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71 cutlass Supreme convertible top. Goes down, but not up
Hi olds fam,
As the title states... when I push the "down" button, the top goes down with no issues. The only thing I noticed is that it seems like it doesn't fully go down. It lays flat but not fully into the compartment, if that makes sense.
when i press the "up" button, I can hear the motor just like when it's going down, but the top doesn't go up.
I asked a friend for help, so what we did was... he pushed the "up" button and I pulled the top up about a 1/4 way up and from there it worked on its own.
I'm not familiar with the car so hoping some of you olds experts can help shine some light on this issue for me.
is there anything I can troubleshoot to figure out why it won't go up on its ow?
I was thinking that maybe I need to push the top down fully for something to engage in order to allow the top to go up? I'm just nervous to cause damage if i forcefully the top down.
any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated. Thank you
My '71 CS had I'd say the same issue initially; until, finally the Top SW was clearly identified as the culprit. A new Top SW solved the issue. 1st you can evaluate & clean the Top SW circuit breaker located on the firewall (in case that may be the issue - it wasn't for me). Unbolt the circuit breaker from the firewall, clean the wires and the posts thoroughly - it may resolve your issue before you troubleshoot the Top SW. Chances are good it's going to be the Top SW. The issue w/ these switches is they have no relay. Full current go directly through the Top SW and after 53 years of repeated cycles, corrosion, heat, oxidation, dust & gunk the Top SW goes belly up.
In case you need a new Top SW, I highly recommend the Top SW produced/sold by Hydroelectric. They are very customer oriented. Calling them if you have questions will yield excellent advice. They have their own official website, as well. Good Luck.
If you can hear the motor running, but the top is not moving, it is probably not the switch. It sounds like the system is low on fluid. There is likely an air pocket in the system. This would explain the top not going the whole way down, and needing help for it to start going up. There is a small plug on the reservior on the side of the motor where you fill it with fluid (ATF).
You should be able to find the refil/ bleeding procedure in the service manual, but here is a video to get you started:
Agree that it sounds like low fluid - mine was like that when I first got it.
Also, when lowering the top you should stop when the front bow is pointing straight up and manually fold the top material so it lays correctly as it finishes lowering. This helps it fit into the well without binding.
Thank you all for the quick responses and suggestions!!!
I'll check first for the fluid and see if that resolves the issue. If not I'll go to the purchase of a switch. And thanks for the suggestion on tucking the top...to some this may be common sense but I wasn't aware, so thanks for pointing that out
again, thank you all so very much!!!!
thanks for posting the video. That helped me to locate the reservoir, and looks like it is a fluid issue. I can see the system is leaking. I can't really pinpoint where the leak is coming from, but at least I know the culprit.
March 30th, 2024, 11:53 AM
