Rattling Hardtop

sfkjeld · 10-21-2009, 03:40 AM

Any typical adjustments to quiet the hardtop rattle? Got caught in rain yesterday with my new top, and it brought on a chorus of new squeaks as well.

RL1924 · 10-21-2009, 06:22 AM

Hardtops are hard to get perfect some times... Some add some type of grease im not sure what it was called, You can also just add some kind of foam/rubber seals to existing seals to thicken it to make it tighter

Jim21680 · 10-21-2009, 06:37 AM

Ahhh....a common problem, solved by three easy steps:

Take off hard top.
Place hardtop in garage.
Drive off into sunset.

Hardtop rattle solved

Jim21680 · 10-21-2009, 06:38 AM

J/k....I was going to say the same as RL. I'm sure you've heard of Shin-etsu grease. As for extra padding, the two-sided adhesive foam insulation tape will work nicely, and it's cheap.

kgf3076 · 10-21-2009, 06:41 AM

You need a tube of Shin-Etsu grease from Momma Honda. Grease all of the rubber seals on the top and the one across the top of the windshield. Second, I've found that the hooks on the soft top latches have a tendency to rattle. To fix that problem, grab a couple of short rubber-bands and loop them around the hooks so that they don't move. You can do this from inside the car after the hard top is installed but it's much easier to do it before you put the top on. That should take care of most of the noise.

RL1924 · 10-21-2009, 07:18 AM

Ahh Shin-Etsu grease yes thats is what I heard of KG.. appearing from the shadows or where have you been?

sfkjeld · 10-21-2009, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim21680

Ahhh....a common problem, solved by three easy steps:

Take off hard top.
Place hardtop in garage.
Drive off into sunset.

Hardtop rattle solved

Lol. Point taken. Still, after driving mostly converts for 40yrs, the thrill is dulled by about mid february in San Francisco. The rag top never comes down, and the dampness+noise wear you down.

I wouldn't have it on now except I don't have a space to store it. Will come up with something next spring. I'll see you out in that sunset.

sfkjeld · 10-25-2009, 12:15 PM

Have the top off today for the taping and geasing exercise. Looking for some guidance on taping. Where exactly do you recommend placing it? On the bottom edge of the top itself? Over the front seals?

And yeah, I think a lot of the rattle was simply the soft top latches. Could'ah sorted that out with the top on.

kgf3076 · 10-25-2009, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RL1924

Ahh Shin-Etsu grease yes thats is what I heard of KG.. appearing from the shadows or where have you been?

Just got back from Vancouver and Halifax. Short trip this time. Been running down to NC a bunch getting ready for S2KDays 2010.

sfkjeld · 11-08-2009, 07:56 PM

Sorry to bump this, but am in need of ideas. I seem to have eliminated the rattles (bound the latches). But after our first rain, the squeaking is driving me nuts. Bought a tube of Shin-Etsu grease from Honda yesterday ($26, thank you very much) and after slopping it on, it probably cut 40-50% of the noise. Not enough tho.

Ideas?

s2kx2 · 11-08-2009, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfkjeld

Sorry to bump this, but am in need of ideas. I seem to have eliminated the rattles (bound the latches). But after our first rain, the squeaking is driving me nuts. Bought a tube of Shin-Etsu grease from Honda yesterday ($26, thank you very much) and after slopping it on, it probably cut 40-50% of the noise. Not enough tho.

Ideas?

What top is it OEM, Mugen, Seibon, Spoon etc..?

Did you change the Hardtop Strikers?

sfkjeld · 11-09-2009, 08:57 AM

Sorry, it is an OEM top. From a 2005, my car is a 2002. The only change to the car was installing the mounting brackets on the sides.

The top latch fastens with little resistance, so I put in the rubber spacers where the latch hooks fasten. I think it eliminated some of the rattling in back. But the squeaking is all in the front corners. Gets worse after a rain.

lonestarbuzz · 11-09-2009, 09:35 AM

did you put in hard top strikers?

RMurphy · 11-09-2009, 01:10 PM

This Shin-Etsu grease... is it just white lithium grease or something else/more?

RealJoKeR · 11-09-2009, 04:49 PM

DOES THE GREASE HAVE NON OXENOL-9??? IF SO, I GOTTA GET ME SOME!!!

s2kx2 · 11-09-2009, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfkjeld

Sorry, it is an OEM top. From a 2005, my car is a 2002. The only change to the car was installing the mounting brackets on the sides.

The top latch fastens with little resistance, so I put in the rubber spacers where the latch hooks fasten. I think it eliminated some of the rattling in back. But the squeaking is all in the front corners. Gets worse after a rain.

Ok Then,
You will need to change the striker plates that mount to the "A" pillar, then take a small piece of rubber hose about 3/8 in length and 3/8 in OD and place this over the hook on the hardtop. It should latch down with a minimum of noise. How far does the lower edge of the top rest from the bodywork and are those tolerances equal on both sides?

sfkjeld · 11-09-2009, 06:55 PM

Shin-Etsu grease is white in color, don't remember reading the contents. Must assume that a large % of it must be pure gold, given the ridiculous price.

I really do not want to move the latch plates unless I have to. I like the idea of pulling off the hardtop and using the softtop with a minimum of drama.

Will try the hose idea tho. Maybe the rubber spacers I used (tennis ball pieces) are not thick enough.

Thanks!

lonestarbuzz · 11-10-2009, 08:34 AM

you need hardtop strikers. you can use those with the soft top.

10-21-2009, 03:40 AM	#1 (permalink)
sfkjeld Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: San Francisco, Ca Posts: 232	Rattling Hardtop Any typical adjustments to quiet the hardtop rattle? Got caught in rain yesterday with my new top, and it brought on a chorus of new squeaks as well.

10-21-2009, 06:37 AM	#3 (permalink)
Jim21680 Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 365	Ahhh....a common problem, solved by three easy steps: Take off hard top. Place hardtop in garage. Drive off into sunset. Hardtop rattle solved __________________

10-21-2009, 06:38 AM	#4 (permalink)
Jim21680 Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 365	J/k....I was going to say the same as RL. I'm sure you've heard of Shin-etsu grease. As for extra padding, the two-sided adhesive foam insulation tape will work nicely, and it's cheap. __________________

10-21-2009, 06:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
kgf3076 Raconteur Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: We might be sharing a time zone (but it's doubtful) Posts: 1,776	You need a tube of Shin-Etsu grease from Momma Honda. Grease all of the rubber seals on the top and the one across the top of the windshield. Second, I've found that the hooks on the soft top latches have a tendency to rattle. To fix that problem, grab a couple of short rubber-bands and loop them around the hooks so that they don't move. You can do this from inside the car after the hard top is installed but it's much easier to do it before you put the top on. That should take care of most of the noise. __________________ "The BS stops when the green flag drops". In memory of David Weber - Malvern Racing

11-09-2009, 01:10 PM	#14 (permalink)
RMurphy 2007 Rio Yellow Pearl Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Playa del Rey (LA area), CA Posts: 159	This Shin-Etsu grease... is it just white lithium grease or something else/more? __________________ ~~ RMurphy Playa del Rey, CA 2007 Rio Yellow Pearl sifo MODS: Rio Yellow Pearl bra and panties with CAI.

10-21-2009, 06:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
RL1924 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NJ Posts: 2,037	Hardtops are hard to get perfect some times... Some add some type of grease im not sure what it was called, You can also just add some kind of foam/rubber seals to existing seals to thicken it to make it tighter

10-21-2009, 07:18 AM	#6 (permalink)
RL1924 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NJ Posts: 2,037	Ahh Shin-Etsu grease yes thats is what I heard of KG.. appearing from the shadows or where have you been?

10-25-2009, 12:15 PM	#8 (permalink)
sfkjeld Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: San Francisco, Ca Posts: 232	Have the top off today for the taping and geasing exercise. Looking for some guidance on taping. Where exactly do you recommend placing it? On the bottom edge of the top itself? Over the front seals? And yeah, I think a lot of the rattle was simply the soft top latches. Could'ah sorted that out with the top on.

11-08-2009, 07:56 PM	#10 (permalink)
sfkjeld Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: San Francisco, Ca Posts: 232	Sorry to bump this, but am in need of ideas. I seem to have eliminated the rattles (bound the latches). But after our first rain, the squeaking is driving me nuts. Bought a tube of Shin-Etsu grease from Honda yesterday ($26, thank you very much) and after slopping it on, it probably cut 40-50% of the noise. Not enough tho. Ideas?

11-09-2009, 08:57 AM	#12 (permalink)
sfkjeld Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: San Francisco, Ca Posts: 232	Sorry, it is an OEM top. From a 2005, my car is a 2002. The only change to the car was installing the mounting brackets on the sides. The top latch fastens with little resistance, so I put in the rubber spacers where the latch hooks fasten. I think it eliminated some of the rattling in back. But the squeaking is all in the front corners. Gets worse after a rain.

11-09-2009, 04:49 PM	#15 (permalink)
RealJoKeR Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: pasadena,ca Posts: 135	DOES THE GREASE HAVE NON OXENOL-9??? IF SO, I GOTTA GET ME SOME!!! __________________ buyer beware on a car with two colors......

11-09-2009, 06:55 PM	#17 (permalink)
sfkjeld Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: San Francisco, Ca Posts: 232	Shin-Etsu grease is white in color, don't remember reading the contents. Must assume that a large % of it must be pure gold, given the ridiculous price. I really do not want to move the latch plates unless I have to. I like the idea of pulling off the hardtop and using the softtop with a minimum of drama. Will try the hose idea tho. Maybe the rubber spacers I used (tennis ball pieces) are not thick enough. Thanks!

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