I recently intentionally stopped my top partially up to lubricate the locking area on the top where it attaches to the windshield. Once complete, I continued raising the top. After parking the 1996 SL 500 in the garage, I noticed the next morning that a small amount, possibly 2 tablespoons, of hydralic fluid had pooled in front of the left rear wheel. If this is a cylinder leak, is this a do it yourself fix or do I need a dealer/service technician. The top still seems to operate properly ( I feel it may be slower, but it also may not) and I have not seen further leaks. Any suggestions? This is Florida and top down weather is daily.

 

rarely does a problem fix itself, maybe you're lucky. if you see oil again. there are two cylinders. a small one that works the bow (the back part of the top) and has a microswitch and the bigger main cylinder that does the heavy lifting. the smaller one can leak down on top of main cylinder making you think that it is the one leaking. so don't make the same mistake I did. that bow cylinder you have to look for, it is not easy to see in all that hardware. that little guy is not cheap new, because of that switch. you can get them rebuilt. The car is comes apart fairly easy. if you are mechanically inclined, never been in there before and don't drop a clip or something it will take about 6 hrs. if it is the smaller cylinder be very careful installing it. you can mangle the microswitch holder if you're not paying attention. I was able to rob my switch off my old cylinder. And I bent it too. I straighten the new one and all was well. So don't throw anything away. see if you can lift the top down hardware cover to see the cylinder or you may have to use your manual top opening tool to pop open your top storage compartment lid. use the wrench on a couple of rods on each side just behind the roll bar and have a look for oil on your lower main cylinder and remember the cylinder above it could be the one leaking. It could be a bad seal on a hydraulic line too. odds are it's one of the cylinders. mercedescylinders@sbcglobal.net for rebuilt. you can check the oil level under a plastic cover under your spare.