Porsche 911 convertible cabriolet roof not working, broken, stuck? Hydraulic cylinder repair 996 997

Reuploaded 28.5.2021

DISCLAIMER I am not a professional mechanic, just a guy who likes experimenting and trying to fix things. No responsibility taken for any damage to your car or severed limbs you incur while foolishly trying to replicate anything in this video.

Pictures at dtmtune.com

This is a long, almost unedited video of me fixing my 1999 911 (996) convertible roof. The hydraulics were slowly leaking for a while, I could top up the hydraulic fluid in the reservoir tank, but would have to do it every few months. Then one day there was a massive hydraulic fluid leak in front of the left rear wheel. Topping up the reservoir would do nothing, time to fix it properly.

Ordered a seal replacement kit on ebay. Too busy working until COVID19 hit, and here in Melbourne Australia been in lockdown for 6 weeks now.

Anyway, the process is relatively straightforward, but maybe could help some other DIY people out there to fix your roof problems. Sorry you have to listen to my voice!

Tools needed - 10, 12, 13mm sockets/wrenches, 5mm allen key. Torx bits to remove rear speaker grilles. Some hydraulic fluid and a curved syringe or similar to refill the reservoir.

The only thing that really stumped me was removing the little wire retainers in the cylinders, that hold the seals in. Some people have drilled holes through the cylinders to push them out, which I wasn't brave enough to do. Luckily a mate of mine told me of a small hydraulics maintenance company next door to his warehouse. Basically, if you've got as far as removing the cylinders from your car but can't get the seals done yourself, just google "hydraulics repair" in your area. Apparently using tiny screwdrivers or picks, you can manage it yourself. However if you gouge or scrape the rods, there will be a constant but small leak after that, so be careful.

Other tips - wear gloves - it's a messy job. I ended up refilling the hydraulic tank twice and a little more. Will check again after I've cycled the roof a few more dozen times. Definitely remove the rear speaker grilles to access the ends of the cylinders, makes life very easy and minimises risk of damaging the rods.

This is no show car or garage queen, as the high milage indicates - these unloved 996s are great to be driven still! They're relatively cheap to buy, and maintenance and repairs can be done by a halfway competent home mechanic. More car stuff at dtmtune.com and jdmtune.com