaying seal material inside. The speed of the decay depends mostly on temperature. (The next most important factor is the quality of the hydraulic fluid, but that's a big subject in itself - I cannot turn this post into a novel...). All seals are exposed to the same fluid. Thus, a combination of seal cross section and the average temperature that these cylinders are exposed to, will most likely determine which cylinder will fail next.

I hope this helps,

Klaus

relevant part numbers:
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
Hydraulic pump 5142638AA

 

Now that is an awesome reply.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

helps allot. I wanted to thank Mrmiata for sending me a multipurpose tool so I may remove the hydraulic actuator over the weekend. He went above and beyond what I expected. Mrmiata ROCKS! As soon as I receive the tool, which should be by Saturday, I will remove the part and send it in for a rebuild. I wanted to thank everyone who helped out with advice on this particular issue I had. I know Im new to the entire crossfire forum but hopefully in time I will be able to give back what has been given to me .

 

I agree 100%

 

I will definatly save this file on my computer! Its a must have

 

Your wrench is in the mail..

 

This is indeed a very useful document - thank you for sharing it! Quite well written, compared to similar documents for some other brands.

Just to clarify: this document only refers to the port seals being replaceable on the cylinders. Port seals are the ones sealing the hydraulic lines to the cylinders. The port seal is not what is leaking, but it needs to be replaced after taking a hydraulic line out of a cylinder. The document is indeed showing on page 4070 how to install port seals after a hydraulic line has been removed. Top Hydraulics always ships the rebuilt cylinders back with three port seals in a bag, attached to the cylinder so that they don't get lost. Two seals are to be put on the two hydraulic lines, and the third one is a spare in case you loose one. We include an illustration for port seal installation. The trick is, the port seals need to be pushed on the hydraulic line fittings before you push the fittings into the cylinder. When and if the fittings get pulled out again, the port seals will remain in the cylinder port.

The reservoir is attached to the pump, which is in the trunk's left rear corner. The system is self bleeding. After some five cycles, all air from the cylinder will be transferred into the reservoir. Obviously, you need to keep the fluid level in the pump high enough so that the pump does not suck air while you are activating the system again, and you want to correct the fluid level again after the top has cycled out the air. The document summarizes filling the reservoir as follows on page 4078: "Remove the reservoir plug and fill to appropriate level with the recommended fluid. Reinstall the reservoir plug. Torque to 2 Nm."

Klaus

 

VICTORY! received the multi tool from mrmiata today and went ahead and removed the leaking hydraulic cylinder. Now time to box it up and send it in for the rebuild. Thanks again mrmiata!

 

Great!

And your most welcome..

Always glad to help a member out with taking care of their car where I can..

 

awdspyder98,

a few weeks have passed since your last post in this thread - is everything working well, and have you been keeping an eye on the matching cylinder on the other side?

Klaus

Top Hydraulics | Rebuilt and Upgraded Convertible Top Cylinders, Pumps, Hydraulic Lines - Top Hydraulics, Inc
Rebuild/Upgrade Service for Chrysler Crossfire Roadster Hydraulic Cylinders - Top Hydraulics, Inc


relevant part numbers:
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
Hydraulic pump 5142638AA

 

Thanks for checking in and so far no other leaks. I usually put my top down once a day and everything is operating perfectly! For the past week ive checked my fluid daily just to make sure that there isn't any leaks. Thanks again for the help and quick shipping.