anyone know a shop that services and repairs convertible tops in Los Angeles or Orange County??? need help, not sure if motor is bad or something else. just bought the car last month.

 

It's probably the switch - they usually respond well to disassembly and cleaning.

To avoid the problem in the future, the switch should be connected through a relay, so that high current doesn't go through it.

- Eric

 

i think you might be right... cuz when i hit switch is starts..then it feels like switch isn't connecting.. then i noticed after that I try to lower power windows and they dont' go down. then after a few minutes windows work. do you think i should take it to an auto electric?? i did find one convertible shop in San Gabriel CA.. which is 10 miles from my house.. at first i thought hydraulic was going bad.. it was getting stuck on passenger side...like not opening on one hinge..last week.. now its down and goes up a few inches than stops...then top inches back down. thanks for your help..

 

In that case, it sounds like your circuit breaker is tripping - either a bad circuit breaker, or some reason for the top motor to be using too much current, such as the top binding because of poor lubrication.
Have you checked your fluid level?

- Eric

 

i had a similar problem with my 66 88 convertible and i believe it was a circuit breaker connection in the drivers kick panel.clened connections and havent had a problem in years,jc

 

good morning guys... dropped off my car at convertibleparts in San Gabriel. we looked at motor and hoses.. appears to be original. they just called me back and recommended i change out whole system. one cylinder is leaking and motor is cutting in and out. I mentioned maybe a short...but they ran an aux line directly to motor and got same results.

Parts (new pump, two hydraulic lifts, new hoses.) 598 + taxes

and 450 in labor???

is it really hard to do the work myself???? keep in mind the top is down, and will not go up right now??? a

 

the top pistons and motor are pretty accessible and not very hard to change.i didnt change my lines when i replaced pistons.a co. called hydro-electric,they used to be near me in auburn,ma but i think ive seen a fl address recently,jc

 

No, it should not be $1,000-hard to do the work yourself.

You should be able to fix it yourself, and probably with fewer parts.
There is a guy who rebuilds the motors, too ( I forget who), which might be cheaper than a new one. (I'd take it apart myself to see if I could find the problem).
You could pull the motor, send it out, and drive the car while its rebuilt. If you disconnect the cylinders, you can haul the top up and down by hand, too, if you put your back into it.

- Eric

 

$598 in parts doesn't seem that bad to me. I looked around for days before I bought the stuff for mine. A new pump averages around $225, rams are $115 ea and a hose kit is around $100. These are retail prices. So 598 plus tax from the installer seems OK. The labor seems a bit high, but it adds up fast at $100/hr. Having your stuff rebuilt would save some, but that would vary by region and rebuilder.

Tim