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Guest Jockdok

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Guest Jockdok

The brake master cylinder of my 1990 TC has failed and the mechanic has told me that they were unable to find a replacement part anywhere. The car is unsafe to drive in its current condition, so I need to find the part. Anyone had similar problems and how did you solve it? Also, the automatic latching system for the convertible/hardtop has failed and I can't even get one side to catch using the mechanical bypass through the trunk. I am not a car buff, just love my TC, but I am beginning to think it might be time to sell or scrap. The car is in great shape, 39K miles and stored inside since I bought it. I even have the large poster of the car that I got from the car dealer (after they stopped selling them) framed and hanging on the wall! Thanks for help.

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The brake master cylinder of my 1990 TC has failed and the mechanic has told me that they were unable to find a replacement part anywhere. The car is unsafe to drive in its current condition, so I need to find the part. Anyone had similar problems and how did you solve it? Also, the automatic latching system for the convertible/hardtop has failed and I can't even get one side to catch using the mechanical bypass through the trunk. I am not a car buff, just love my TC, but I am beginning to think it might be time to sell or scrap. The car is in great shape, 39K miles and stored inside since I bought it. I even have the large poster of the car that I got from the car dealer (after they stopped selling them) framed and hanging on the wall! Thanks for help.

Safety first, it's not really a master cylinder and because it's easy to say I'm as guilty as the next guy for using that term, but if that's what you're calling it you're looking for a part that doesn't exist and if you really need the actuator/ABS assembly, TC Parts sells remans. So; when you turn the key to on can you hear the brake pump run? if not check fuses, then relays, then wires. Lots of posting on brakes, suggest you read all of them, one thing to be close to home and have trouble, different story on the road, best to know all you can about this system before you pay a mechanic to look at it.

Locking down the top, you can't lock it down if it's already locked, the thing has a latch relay that has a latching relay, get the top out of the way then push and hold the top unlatch / "top side of the top button" and listen for motor activity, if you hear a click and or the motor run, keep holding the button until you hear it click again and try latching the top pins and running it down tight. A latch relay is a latch relay, latching relay is an electrical term for how a relay is wired into a circuit, car is wired for one touch to the top of the button and the latch cycle runs automatically, contacts oxidize and automatic becomes manual, if a few cycles of use doesn't get this going again start cleaning. If the darn thing is broken beyond dirt go back about 20 pages of postings and find a good one with good pictures that will answer most of your what's up with this questions.

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Guest Jockdok
Safety first, it's not really a master cylinder and because it's easy to say I'm as guilty as the next guy for using that term, but if that's what you're calling it you're looking for a part that doesn't exist and if you really need the actuator/ABS assembly, TC Parts sells remans. So; when you turn the key to on can you hear the brake pump run? if not check fuses, then relays, then wires. Lots of posting on brakes, suggest you read all of them, one thing to be close to home and have trouble, different story on the road, best to know all you can about this system before you pay a mechanic to look at it.

Locking down the top, you can't lock it down if it's already locked, the thing has a latch relay that has a latching relay, get the top out of the way then push and hold the top unlatch / "top side of the top button" and listen for motor activity, if you hear a click and or the motor run, keep holding the button until you hear it click again and try latching the top pins and running it down tight. A latch relay is a latch relay, latching relay is an electrical term for how a relay is wired into a circuit, car is wired for one touch to the top of the button and the latch cycle runs automatically, contacts oxidize and automatic becomes manual, if a few cycles of use doesn't get this going again start cleaning. If the darn thing is broken beyond dirt go back about 20 pages of postings and find a good one with good pictures that will answer most of your what's up with this questions.

I am not a car guy. Regarding the brakes, I am just relating what the mechanic told me. He said the system was not leaking but that it was failing internally. He definitely used the term brake master cylinder. Regarding the top pulldown, the motorized system is not working at all and when I use the manual wrench through the trunk override, one side locks down but the other will not.

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I am not a car guy. Regarding the brakes, I am just relating what the mechanic told me. He said the system was not leaking but that it was failing internally. He definitely used the term brake master cylinder. Regarding the top pulldown, the motorized system is not working at all and when I use the manual wrench through the trunk override, one side locks down but the other will not.
Try reading this See our ABS replacement article It is a lot more permanent repair.

Here is an example of just such a conversion;

Hello,

I recently bought a Chrysler TC by Maserati. I checked

the TC Database.xls file to see if my TC was listed. It

was not on your list so I am informing you that I own

Vin # 207612. It is painted Jet Black with black leather

interior and a black soft top. It is powered by the 3.0 V6.

The Teves brake unit was removed and replaced with a

conventional vacuum Booster.

Thank you,

John

Edited by Hemi Dude
Additional information (see edit history)
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I am not a car guy. Regarding the brakes, I am just relating what the mechanic told me. He said the system was not leaking but that it was failing internally. He definitely used the term brake master cylinder. Regarding the top pulldown, the motorized system is not working at all and when I use the manual wrench through the trunk override, one side locks down but the other will not.

When you need a Kleenex it doesn't matter who makes the tissue, or if it comes from a roll by the toilet, we all know what it means. Your mechanic isn't the only one that calls this a master cylinder, I do it all the time, force of habit and it's easier than explaining the actuator assembly. I see you have two good options already posted for brake repair and I'll move on to your top.

Time to check your fuses, if you don't find a bad one open the the lid, lift the soft top up out of the way and find out if you have power to the motor, switches do go bad. If you find power at the motor you have to decide if the motor is fried or the latch is jammed. From your description I would look for a jammed latch and a blown fuse first. Only a few bolts hold this latching assembly in place, a flopping part that lost it's retaining clip should be easy to spot and a jammed latch is easy to find. No special tools required, you can do this job with a light bulb power tester, screwdriver, pliers and a small Crescent Wrench, a good tool set will get it done quicker.

As a side note to your brakes. Jaguar still sells the soft parts kit, cost of the green box with the gold embossed cat is ridiculous, finding the soft parts and repairing the internal leak could make for a good posting or newsletter article. Pump and hold your brake peddle with power off, if your peddle sinks to the floor and you go with the Marty's NOS part, I would like to have the old "master" cylinder. This internal leak is repairable by the average guy with average tools, sourcing the soft parts is the problem. The ABS pressure leak takes special facilities, if your peddle sinks to the floor with power on I suggest that when you're paying for labor that full system assembly replacement, whether you convert or replace with reman, is your best option for first time fix.

Edited by Digger914 (see edit history)
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I am not a car guy. Regarding the brakes, I am just relating what the mechanic told me. He said the system was not leaking but that it was failing internally. He definitely used the term brake master cylinder. Regarding the top pulldown, the motorized system is not working at all and when I use the manual wrench through the trunk override, one side locks down but the other will not.

Listen to Digger and Hemi... I've had both problems in the past. It is NOT a master cylinder - it's different. The mechanic needs to see the shop manual, which I'm sure he doesn't have. No matter, if it's not leaking, then you might be able to fix it without major maintenance. The key is the question you were originally asked: can you hear the pump run?

As far as the top pull down locks, everybody has problems with them. If the manual method is not doing it, then it must really need cleaning. Get a can of WD-40 and get to work.

Good luck,

John

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