Sometimes the top on my 71 GS will stop when its partway up or down. This happens intermittently, not all the time. If I let it sit for 5-10 minutes or so, it will work when I try it again. I was going to start by replacing the switch, but haven't found one yet, and I don't think it's the switch anyway. Wondering if anyone has any ideas about what could be the problem.
Is your top "struggling" going up or down? May be overheating. I added relays to my pump so the switch doesn't carry all the power, but still controls the pump. My old pump would get very hot and not work. I replaced it when I got the new top on and haven't had any problems since.
It doesn't struggle, but just stops. But an overheating pump makes some sense, given that it will work if I let it sit for a little while. The next time it happens I'll have to feel it to see if it's hot. I replaced the hoses and lift cylinders, but the pump is original. I asked the owner of the shop that put on my new top about putting in a relay, and he said it wasn't needed. His own car is a 72 Skylark convertible so I trusted his word on that. That doesn't mean he was right, though.
That's a good point. I should have asked that. Since the motor stops, I would still think overheating. I put relay's on mine and here is why. All power currently goes through that switch and the pump pulls a bunch of amps. So, the contacts in the switch, after years of use and abuse, can fail. The switches are hard to find and I don't think they are reproduced. By using a relay, the switch is now only telling the relay to apply the power to the motor. My belief is, the switch will last much longer without problems since it is only handling a signal now. I use several different relays on my Buicks and they seem to work well. Basically, providing the car with some newer technology in wiring.
You jogged my memory. One time when the top stopped moving I had the radio on, and the radio cut out at the same time. So that points to an electrical issue. I've been trying to find another original rocker switch (you're right, they're not reproduced) but no luck so far, just missed one here on the board. I'm definitely going to consider a relay. Where did you put it? There's nothing I hate worse than pulling apart the dash to get at the wiring.
I put two relays in the trunk, close to the pump itself. My car isn't anything close to original, so I changed up a bunch of stuff. My battery is in the trunk also. I would run a large wire for power from battery to trunk and have a junction box of some sort there. Use that for power supply to the two relays. I took the connection apart to my pump, and used the side from the switch to feed the relay, and the power out of relay to the pump side of the connector, so the original harness and wiring was still all intact. Here is an old thread with a diagram and a picture of my set up. This is a little old, I reworked some of the wiring with better connectors. http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?241826-Convertible-Top-Relay-install
Thanks for the info, Mark. I think I'll give it a try, although whenever I put down wrenches and pick up wire cutters and soldering gun I start getting nervous.ray:
I took the car out yesterday and the top went down okay. I made one stop and it went up and back down okay, but when I got home it went up about 3/4 of the way and stopped. I felt the pump and it was cool, so I think it's definitely the switch. As soon as I get some time, I'm going the relay route. Thanks again for everybody's help.
The relay set-up is a great idea. You will need two relays - one for up, one for down. Meanwhile, pull the switch from the dash and take it apart and clean the contacts and lube it up with a small amount of di-electric grease. The switch is held together with two spring clips. Be careful not to loose the ball and spring. Also, check to make sure the spring is not broken. http://www.v8buick.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=216589&d=1325565182 Matt
Thanks to everybody for all the suggestions. Unfortunately, I haven't had any time to deal with the switch or the put in relays. I've only owned one other convertible, which I never had any problems with, but I ran into an old guy who's tinkered with lots of different cars and he said don't raise or lower the top when the car's idling, rev it up to a really fast idle. I've been doing that the last 7 or 8 times I've had the car out and no problems, whereas I was having trouble almost every time before. I never did that with my old Skylark--the top would raise or lower fine with the engine just idling. So I guess it's getting more alternator voltage.
Before starting replace parts, voltage needs to be checked at the pump when it stops working. You might have a ground issue also. There are a number of factors that may cause the problems. Check everything with a voltmeter not a test light. The radio not working might be caused by the pump shorting out and causing a huge current draw. Did it start working when you released the switch?
