Help! Need to manually open top.

[Sophia]

I need to chat with someone who has actually manually opened their xlr top. I have watched all of klaus videos, which are awesome, but run into an issue of the top not going deep enough into the trunk by about a half inch, and the top tonneau can not close. Trying to find someone who has done this process manually. There must be some reason (a required tilt, etc.) Why the top is not going deep enough. When relifting the top to try to correct the issue i saw there are back hinges that lock the top in place. Is the top not folding into these latches properly? And how should the top latch near the top tonneau latch in place? I tried recovering with the 8mm front claw latch in the fully open position. Not sure what else to try. I have a car cover and can leave the top down until I can get it repaired, if I could just get the top down. Any help is appreciated. I have watched all of the videos but none of them talk about how the top folds down and hooks inside the trunk.

 

[Rob]

Moving out of the SITE HELP and Feedback forum and into the correct XLR Tech forum...

 

[David_B]

You did turn the valve at the pump? I never didn't do that, but maybe if you don't the top can't retract all the way.

 

[Sophia]

I did turn the pump for the trunk to unfold. Perhaps I turned it back too soon. Thanks for the idea. I will give it a try tomorrow. I am dying to get this top down so I can have some fun until I get the top fixed. I am going to give it a full overhaul so it will be expensive even using Top Hydrolics. I appreciate the idea...I was out of them. Lol.

 

[rexster314]

You did turn the valve at the pump? I never didn't do that, but maybe if you don't the top can't retract all the way.

You have to relieve/bypass the builtin pressure of the hydraulic system to manually work the folding top

 

[Sophia]

The hydrolic bypass was not the issue, it was the ceiling latch not fully open so the roof would not go all the way down. I used a 8mm ratchet wrench inside the car where I had removed the cd holder. The ratchet gave me enough torque to open the roof latch fully and I felt the roof drop the last half inch. Thanks for the suggestions. I had given up, destined to a summer with no top down fun...but the kind people on this site got me to give it one more try! Anyone need help in manually opening these things I am now a pro! Thanks again. My summer is saved! We need a car rally in So Cal!

 

[mike.perkins17]

How do you manually let the top down thanks

 

[redvett94]

Read your owners manual.

 

[Sophia]

Someone sent this to me. I used it and these instructions work. This procedure is from page 8-897 of the shop manual, which shows how to do just what you ask:
1) Raise the decklid. 2) Open the hydraulic bypass valve (CCW). 3) Remove the four T-15 Torx screws securing the center console in car interior. 4) Push up on the over-center link until the front tonneau center close-out panel starts to move. 5) Grasp the center close-out panel and pull open with one hand. Use your other hand to lift up each of the wings (outer front tonneau panels.) 6) Remove the headliner plug. (Front/Center of the headliner.) 7) Insert the 8 mm Allen wrench into the header latch actuator bolt beneath the plug location. Turn the wrench Counter clock wise until the bolt stops, while gently pulling up and back on the top to remove it from the header over the windshield. The procedure stops here. 8) Before you stow the folding top in the trunk, you need to extend the rear tonneau from underneath the rear decklid. Pull down on the rear tonneau over-center links to unlock the rear tonneau. 9) Move the rear tonneau forward, away from the rear decklid. 10) Push both the rear tonneau's over-center links up to lock them into place. 11) Lower the rear decklid. Normally, an electric cinching mechanism locks the decklid; I imagine you probably won't have battery power, so don't force the latch. Ensure you close the hydraulic bypass valve. If you don't have a shop manual, you might want to consider it. There are 293 pages devoted to the roof. The only issue I had is make sure you open the header latch fully or it will not go into the trunk and drop all the way down. The latch needs to be fully open.