Guide for replacing old hydraulic lines

[accts4mjs]

I was looking for new clips because I assumed the old ones were too loose and not holding the hydraulic fitting into the cylinder properly. I did notice that two of the clips have a bend in the center, where the first two I was using were more or less flat. I wonder if put the drivers side ones on the passenger side or something like that. I just figured they'd all be identical. I'll try the other o-rings I bought that match the spec you list. Maybe that's the problem.

I still have all 4 original clips and will try to get them to work.

 

[RobbiZ4]

I was looking for new clips because I assumed the old ones were too loose and not holding the hydraulic fitting into the cylinder properly. I did notice that two of the clips have a bend in the center, where the first two I was using were more or less flat. I wonder if put the drivers side ones on the passenger side or something like that. I just figured they'd all be identical. I'll try the other o-rings I bought that match the spec you list. Maybe that's the problem.

I still have all 4 original clips and will try to get them to work.

The clips are flat and always can be re-used, if not destroyed by violence.

Ensure to get the old o-rings removed out of the hydraulic rams, as you can't mount 2 stacked o-rings!

Another problem I see are the different fitting formats/sizes, which may be incompatible to the original harness routings.

 

[Christopher72]

FWIW, I used new o-rings and at least one new clip for the reason that Robbi said. Dropped one and couldn't locate it and had the new ones from the repleacement harness kit. Wear your readers and use a pick to ensure that the old o-rings aren't in. New ones will satifyingly snap in when you get it right, so be sure to have a clip ready because its going to want to pop back out.

 

[accts4mjs]

Thanks Christopher, good to know. I spoke with the Cabrio team as well and they suggested I pull out the o-ring and try again (maybe it slipped off when I was inserting the line into the port on the cylinder). I have 50 new o-rings just in case I needed more so that's no big deal. He also said to measure the various shoulders and diameters on the line connector to see if it might be a manufacturing issue. I'll report back when I figure it out.

 

[accts4mjs]

Christopher, when you say "snap-in" do you put the o-ring on the connector first, then put it into the port on the cylinder or do you put the o-ring into the port first, then put the connector into the port afterwards?

 

[Christopher72]

I put the o-ring on the end of the hydraulic tubing, then pressed into the hydraulic ram. Make sure theres a little fluid on the o-ring.

Look at time 8:55 in this youtube... not the same ram, but same method of installing.



TopHydraulics has the best pump video... I refurbed my pump through them... good company.

 

[accts4mjs]

Good to know, thanks! I may not get to it until this weekend but I'm going to pull the lines, measure everything (in case my new lines are out of spec), and then re-try seating the line w/o-ring properly. Maybe it came out a little and o-ring got stuck and then pressed down without actually being on anymore

 

[RobbiZ4]

... to measure the various shoulders and diameters on the line connector to see if it might be a manufacturing issue.

Never made this experience.
Those 2x2 on the rams in the rear roof shell mostly are more difficult to push in, the others are easy to fit.

Special hint:
I wouldn't replace the 2x2 hydraulic hoses at the main pillar cylinders, as the never failed up to now AND are difficult & risky to replace. Just put the new hoses on the bottom of the trunk, close the fittings with a fabric tape on both ends against dust and ants and forget it for the next decade.

 

[accts4mjs]

@RobbiZ4 I'm glad to hear you don't recommend replacing the main pillar 2x2 hoses. I wasn't going to because they don't seem to get a lot of movement and tension like the roof cylinders do.