Mercedes R129 SL Class - Chapter 1 - Intro and Overview
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024
- Klaus of Top Hydraulics, Inc. explains each hydraulic component of the Mercedes R129 SL convertible top system in detail. He describes the shortcomings of the OEM equipment and illustrates how rebuilt and upgraded parts from Top Hydraulics will repair and substantially improve the function and service life of your convertible top system.
Order parts and find more helpful info on our website at www.tophydraul...
Bravo to you and the team at Top Hydraulics, Klaus. These videos you took the time to make are pure gold. Used this series for a 1998 sl500 and the series you made for the Chrysler Crossfire. Of course, the best part are the rebuilt cylinders from your company that keep my convertible cars on the road and functional like brand new. Will continue to only have convertibles as long as Top Hydraulics is there. Have to add that your personal attention and advice also has been outstanding. Thanks for setting and keeping such a high service standard.
Thank you for the kind words, much appreciated!
Thanks Klaus, great series of videos. So far I've been lucky and have only had to replace the lock cylinders on the top of the windshield but am very very satisfied with your rebuilds. I will continue to use yours as we go along. I lived at Robinson Barracks in Stuttgart years ago and used to go to what I think was the original M-B dealer at the bottom of the hill. All of the people were exceptionally professional even when dealing with me, an American GI with an old, rusty 1966 M-B 250SE two-door hardtop (I loved that car). You remind me of the quintessential M-B professional. Keep up the good work.
5 Stars to Top Hydraulics for my R129 complete set. Nothing but class throughout the entire job.
Many thanks to Klaus and Co Matt in Brooklyn
I would not go anywhere but to you guys. You ARE truly the only choice. Great work.
Clause I wish I could have brought you my car for these videos. I really appreciate you making these videos!!
Well done! Best videos i have watched. You will be doing my hydualics sometime this next year. I have a 1998 SL 500
Thanks, we look forward to working on your parts. 98 is a great model year - you get high quality production with the torque from the new engine.
thanks for sharing these information and guidance.. I will start repairing my hydraulic cylinders seals after 6 hours
Danke Klaus - very informative and encouraging to invest in new components ..
Klaus , thank you for the great overview of the R129 . I am very impressed by your videos and instructions . I will be using your seals in my R129's.
I have two R129's ( '95 and '96 ) and the hydraulic seals need to be replaced in a couple cylinders on both cars.
I have a question about the rollbar. The 1995 SL320 has the rollbar down and has been down , since I bought it . I've never tried to raise or lower it . Does the "rollbar" switch on the dash , allow the rollbar to be raised and lowered , manually ? I'm assuming by using the "rollbar" switch, the rollbar can raised and lowered but I'm not sure. ( I know this is a silly question.)
And if the switch is used to raise and lower the rollbar , can the rollbar be raised and lowered , with leaking seals , as long as there is sufficient fluid in the hydraulic reservoir ? Any response from you is greatly appreciated.
Thank you .
Best
Regards
Thanks for asking. There are some opportunists out there who make it appear as if they were selling our seals. We do not sell our seals and there is no match in quality on the market. If you don't replace all seals, including the piston seals and the port seals (where the hoses go in), then you will be doing the job again soon. If you use inferior quality seals (such as anything offered on eBay or Amazon), then you are using only a Band-Aid.
The roll bar can function if there is enough fluid in the pump AND you don't have very serious leaks in your top-related cylinders. You will be losing hydraulic fluid while operating the roll bar if you have leaks in the other cylinders.
Great videos and very much appreciated - however, I don't understand how the seals you are using to rebuild these are different than ones available from Germany made of the proper material? They aren't cheap seals but I fail to see how they would be any different than the ones you folks are using.
Thanks for asking. The OEM seals are made of molded Polyurethane, which decays fairly quickly. For example, if your hydraulic system has any water in it from condensation, then Polyurethane seals typically fail after about a year. The green seals "Made in Germany" that are popping up a lot on eBay, lately, are made of molded Polyurethane, as well, and are actually slightly inferior to the original seals provided by Mercedes. Just because some private party in Germany says "made of the proper material" does not mean you get an outstanding product. We do not use molded Polyurethane. Top Hydraulics' seal material is far superior and we expect a service life of 30-50 years out of our rebuilds.
@@TopHydraulics Appreciate the reply - thank you. Do you not sell your seals? This isn't a difficult repair and if you sold your superior seals it would be a help to many of us.
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I have done four complete hyd seal replacement on the 129 series M Benz (1992-2002). The first two I purchased the seals on eBay which were the Green the rod / head end seals. The second two sets I purchased from Top Hydraulic, which I had only just discovered this company when looking on the Benz Fourm. The seals were red, felt more durable and fit tighter than the green seals I used previously. The green seals were relatively easy to install since they were more plyable indicating that the fit into the bore and on the rod end wasn't as tight as the red seals. I could push the green seals into the rod end cap with my thumb relatively easy. (also when I dismantled the cylinders on all four vehicles the original seals were green and all of them were perished and crumbled, as soon as I tried to remove them they came out in crumbled pieces). Installing the red seals took considerable force compared to the green ones to install indicating a more positive tight sealing effect, which by checking the resistance to push the rod in & outof the cylinder had a more tighter fit to the rod. I have been working on HD & LD hydraulic equipment for the past 50 years my experience has thought me that there are many seal manufactors out there who make some very low quality seals. You certainly don't to have to redo the job over again if the time & cost is coming out of your pocket. You only get what you pay for. Quality cost a little more. ( Done right done once )
He explained it the video.
Excellent video and thanks
This video is just what I needed, as I recently purchased a 1992 SL500 with a non-working top. I plan to remove all the cylinders and have them rebuilt. My question after replacing them, what is next? Is there a reset of codes that needs to happen? Does the system cycle through and reset on its own? Any info on this would be appreciated.
The system will pick up without resetting any codes as long as all micro switches are giving the proper signal, there is power to the pump, and the control module is not damaged. Once you remove all cylinders, you become familiar with the position of all micro switches, which is fairly simple in a '92 SL. If there is a problem after installation of all cylinders, then we always try to help our customers by going through the symptoms together.
How do I purchase 2 rebuilt (front latch cylinders) from Top Hydraulics for my 1999 SL 500 roadster?
Thanks for asking. Simply go to www.tophydraulics.com/r129-sl-97-02/26-1509-front-lock-r129.html#/30-core_exchange-send_your_parts_to_top_hydraulics_first/39-model_year-1990 and work your way through placing the order online.
Great video, My roof just started acting really slowly and now it barley works and of course it has to be one of the seals, but is there a great way to find out which ram is not working? your help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks for asking. Which model year is the SL and is the top moving slowly despite the fluid being above the MIN level on the pump's reservoir? Are you losing a lot of fluid during a single cycle?
Love your videos Klaus! Do you have a video for the roll bar Cylinders removal?
Thanks for asking. Unfortunately, we do not have a roll bar removal video yet.
Great video Klaus! I am sure I will what each of the videos multiple times. I received my 12 cylinders kit yesterday from TH. Excellent packaging by the way! Some of the cylinders look rather simple to replace but a couple of them look really intense too replace. Do you have any preference in an order to replace the cylinders since I am going to be going all of them? I am hoping I do not lose any of those tiny clips (fingers crossed). :-)
Hello Tim,
I prefer to work on the front cylinders and the distributor first because I still have clean hands and clothes at that point. Actually, you want to raise the roll bar before disconnecting any cylinders, so that you can take the trim off under the roll bar. Thus, the suggested order to do things is raise the roll bar, remove trim under the roll bar, remove trim in the trunk, then start working on the front cylinders. How you move on to the rear depends a lot on your energy level. There is quick gratification on the tonneau cover lock cylinders and on the rear lock cylinders and tonneau cover lift cylinders. The more involved parts are the main lifts and the bow extensions. You want to have a clear mind when working on those, in order to avoid frustration.
@@TopHydraulics Is there a procedure/video to raise the roll bar manually? I am not sure if it will go up if I pushed the button. I am sorry as I haven't been working on this car very long . Would it hurt to try the button other than the front cylinders leaking all over me. :)
Also, do you know if there are some step by step written instructions for replacing the cylinders? The videos are great but not accessible in the garage.
@@timcoleman5789 Yes, they can be found on the DIY section of our website: www.tophydraulics.com/content/48-mercedes-benz-r129-info
@@timcoleman5789 It's worth a try, as long as no cylinders have been disconnected yet. There could be some leakage from the front lock cylinders, as they share the return. In your model year 1995, that leakage should not be drastic while moving the roll bar, because in model years '95+ the front lock cylinders get pressurized on the rod end only during the locking process. If that does not work, then feel free to get back to me and I will coach you through an emergency deployment of the roll bar.
Is there a good contact phone number for Top Hydraulics?
That would be the same number we are listing on our website tophydraulics.com: 541 902 3214
Where are you guys located?
We are in Florence, OR, United States. Check out our website: tophydraulics.com
Where are you located?
@@TopHydraulics I am in Buffalo, NY I did find your website and will send you 2 of the main cylinders to be refurbished. Just have to remove them. The driver side had a messy failure leaked all over my driveway.
Thanks for the great instructional video :)
Thanks, Klaus, Great video for R129 SL. I Have one, that I need to talk to you about, I try to Go on the web top hydraulics I could able to see any contact information, I would appreciate it if you send me your contact information.
Hello, thanks for asking. Here is the contact link on our website: www.tophydraulics.com/contact-us