Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

The passenger power window on my '53 Caribbean suffered "the leak" a few weeks ago. Until I get it repaired, I'd still like to put the top down. Would there still be enough fluid to do this or do I need to check out the fluid level in the reservoir first? I've read the instructions in the service manual for this. How tricky is it & anything to watch out for? Thanks.

The only tricky part is the awkward reach to the assy and the bail holding the reservoir can be stiff. If it suddenly comes loose and you don't have a firm grip on the reservoir keeping it tight against the pump body, fluid can be spilled or sloshed.

Unless you ran a lot of fluid out on the ground trying to raise the window, loss of one window's worth isn't a great amount. The top is almost neutral as far as capacity in the reservoir.

The top cylinders are full of fluid with a piston in the middle. Moving the top one direction displaces the fluid that was last used to move the other direction. Any fluid occupying that space in the cylinder goes back in the reservoir and will be reused. Since you are lowering the top you will actually be sending back a bit more than you use because of the space occupied by the rod as it goes inside the cylinders. Unless the reservoir is totally empty and the pump is sucking air when you move a switch, you should be OK.