QuestionI just bought a 1973 Cadi Eldo, with a top that is in perfect shape, except that the top does not go up and down. The car has sat in a garage since 2000.
Where should I start troubleshooting? When you flip the switch, the relay in the "trunk" area where the top fold down to clicks.
Did these 1973 Cadi's use hydraulic fluid, or just electric motors? The guy I bought it from said the top worked perfectly when he put it away in the garage in the year 2000, and I don't have any reason to doubt him based on the great condition of the top.
Any ideas? I hate to take the top and motors apart without knowing...and if it take hydraulic fluid, can you tell me what kind/amount and how/where to fill the cylinders?
thank you so much for any help you can give me!
Jason
AnswerYou should hear more than a relay click - you should hear a motor start up and whirr when you push the top switch. I think the motor is probably stuck from lack of use.
The top motor is behind the rear seat backrest. If you can't get at it from the trunk, you will have to remove the back seat to get at it. You can try tapping on it while a helper operates the switch, and pushes on the top in the direction it should be moving. If this doesn't work, you'll have to remove the motor and send it out for repair.
If you are on the west coast, I recommend San Gabriel Top Service in San Gabriel CA. I'm sure there are other top specialists in other parts of the country. If you just take the car to them, they will figure it out.
I'm not sure whether your top is hydraulically operated or cable operated - 1973 was a changeover year for GM, as I recall. But that doesn't matter- if you don't hear the motor running, lack of fluid isn't your problem! To answer your question, though, if it is hydraulically operated, the fill plug is on the end of the motor case. But you can't fill it without an operating motor to expel the air from the lines anyway.
Dick
