This is dedicated to priericky128 who told me how to do it. My passenger side main lift cylinder was leaking and needed to be replaced. This is the fairly simple procedure to remove it without taking the whole top assembly out of the car. First you need to open your top to the halfway position, just before the cover goes down. If you stop the motion here the cover will come down on its own, lift it up from the center carefully and put a board or something there to keep it open. Image Unavailable, Please Login remove the panel that covers the hydraulic pump. There are articles on how to do this if you look for how to fill the oil on the pump. Also, then you will know how to pull the pump out, which needs to be done. Now we can start with the specifics of removing the cylinder. First, some zip ties will need to be cut. The first one is right here. Image Unavailable, Please Login The next one is a little harder, it's toward the back of the lines. Image Unavailable, Please Login Next you need to remove the lines from the pump. There are two lines, both in the bottom port. On that port, one is connected to the bottom right and the other is the top left. Image Unavailable, Please Login Keep a bucket underneath to catch drips. Then remove the pin that connects the bottom of the piston to the car. It's located just to the right of the pump enclosure. Image Unavailable, Please Login It seems a little tricky to remove, but really all you need to do is pull it. In the picture you can see a black tab across the silver pin. pull the clip straight to the right (on this picture) to remove the clip. Then push the pin out and the bottom of the piston will be free. Next, Go to the open cover area and disconnect the top pin in the same way. Look at the piston inside the lifted cover. Image Unavailable, Please Login Again, the clip needs to be slid out and then the pin can be pushed through and removed. Then it's just a matter of pulling the piston up and out. The oil lines are fairly short on this side and should come through fairly easily. Image Unavailable, Please Login Next, remove the sliding bracket by pushing the ram down a little, (careful, oil WILL come out of the lines) Then spread the arms slightly to remove the bracket sliding pin. Image Unavailable, Please Login Hope this helps someone. The hardest part was clipping the zip ties.
Great pics and explanation. Glad you got it done. The top can be annoying but way easier to work on than people think.
