So I read around and searched a bit, but I don't really have a clear answer. I bought my 2003 Centennial last year with 38K miles, now in under 12 months, I had 10,000 miles with my sweet baby, but now her convertible top is messing up. It started as the top was slow to go up, then one day to put it down, i saw a little smoke, kinda thinking it might've been dust. but then one day putting it up, it wouldn't, i had to get out of the car and manually help it up, now it wont go down or up at all and is spitting what I believe to be hydraulic fluid on the passenger side where the top sits. Any help is appreciated!

On a side not as well, the top needs to be replaced, I went to a top shop and the guy said that the SN95s trap water which causes the top to deteriorate over time, and said my top shrunk about an inch from the sides and an inch from the back ( i think I can kind of see it) so I just want to replace the top with a Cobra top, any suggestions on where to get it from? The glass seal separated so when I drive on the highway it hits the glass and gets annoying. and water gets in to where the top sits. My main thing is the stupid top going down! :badmood:

thanks in advance

 

i had the same problem so i yanked the hydrolic shocks out of the car. the top goes up and down with ease without them but its manual. dont let it be a problem for to long as that fluid in my car deteriorated some of the wires under the rear seats and melted some of the quarter panel on the back.

 

Here's the RnR for the hydraulic system, and the wiring diagram from the factory manual.

However I'd be inclined to make it manually operated so as to reduce complexity, and save some weight too...