Guide for replacing old hydraulic lines
- Thread starter LordLolzeye
- Start date
MaxSheperd
Member
Hi there,
I am having the following problem, maybe someone looking into this thread might know something?
here https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2004985#p2004985
I am having the following problem, maybe someone looking into this thread might know something?
here https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2004985#p2004985
Hello guys,
I have found this company in Europe. They purpose:
- a quick coupler to repare a leak
- a kit with 2 coupler and a part of hydraulic hose
- a custom hose with origin plug
shop.cabriotech.nl
shop.cabriotech.nl
I have found this company in Europe. They purpose:
- a quick coupler to repare a leak
- a kit with 2 coupler and a part of hydraulic hose
- a custom hose with origin plug
Cabriotech hydraulic cabriolet service Groningen, Netherlands
Cabriotech is a company built around cabriolets. We focus on all types of maintenance and make custom hydraulic hoses for your application.
shop.cabriotech.nl
Parts
Our high-quality parts keep your convertible top running smoothly and reliably. From motors to seals, we have everything you need to keep your convertible in top condition, for carefree rides under all conditions.
shop.cabriotech.nl
MaxSheperd
Member
Hello there,
I need to change the hoses that go to up to the cylinders of the rear and front shells. Does anyone know the exact number?
I am trying not to remove them until I have received them. I can see that the number 21 goes to one of the shells but I cannot see the remaining 3. Does anyone have this information to share in this post please?
Thanks!
Max
I need to change the hoses that go to up to the cylinders of the rear and front shells. Does anyone know the exact number?
I am trying not to remove them until I have received them. I can see that the number 21 goes to one of the shells but I cannot see the remaining 3. Does anyone have this information to share in this post please?
Thanks!
Max
MaxSheperd
Member
Hello Dave,
can I ask you how you managed to pass through the new harness under the front shell ? did you remove it? or you loosened it?
there harness there does an elbow, so wondering how you passed the new harness through.
The z4 that already had the s676 is leaking, just found out whilst I was inspecting the sound system there!
I have NOT identified the source of the link but I found trails here and there in the roof storage area in the boot (along with the area behind the seat, which I still cannot understand how it could get soaked in hydraulic oil. But it s clear oil so it has to be from the roof system.
there are holes in the car frame (internally) so it could seep through from the boot area. the headlining is not oily, it seems.
z4-forum.com
I will inspect the wiring as well and if worn I will replace in all of the elbows with industrial heavy duty 4000000 times bents guaranteed!
www.cabriolet-roof-hoses.com
do you also happen to know the hose numbers of those going up to the shells?
I am buying from them so they want the number. I can see at least 21, so I would assume the cluster 21 through 24 to go the shell.
can I ask you how you managed to pass through the new harness under the front shell ? did you remove it? or you loosened it?
there harness there does an elbow, so wondering how you passed the new harness through.
The z4 that already had the s676 is leaking, just found out whilst I was inspecting the sound system there!
I have NOT identified the source of the link but I found trails here and there in the roof storage area in the boot (along with the area behind the seat, which I still cannot understand how it could get soaked in hydraulic oil. But it s clear oil so it has to be from the roof system.
there are holes in the car frame (internally) so it could seep through from the boot area. the headlining is not oily, it seems.
Leak under the Passenger side flooring - near back of the seat
Dear All, I have found a leak just behind the passenger seat near the right seat track. The leak though goes through a larger area, and if you touch the car flooring it is damp. I thought it could be the roof hydraulics but I do not think they lines run in this bit of the car. There are no...
z4-forum.com
BMW E89 Z4 Roadster (2009-) Hydraulic Cabriolet Roof Hoses
Direct Replacement Stainless Steel Braided Hydraulic Cabriolet Roof Hoses at a fraction of the cost from a BMW dealer.
www.cabriolet-roof-hoses.com
I am buying from them so they want the number. I can see at least 21, so I would assume the cluster 21 through 24 to go the shell.
AnubisZed said:To anyone thinking of doing this work....... DON'T
Only kidding
Well mine is now done and complete, so I'm a happy bunny. This was to be done the previous weekend but one of the rear roof bolts was stuck solid so had to abandon that attempt and seek engineering assistance :headbang:
So part way through the morning it looked something like this....
20220903_084609.jpg
And then about 7 hours later it looked a lot like this...
20220903_151318.jpg
Just needed the aligning doing at this point, but that was for Sunday and is now all sorted.
It is a long job and I'd suggest a certain level of mechanical awareness would be beneficial. It's also back breaking, frustrating and bloody awkward to do. I really wasn't looking forward to doing this one little bit, but considering how much this has saved me in labour costs then it is well worth all the hassle.
Would I recommend doing this yourself, well if you are mechanically minded and really don't mind getting stuck in then yes. BUT, this is not a job you can start and then feel it's not for you and get a mechanic to finish it, this is one job you are just going to have to see all the way through to the end.
So what are we replacing here....
Hydraulic hoses to all 6 rams (12 pipes)
Wires to almost all microswitches
2 microswitches (if your Z is an older one like mine is)
Wiring loom for the hydraulic pump complete (including the relay connection block)
Basically the whole lot excluding some of the microswitches themselves.
At the end of the day I looked at it like this, if one of my 12 hoses has split (however that may have occurred) and my Z is 11 years old, then any one of my other 11 may go at any point, coupled with this they all flex at the same rate along with the wiring loom to the microswitches. This is a very big job to do to replace one hose, so why not just bite the bullet and do the lot in one go, yes it is time consuming but to do it all at once is going to save you having to do it all again next time. So I'm pretty sure I won't have to do any of this again in what I consider will be the remainder of my ownership. Just my thought process
I have now found the culprit that was the leak in the first place, a slit in the pipe on the leading bend of the drivers side rear roof section...
20220903_090816.jpg
And a closer look...
20220903_090715.jpg
Really not sure how this has happened, it's not like it's a location that flexes every time you operate the roof, you can't access this location without removing the headlining, but it is exposed when you have the front roof shell repaired under warranty!! :?
I'd like to say a massive thank you to LordLolzeye for all of his efforts in producing this How-To, it has been invaluable in getting this work completed, thank you sir you are a legend :driving:
And this has to be done very, very carefully as many of these "old" connectors tend to tear off the glass when trying to remove the two connectors!!!AnubisZed said:
That is a very sh.itty situation as these connectors were soldered directly onto the metallized glass.
In between I found a solution to get it fixed with my heatgun. But this is very risky if you don't have any experience with carglas.
I loosen the two rear screws of the front panel to remove the old harness and move the now one into this "ellbow". But, always open these screws only after heating up the screw's core with a heatgun. Not cold, as you risk to tear a glued screw!MaxSheperd said:
And take care of the shims below these 2 screws.
My buddy's car had a minor fluid leak on the driver side. The cylinder and pipe/line was fine but it was leaking at the port. I slide the retaining clip out and removed the pipe/line and seal. The seal looked fine. I did notice that the retaining clip seemed to be 'flattened' so it was retaining, but not providing an axial force. I used a small screwdriver to open up the clip so it provided a stronger wedge. It took more force to reinstall but the leaking has stopped. Time will tell.
ted928 said:
I swapped the seal with one from the other side and there is still a leak on the driver side (left side) so it looks like the seal is not the problem. I don't see leaking from the rod seal so I think the hydraulic line must be leaking at the swaging. Looks like I will be replacing all the lines.
CayugaSpeedster
New member
I just repaired a leaking hydraulic hose at the bow in roof shell 2 using these hydraulic hose couplers: https://cabriolethydraulics.com/hydraulic-hose-repair-couplers/
It took about about an hour - I cut out the bad section, installed the coupler, and put everything back together. I then refilled the hydraulic fluid in the reservoir near the pump in the trunk - it's self bleeding. All works like new now.
Regardless of whether you attempt a repair, or replace all the hoses, make sure you put the zip ties back *exactly* where they were - I got this wrong while repairing the wiring and the friction from the zip tie is what caused the hydraulic line to burst.
It took about about an hour - I cut out the bad section, installed the coupler, and put everything back together. I then refilled the hydraulic fluid in the reservoir near the pump in the trunk - it's self bleeding. All works like new now.
Regardless of whether you attempt a repair, or replace all the hoses, make sure you put the zip ties back *exactly* where they were - I got this wrong while repairing the wiring and the friction from the zip tie is what caused the hydraulic line to burst.
Wow! You reallyCayugaSpeedster said:
- shortened the hydraulic hose?
- put the coupler ino the mid of the upper bow?
I'm always trying to extend the diameters of the upper bows when dismantling the roof to increase the lifetime of the hoses. Shortening is an interesting direction...
The original hoses have a diameter of 2.0 mm.shuchan said:
accts4mjs
Member
Hello, first, thank you for all of the amazing information! I tried to order a wiring harness from a BMW parts site and got the runaround for two weeks while they kept changing the price and I finally decided to just build my own harness. I bought hoses from https://www.cabriolet-roof-hoses.co...89-z4-roadster-hydraulic-cabriolet-roof-hoses and SXL flex rated automative wiring from Remington Industries: https://www.remingtonindustries.com...e-stranded-10-colors-7-spool-sizes-available/.
I was able to build the the new harness by drawing the various locations in the old harness where the tape goes, the clips, and the sleeves along with lengths of wire, color of wire, etc.
All went well until I installed the hydraulic line, with a brand new o-ring, back into the cylinder only to have it leak out when I put the retaining clip back on and moved the roof top arm.
I tried to buy new retaining clips but couldn't find any anywhere.
Questions:
1. Does anyone have a part number for the clips (photos below)? Or even better, a source to buy them?
2. Did I put the new o-ring on the hydraulic swange connector properly? I also wiped it with a touch of hydraulic fluid.
3. Anything else I'm not considering? Is there a way to re-bend the original clip to get it to work again?
I was able to build the the new harness by drawing the various locations in the old harness where the tape goes, the clips, and the sleeves along with lengths of wire, color of wire, etc.
All went well until I installed the hydraulic line, with a brand new o-ring, back into the cylinder only to have it leak out when I put the retaining clip back on and moved the roof top arm.
I tried to buy new retaining clips but couldn't find any anywhere.
Questions:
1. Does anyone have a part number for the clips (photos below)? Or even better, a source to buy them?
2. Did I put the new o-ring on the hydraulic swange connector properly? I also wiped it with a touch of hydraulic fluid.
3. Anything else I'm not considering? Is there a way to re-bend the original clip to get it to work again?
accts4mjs
Member
Thanks Robbi. Any chance you have a photo of a good clip and how it should be shaped to re-use it? It definitely slides in and out real easy now versus it did not want to move when I first pulled the clips. I ordered o-rings to per the spec you list above, but I used the o-ring that came from CRH (where I got the custom made hoses) and figured that would be best. I can swap out the o-rings if you think that's worth trying.
You have to compare the size of your o-ring format.
If there is a minor difference to the above format, you won't get it mounted into the cylinders.
Why do you need new clips? Dropped the old ones into the bin?
These clips will slide easily as long as the o-ring is missing. A mounted o-ring will bring some tension on this system and the fitting tends to pop out of the cylinder. Mounting new original hoses sometimes is tricky, especially on the hydraulic rams on the rear roof shell.
If there is a minor difference to the above format, you won't get it mounted into the cylinders.
Why do you need new clips? Dropped the old ones into the bin?
These clips will slide easily as long as the o-ring is missing. A mounted o-ring will bring some tension on this system and the fitting tends to pop out of the cylinder. Mounting new original hoses sometimes is tricky, especially on the hydraulic rams on the rear roof shell.
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