Mercedes 500sl r129 soft top manual operation and fix rear latch
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- So is your soft top pump not working or in my case cylinder leaking. Well this is how you can manually remove and put on soft top. Also how to fix a stuck rear latch.
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Nice video, it captures the struggles of manual top operation perfectly 😂
Listen up people, real talk - if you own one of these cars or are considering owning one, and the top cylinders are leaking, I promise you it is worth it to repair them. Top Hydraulics is the place to do business with, if you do the replacement yourself you can do it for under $1,000. Honestly, it’s kind of a pain, but if you take your time and be patient with it, it’s a fun project and super rewarding - don’t be scared to do it. You will hate having to deal with a non functioning top. These things are heavy and you have to lock and unlock things a million times. Just fix the cylinders and you will be glad you did!
Thanks Pete. I manually use one top or the other. My rear plastic windows were bad. I removed the rear section of the soft top and a local trim shop stiched in new plastic windows. I then reattached the rear portion, looks new now. Someday I will diagnose the hydraulic system . It has rebuilt rams
BROTHER THANK YOU SO MUCH, this was literally the only problem i was having i couldn’t lock down the rear, as soon as i checked that compartment and lifted the little hooked she locked right in, GOD BLESS
Life saver. I did not know 1995 Sl 500 and while removing the hard top blew the hydraulic and got sprayed This is great now I can get the soft top on. Thanks
Great video, thanks. I was a bit worried today as my top wouldn't go up? While watching your video, I decided to disconnect the battery. 5 minutes later, I connected it, and luckily, happily, the top must of reset, and it did work with power button !
Incredibly practical car, just got mine and it's doing the same thing. I love the car!
I’ve the same car.
Same color.
Same problem.
And now you’ve helped me out.
Thanks.
Thanks for the SL content man. It's nice to see some different videos like this instead of the "1000 HP CORVETTE BUILD" stuff which is cool but gets old lol. I just got an R129 '91 500SL a couple weeks ago and just finished about $1k in maintenance so far to get it back up to where it should be. Been a Merc fan for a long time, love the old school stuff!
Awesome and thanks for watching. I'm planning a ton of videos. Later tonight there will be an exhaust video part 1 followed by a full custom exhaust.
@@petescarport Hell yeah I'll be waiting on that one! I'm planning on doing an exhaust soon as well. Probably going to try to do some electric valves to open up to a louder muffler when I want to as well. Looking forward to the videos dude
Great. I had kind of same idea but may just go full open exhaust. Working with a custom shop that loves the car.
First video is showing muffler and resonator delete vs just resonator delete on stock set up
Extremely helpful by mentioning alternative tools and great clarity when describing
Thank you
With great joy comes great sorrow.I bought a 1999 Sl500 and I love it fortunately for me I’m a DIYer and try to do all the work I can whenever possible.I plan on rebuilding all hydraulic cylinders this winter.I just recovered the seats last week Another project for next year is install the top.I did it on my old R107 so it is nothing new to me. Thanks to You Tube anybody can tackle any project if one is willing.
Thank you very much! I super appreciate your knowledge and willingness to teach others, like myself, about this great car
Thank you. Appreciate the feedback
Great video! I have a 98 SL500. The hydraulics is a pain to deal with. I recommend changing the hydraulic fluid every few years. Only use MBZ recommended fluid!
..
hello, I have a problem with a leaky cylinder, if I add oil to the device regularly, do you think it can hold without repairing it?

Depending on the severity of the leak. I don't recommend letting it go for a long period of time as additional problems can occur. Use only MBZ hydraulic fluid!
@@La-vh3gc it will most likely spill out. You can us CHF 11s fluid or even Pentosin EHF fluid. Both can be purchased at local auto parts store. Same type of hydraulic fluid. Mercedes doesn’t make fluids they just have them made and brand tbem. Don’t overpay.
@@petescarport thank you for your answer, I just got out of mercedes, and when they told me how much the repair will cost with also the risk that other jacks will break, I ran away....
Thanks for sharing very helpful my hydraulics are leaking and will be rebuilding them soon
Having trouble locking in the rear of the hardtop latches in the truck
got the car less than 10 hours ago
The boss has asked if ill give his daughter a hand to do this tomorrow so cheers this has given me a good idea of what im doing
If you run into any issues message me on instagram and I can help
You should always release the rear locks before the front so the cable doesn't break when you pry with the Towle. 😊 Thank-you for the contents of this video
Thanks! My hard top wouldn’t latch. You really helped
Thank you Pete just got a 1990 300SL and the tops are a very common problem , allegedly it’s almost impossible to fix so since I modify cars myself I took it as a challenge lol. I appreciate the content , it’s very helpful keep up the good work🤟🏼💯
It would be great, that one day you did an SL Test Drive. Your SL is wonderful.
Nice explanation and my favorite color for the car. I hope to buy one soon but they are so expensive in Australia
Love the RAG trick....cheers
Thanks Pete, lots of help. God be with you!
Thanks man.. just saved me a lot of time !
Glad it helped
@@petescarport I have a few ⁶⁷⁷ in the
amazing video Pete, please share details on when you decide to fix the cylinders.
Big help - thanks Pete.
Dane
94 SL500
I learned something today. Thanks, Pete.
Thanks for watching
Excellent. Thanks Pete. I have 2 129s
Thank you very much. This video was extremely helpful.
Gorilla Tape makes a clear tape that works well on the vinyl panes. Top Hydraulics in Florence Oregon has a 6 part video series on accessing each pair of hydraulic cylinders for rebuild. Complete top hydraulic seal kits can be found online for around $120.00 if you have the ability to DIY or Top Hydraulics in Oregon sells exchange parts.
I added your Vid at my PL and liekd it. I had a simmilar issue and your vid was helpfull.
Thank you
I have two R129's. A 500 with the solid hard top and a 600 with the glass top. The glass top seems like it is about 40lbs heavier. Love em both.
Great video. It help me solve my problem. Have you published your video on how to repair the soft top to seal the leaks and do clean repairs.
thank you for video Pete :)
You’re a hero, wish I wouldve watched this before hydraulic oil went on the seats and my pants
Thanks. That was a big help. Just bot a 99 and the top is closed in the front and I had no idea how to release it.
Pete I have a95 320 the blower motor, I think is making a rattling noise in 2/3/4 speed. I saw your video for the blower motor repair. Before I start I was looking for direction. Thank you for your assistance and direction
Jack
Sounds like you need to replace it completely. Usually a rattle will be bearings.
@@petescarport
Thank you. That was my thought as well. Your video gives great insight and information on how to get it done. By the way I too have replaced many of the tops hydraulic cylinders
Bear of a job for the mains on the B post. Be well
Great video I was playing with my top yesterday. I really need advice/help with repairing the window on the soft top.
Thanks for the rag trick. That will save some time.
Please document every little fix you do on this car with video
The hard top looks amazing but since you live in Tampa you definitely want to cruise with the top down.
It does weigh nothing, compared to the old 560 SL.
Thanks for the video though! Top still works great but I wanted to be prepared!
1997 top weighs 73 lbs
Thanks, good explanations.
Hello Pete. I just bought a 1998 SL500. I live in St Petersburg and would love to either talk to you or drive to you. I have a flashing red light which may be resolved if I take my hard top off. I saw it work when I bought it. I need to know ow how to take the hard top if and your video is as quite helpful just need to do it.
Thanks for the video
Very helpful 👌 thanks
Thanks Pete
I am having an issue with my 2001 R129 - the boot seems to be having an issue locking in place so the top is not working. But the front Two Locks on the front are locked in, and the rear two are locked in. Any advice?
Thank You
Pull the back of top all the way up with front on and open the rear cabinet the top would go into. You can than see and access the clamps. They may be locked into the wrong position. You can snap them back to the open position and then run top again. Make sure to cycle it fully open and close too.
thank you very much
Purchased 1998 SL500 last Fall and the soft top was operating. Stored the car over the winter and the battery went dead. Just took off the hard roof but the soft top is now non-operational. Your video was very informative. Assuming no problems, should the soft top be operational once I do the manual operation ?
I feel like I’m still doing something wrong. The levers in the trunk don’t connect to hook up to lock the rear of the top. I also live in Tampa so if i could meet you sometime and you show me what I’m doing wrong that would be awesome!
Shoot me a message on Instagram. We're also planning to have meet ups to help each other and get together soon. On Instagram I'm same name petescarport
Hi, this video is the best one I have found so far, as I have been looking for several weeks bc unfortunately, my hydraulics all leaked out. My 1997 SL 320, currently, I was able to put the convertible top down and tucked away, which was a pretty big feat for me since I am not a mechanic, at least I am being honest, lol. I have tried looking everywhere to see if the hardtop can be manually installed, but I have yet to find anything, including in my own owner’s manual!! Please, May I have your email/phone info. I currently use a car cover and it is in my garage. I drive it at minimum, weekly. I can not afford to re do the hydraulics.Basically, I am fearful of breaking something and not being able to at least put up the convertible top. Thanks in advance for your help, EXCELLENT VIDEO!
Yes I would love to help out. You can send me messages on instagram making it easy to communicate and send video if needed
Hi Pete I recently inherited my dad’s 97 SL500. The soft top is completely trashed and can’t be saved. I purchased a whole new soft top frame. I can’t figure out how to remove the entire top so I can install the new one. Any advice? I replaced all the cylinders so I’m able to use the system without issue.
Super Helpful video bro. I'm about to buy my very first 1991 R129 300SL 5speed. Super excited since I've Loved this model car since I was a middle school kid. I know there are leaky latch actuators I gotta work on and rebuild but Im really looking forward to the bond my of soon to be R129.
Any and All advice/help would be appreciated.
Awesome and thank you. So there is a lot to look out for in these cars but mostly the top is the expensive concern. To me it's not a big deal to have it not automatic but besides that you want to check suspension since stock it's a gas height adjustable on some models. Also the driveshaft has components that wear out and can be a pain to change out.
hello, I have a problem with a leaky cylinder, if I add oil to the device regularly, do you think it can hold without repairing it?

Thanks for the informative video. I bought a 96 SL500 last summer and have not been able to get the hardtop off yet and have no idea what condition the soft top is in. Any idea how to remove the hardtop manually? The electronic controls are not releasing the top. I'm a big fan of the older Mercedes line.
It's pretty easy to get off. Comes off same way as soft top. You have to release top from the trunk using an 11mm wrench or the tool if you have it. Each side has a release in the trunk. Then under your visors inside the car use an Allen key wrench to release the front clips. You will need at least two people to get this top off. It's very heavy
thanks!
Having issues with 2 cylinder failures on an 01 SL 500. I need help identifying the part, so I can order a refurbish kit.
Thank you
Great info, Thanks. Any idea on how to get the "hard top" off when malfunctioning, red lights are both on, there is no hydraulic sounds at all, and latches won't release. HELP.
Should come off same way with the tools. This is how I use my hardtop. Let me know if you can’t get it and there may be something else stuck
Hello, please. We changed the sensors on the car and it does not show the temperature ? We put a new cooling sensor temperature sensor
THANKS A BUNCH
Great video. Thanks. Question....when trying to open the soft top, the windows go down, the tonneau opens and the back portion of the top folds up, but then nothing...the next should be the front unlatches and raises...nothing. Also, when starting, I get a warning beep for 15 seconds and then stops. Any ideas? Btw, I'm in St. Pete.
It could have a leak or bad cylinder. Or you could be lucky and it needs to be reset from an error in the computer if it failed at some point. I recommend also checking fluid level. You would need to pull everything out of trunk and on bottom of spare tire is the reservoir for hydraulic fluid.
@@petescarport Thanks Pete. No leaks and res is full.
What is strange, it partially works. When the top if up, the tonneau raises and the window raised, then everything stops. I found I can unlatch the front, and then fold everything manually.
The for putting back up, the tonneau raises, the window goes up, the top goes to vertical positon, then it stops. However, I can position everything manually (top, tonneau, window), and the front latches using the switch.
I got rid of the beeping, that was unrelated.
@@guthrieaz I’m thinking if a shop hooks a scanner up there may be an internal fault casing it to stop. I know we had to cycle my friends when he got it to finally get it to fully work but I’ve heard others had to clear fault codes. Sounds to me like yours should be fully working with no leaks.
It’s a pain in the neck ! And I am getting my cylinders fixed with -top hydraulics -
Yes it can be but I actually enjoy the romance of stopping and putting up and down top. But then again i haven't been caught in the rain yet. Lol. I'm going to get mine fixed this year too.
2 pac car! California love! ❤
Nice explainer. Thanks! One question - if your hydraulics are out, how were you able to raise the roll bar?? My hydraulics need to be repaired, but the roll bar is stowed and I need to raise it to replace the wind-shield. Can you tell me how you do this? Thanks!
So you have to make sure you have hydraulic fluid in the tank. The roll bar runs on a different line than top but still uses the same fluid reservoir. This is located in the very bottom of trunk under spare tire. Add pentosin or Mercedes hydraulic fluid. This should allow you to use the roll bar function as long as the electronic and pump for roll bar are good
@@petescarport thanks! My reservoir is too empty so I’ll recharge and try it. Hey, one other thing. It looks like the rear right lock for the pin is too far forward and not letting the pin line up properly to pull down and lock the rear of the soft top or the hard top. The left side is further back (1/2”) and works fine. Any ideas?? Thanks!
do you need to take out the pistons to work it manually
No, not to manually do it you don’t need to do any changes
What rims and tire sizes are those wheels, they’re beautiful? 😳
18”
Have you changed the front lock cylinders?
Thank you! I’m so tired of repairing the convertible when you hardly use it
Lmao. I was literally just playing around with the soft top and said why do I care if it's an automatic top. I enjoy the ritual of doing it manual. But the other day me and wife got caught in rain storm. No fun. Lol
Pete’s Carport not pleasant! But life’s about memories. Getting caught in the rain is romantic...that’s what I’ll keep telling myself until I fix the hydraulics
Good commentary
Hi, great video! I have a problem with my R129 where the roof doesn’t seem to work anymore, it used to until it was in the garage to get a new fuel pump, it was lying around for a month without use. Right now when I pull on the roof button, the windows go down and then nothing happens, if I stop and start again the roof tries to move but nothing really happens.
Any tips on how to fix it? Thanks in advance!
Check fluid level. You may have a leak. Fluid is located under everything in the trunk. Pull out spare tire and you will see it under the plastic cover. There is a reservoir
Thank you for the response! I checked it and the reservoir is about 3/4ths full. When I manually remove the roof(ie: unlatch it) and pull the button, it manages to lock itself just fine. Although what I did notice is whether I pull back on the button (to open) or push forward(to close it) it closes the roof and locks it either way. I’m not really sure how to proceed from here.
Hi Pete ! Have a question about my 97 SL500 got a little issue with the soft top (got stuck no licks and all the hydraulic system it’s been repair recently was working fine )went to the the dealer and problem was the module behind the driver side a 2000 dlls estimate 😳 so I pay for them to manually put down the soft top and install the hard top .I found a place in NY and pay 275 dlls for the module repair ask them if need it to reprogramming the system they say no need it ! I reconnect the module and when I activate it the windows goes down but doesn’t unlock the front or rear and the roll bar doesn’t move at all ! Do u think I need to unlock everything manually ? Any clues ? I want to see if the soft top works after the module been repair ! Thanks in advance for all your help and videos !
Robbie
I have the same car in white with a blue rag top I can’t seem to latch the back of it
How'd you pop that back latch?
hi mr pete i watch all your videos and i'm very happy to find your videos . do you have any old mercedes for sale ?
Hi and thank you. I will have a 1991 Mercedes 500sl for sale soon. I also may have a few others soon. The 500sl is the white one I’m restoring. It had 93k miles.
Did you replace the hydraulic system? My dad tried to accidentally remove the top where the hot tub is on and it sounded like the pump engaged and it started leaking fluid from the rear driver side tire area. What does he need to do is it is missing fluid or is it done for?
Needs to replace all or some of the seals. Lots of work. He can still open and close it manually if needed
Hey thx for the content, u said in the video that the teeth where stuck locked down how did u real ease the teeth
So I used a screw driver but you can access it if you can get the panel off the back seat area as well.
@@petescarport thank you I actually just got them unstuck and the top back on
On a 1999 sl500 the top is not functioning and my windows are in an open position. Any ideas? ABP
Pete, I watched your video and it was interesting. My problem is that I rebuilt all of the hydraulic cylinders in the top. I now cannot get the roof to function properly. Have you came across this problem? It's a 1997 sl 500 . Any suggestions? Could I have put the fluid lines in incorrectly into the cylinders? Stumped
Hi Mike unfortunately I haven't dealt with the hydraulic cylinders yet but I'm hoping maybe someone reads this that can help.
The aftermarket radio is a nice fit what brand and model is it?
It's honestly a very nice fit and sounds great. Funny thing is it's Dual which I think is Walmart brand.
hi pete i.m looking for w126 and w140
Thanks for those tricks,you really help me out this problem 🫡
The 2000 MY allows for no vertical movement once the wrench is on the passenger side. Any 2000 owners have advice?
It's tight on the right hand side with the gas filler and goses, so I used a shorter 10mm wrench to get in there.
I can't get mine to catch the two rear latches to pull the two pins down and lock top on rear door some reason anyone know why this happens
I have a 1996 sl 320 and top wont go up or down. It stopped working in the middle of going up and I had to manually lock it in place. I also live in Tampa, do you know of a good place to have it repaired??
There are a few good places but can be costly. I’m not sure if Ledbetter on 301 works on tops but they only do older Benz and have been working on them forever. I’m sure if they can’t do it they could recommend as well. They would be your least expensive route.
@@petescarport Thanks Pete, I appreciate the info
i have a problem 92 my 500sl when i drive just beeps bc of the roof how do i fix that is the only way by taking it off?
You should be able to use the tools and clamp down the top. The beep is because the top isn't clamped all the way down
My father in law has one that the button is flashing, how can we diagnose the issue he wants to buy the module but I want take sure that's the problem. We're in crystal river
So the button will flash usually if one of the four hinges are not secured all the way. First try using the tools on each of the hinges to see if you can get them to click down.
Thank you!! I'll check that out
How would you go about releasing the hardtop if the button doesnt want to unlock it??? Mine button is always on too, i am slightly concerned
Same exact way. You can manually open it using the tools. Let me know if you need guidance.
@@petescarport thanks bud ill let you know, it seems one of the hooks isnt grabbing the hardtop as it should so i just want to get that sorted for now
Ok so I know your issue. If you have Instagram you can message me and I can help by sending photos videos etc.
what you need to do is pull soft top out and open up the compartment the soft top goes into behind the roll bar. This will give you access to see the rear clams. You will see they are most likely stuck down. You can use a screw driver and pop them back open to the right position.
@@petescarport yeah im gonna add you now, i actually figured it out and got the hardtop and softtop off, it actually works really well but has some leaks, other than that i got the hardtop to clip all in place as well, i have it in my instagram story too, ill add you now
How hard does the hardtop go back on the car manually?
Easy but very heavy
is this the same procedures for the 2000 sl500??
I am not sure on that one
I cannot use my top, rear cylinders are leaking
where did you get the carbon fiber center console?
The previous owner wrapped it
My soft top doesn’t come out of the cover when I press the button . What can be the problem . The light just blink slowly when I press forward on it and nothing else . Then when I press the button to the back the cover pulls itself down like it’s latching but in forward it won’t unlatch the cover so the top can come out .
Check to see if you have hydraulic fluid in the reservoir located under the spare tire in trunk. You may have a leak in cylinder too
@@petescarport I do have a leak on the driver upper cylinder but it should still close the top if there’s no fault
I have the same situation: soft top was fine for about 9 months after all cylinders rebuild, but yesterday it went down correctly, but no going up, just blink when pressing the button. No leakings at all. I need advice where to start from now....
How do you remove the hard top
Same way as soft top but you manually have to pull off
I have a sl320 had the cylinders replaced
I also have a 1995 SL ive a hard time to start the car and wants to start the engine has a backfire my mechanic not able to diagnose the problem because the car is too old
So right now ironically my car is doing same thing. I let it sit. Now it won’t even start. Last month it would take about 3min to start but back fire and stall out
From what I know I think my issue is either the cap and rotor or something with ignition or the crankshaft position sensor.
Also your mechanic is not a real mechanic if he can’t diagnose the car without a computer. He told you this because before 1996 they didn’t have obd2 ports for scanners. This car needs to be diagnosed the old school way by checking air, spark and fuel and compression. Any good mechanic can do this. I’m not a mechanic at all and can still diagnose a car.
I have a Mercedes 500 sl from 1993 and the brace will not run Down
👍
Mercedes really f up with this hole set up I have a r129
Hi, I have both rear latch's in lock position & I can't get them to unlock, I seen you mention my problem in the video but I didn't see the solution. Do you know the trick to get them to release?
P. S. They are in lock position without hard &/or soft top inserted, in other words I can't lock down the rear part of the top. Thanks for posting the video!
Yes reach into rear area with tool and press up on each side on the lock post. They should click and release. If they are stuck beyond the lock position you need to have two people. One press up on lock release in trunk and one person using a screw driver reach down into the hole that the hard or soft top latch post slides into and you need to pry up the latch past the lock position. I know this sounds like a lot. If you can send me your email I can try to take some photos
@@petescarport I'll try with 2 people like you because when I move the lever in the trunk up it just pivots without moving the latch. I can feel spring tension but no other resistance, correct me if I'm wrong, the way it suppose to work is there's a cam lobe(for lack of a better word) on the oposite end of the lever in trunk & the lobe is not making contact with the latch mechanism. That's why I think I feel no other resistance on the lever besides the little circle spring that's coiled up right on the lever pivot bolt. I hope you are able to understand "thing-a-majig" type explanation, but if you could send the pics &/or any other info, here's my email: mgzav1@gmail.com, I really appreciate your time taken to help me out with this problem, Thank you!
Yes it sounds like you fully understand what happened. Basically the non spring lever that would eventually secure the top has fallen below the spring lever and that's why it feels like no resistance. I can take a photo of mine this morning in fully resting position. I was able to fix mine because one side on mine worked perfect and I ended up just matching up the other side.
@@mariozavala5856 I finally got a photo of how it should look before putting on top. It's hard to get a photo but I will email you now
@@petescarport I got it, it was like you said, I had to turn the latch while pushing up on the lever. I had a litlle trouble holding on to the latch while pushing it back to the open position, I ended up using some needle nose pliers to start pushing the latch then about halfway up I put a screwdriver thru the top & finished pushing it back the rest of the way.
You saved me a lot of time & money, thanks a million, I really appreciate it!
Omg look so complicated
hey bud what's your email?
peterdavidson77@gmail.com