convertable top not working rite

[dvkruppa]

Convertable Top fixed --- Finally

If you are having intermittent top raising issues try checking the small pigtail cable that attaches between the vehicle harness and the position sensor on the front tonneau that is centered behind the seat bulkhead. I hard wired mine (with Soldered Connections - 3 wires) and fixed the intermittent issue.

 

[vette100]

I have a simliar problem with my 2004 convertible top. I took it to the local shop first. They could not fix it. I took it to cadillac today. They quoted me $3500 to fix it. They said I need a new hydraulic pump and control module. looks like the car will be a hard top for awhile. I may try to replace it myself if I can get up the nerve.

 

[davidxlr]

My trunk/top on my 05 xlr had been having intermittent issues for quite awhile. Main problem was trunk would not close without some help pushing it down. Opened fine. Top worked well most all the time but sometimes the back flap wouldnt go down when closing; had to stop and restart.
Took it to dealership. After saying Tech 2 showed no codes or reveal the problem, they tore it down to seach manually. Then said it was the pump that needed to be replaced. Pump replaced, still problem not fixed. Still in shop. Been there over four weeks.
Just opened a case with Cadillac. Dealership has been dealing with Cad Engineers/tech people throughout. Pretty disturbed about the whole ordeal.
Anybody else had anything like this happen?
Suggestions and Comments appreciated.
I miss my car!

 

[David_B]

You can get your pump re-built here.

Cadillac XLR - Top Hydraulics, Inc

 

[ccclarke]

Sadly, stories like yours are becoming all-too-common.

As certified XLR techs become scarce and techs in general have minimal experience working on the XLR's folding top, they completely lose it when a Tech 2 doesn't give them a fault code and begin to plug and chug parts (and try to train themselves) on the owner's dime. As you already know, the hydraulic pump is anything but cheap. The tech 2 can measure a lot of pump-related parameters to gauge its performance without it throwing a fault code.

If your symptom elaboration is thorough, the pump has nothing to do with the auto cinch latch that pulls the rear deck lid into place when its switch is tripped. There may be other issues at play, but the pump wouldn't be a suspect for that kind of problem, since it's electro-mechanical and isolated to a specific function. (Drawing the deck lid down at the end of the movement cycle.)

The front tonneau cover (what you call the "black flaps") intermittent operation is probably related to a position sensor, but without seeing the position count values stored in the folding top control module, that's just me trying to make an educated guess based on the how the folding top operates.

It makes no sense to have a car sitting at a dealership while they scratch their collective heads for this problem, unless they are clueless. Troubleshooting the folding top isn't black magic or rocket science.

But being able to drink beer while working in the garage definitely makes the process smoother -to a point for me.

CC

 

[davidxlr]

clarke thanks for the info. Im not mechanically inclined enough to troubleshoot it.
The big problem I had was the trunk wouldnt close without manually helping it. The motor would run when the trunk close button was pressed but nothing would happen until the trunk was closed enough that gravity took it on down and then it closed and sealed itself. Would a bad pump account for that issue? From your description it would seem that it would.
Do you have some specific questions for me to pose to the service people working on this?
I appreciate any input you or anyone else with knowledge can provide.
Thanks!

 

[Smoothran]

I just learned from my local Cadillac service dept. that air can get in the lines when the fluid is low causing the sensors confusion. They don't collectively know what happened, because they're programmed to follow in sequence. So if the fluid level is low enough and air gets into the lines the stuttering is the 1st sign.
Mine did this but I didn't know about this cure. It went down but with help from me. It wouldn't come back up. Had to manually get it up. Read above where someone was quoted $3500 for a repair. That takes the fun out of owning one of these cars. I also need a taillight. $900 bucks. Preparing to spend large on the repair, I took it to the dealer. I left there smiling, top working properly and my pockets lighter by a little over $150. Grinning from ear to ear while writing this. I was sooo happy I spent another 200 bucks for a new key fob and trunk key. Hope this info helps you.

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