Help! How do you check the top hydraulic fluid level?

[catcottf]

Hydaulic Fluid

HI All,
Good afternoon from the Lake of the Ozarks. Just another day in Paradise. Just keep in mind if your fluid level goes down you may just have a leak. Mine kept getting low and I found out that I had two hydraulic pistons leaking. Had the Cadillac dealer replace the two pistons and it solved the low level issue. It did take several XLR $$$'s to repair but no more leaks......
Fred

 

[diaonyx]

Convertible top hydraulic fluid

Can a substitute hydraulic fluid be used in the pump or is it GM specific? I see numerous brands but ignorant to whether they differ like oil. Thanks

 

[rexster314]

Can a substitute hydraulic fluid be used in the pump or is it GM specific? I see numerous brands but ignorant to whether they differ like oil. Thanks

I don't think I would risk it unless you have access to a lab to determine what the GM fluid contains opposed to a different brand fluid. I'm sure that there are additives and modifiers that the other brand may not contain

 

[catcottf]

Hydraulic fluid

Hi,
Good morning. Sunny and 45 in Paradise and only 47 days til Spring... I would not use any other hydraulic fluid. It was kind of expensive but there are too many parts with seals and gaskets involved to start mixing types and brands. I purchased mine on line but if I need to get it again, I will go through a GM/Cadillac dealer. The shipping was as much as the fluid because of government regs on shipping. Thanks and have a great day.
Fred

 

[catcottf]

Hydraulic fluid

Hi All,
Good morning. Still nice in Paradise. Go to Top Hydraulics | Rebuilt and Upgraded Convertible Top Cylinders, Pumps, Hydraulic Lines - Top Hydraulics, Inc and they talk about and show a diagram of all the hyudraulic cylinders and the pump. The GM Part# for the fluid is 88865214. Have a great day.
Fred

 

[catcottf]

Hydraulic fluid

Hi All,
Good morning. Still nice in Paradise. Go to www.tophydraulicsinc.com and they talk about and show a diagram of all the hyudraulic cylinders and the pump. The GM Part# for the fluid is 88865214. Have a great day.
Fred

 

[Big Duck]

For what it is worth..........I talked to Lucas Oil and their #10019 Hydraulic oil Booster Stop Leak Is compatible with the Hydraulic oil in the system.
It is supposed to "rejuvenate" the seals in the system and prevent seal failure. I have not tried it yet but I ordered it. Has anybody used this?
Lucas said to only add %5 to %10 to the system. I am trying to find out the capacity of the system. If it is 1 quart you would add 3oz.

 

[catcottf]

Hi All,
Good afternoon. Just another day in Paradise and only 54 days til Spring!!! As you may see the fill hole is on the side of the pump at the top. I went to Walmart and purchased a turkey baster for $0.98 and put a bend in the big A___ needle and it works great to fill the fluid reservoir. Just put the excess back in the bottle then make sure to trash the baster. You can keep the bent needle the fluid will eat up the rubber in the plunger. For $0.98 you can afford a new one each time you add fluid. Have a great day
Fred

 

[MrSunshine]

Wow! So glad this forum & this thread exist! I just stumbled across this thread & decided to take a look. (I recently noticed that my trunk was slowly dropping when open.) I just assumed it was time to rebuild the tops hydro system. After a bit of reading, I decided to go take a look at my reservoir & sure enough, it was just below the minimum line! Gonna get me a turkey baster, some 8865214 fluid & see it that doesn't do the trick! Thanks all for the info!

 

[catcottf]

Hi All, Sunny and pretty chilly in Paradise. But only 49 days til Spring!!! GF says it is not a baster but is a turkey injector that I use. Sorry for the domestic misname. Have a great day.

 

[MrSunshine]

Hi All, Sunny and pretty chilly in Paradise. But only 49 days til Spring!!! GF says it is not a baster but is a turkey injector that I use. Sorry for the domestic misname. Have a great day.

Thanks for the clarification! That actually makes even better sense, as they are different! Turkey "INJECTOR" it is!

 

[Sophia]

Thanks for the picture Tim. I need to check my top pump fluid levels and I know nothing about cars. Pictures help!

 

[Sophia]

I had the same problem of top motor sounding a little strained. Checked the fluid and it was below minimum level. Put in adelco fluid suggested on this site and the top is working perfectly. Thanks for all the pics and information! You are a great group.

 

[long Tall Sally]

instead of adding fluid, use the baster to remove it all and replace it with new. You might want to do it a couple times after cycling the top. That will help but the seals still leave a bit to be desired and will eventually need the help of the great top company TOP HYDRAULICS

 

[Sophia]

Thanks....baster would have been better. After I over filled and had to remove a little I noticed it was dirty and replaced. I siphoned with a 5ft piece of drip hose I had in the garage. Ended up with a mouth full of oil! Note to self...USE BASTER! Thanks. Will replace again as you suggest after running top a few times to get dirty oil out of lines.