rocketman

If you have been having problems with your top cover (also called boot cover?), you gotta get the TSB done!

My cover would not stay on correctly and I just stopped using it. When the TSB came out, it said to measure how far up the top stuck when it was down; it's supposed to be less than two inches - mine was 3 inches! I got the TSB done and what a difference - the cover stays on and looks great and I swear there is less air turbulance at highway speeds.

andrewewing

Did mine over the weekend and it DOES make a difference. Did it myself because I hate to take it to the dealer. Honda allows dealer a half hour. That's really pusing it since lock nut on the top stop is a real bitch to get to. Took me about 1 1/2 hours but 30 min. of that was trying to retrieve the wrench I dropped into the top well.

TSB says to use a 12 mm crowfoot wrench. Unless you have one of these I suggest you not even try to DIY. TSB is posted in the "library" section.

Big Al

The TSB's in the library are great aren't they. Thanks to the board!

txst

You can thank me for the TSB

I too had this problem and got the copy of the TSB faxed to me after finding out about it from the NHTSA website (which I then forwarded to Hondagal to post here). I also don't like other people working on my car, so I did the repair myself. I bought the 12mm crowfoot from Sears for about $6 and it took me less than 1 hr to do the fix. Since then, I haven't had any problems with the boot cover.

mister_two

txst and andrew,

I tried to do this TSB myself tonight but the locknut this TOO TIGHT ! It won't budge . I bought the 12mm crowfoot wrench from Sears but I don't have a stubby 3/8 ratchet as the TSB stated so I tried using a longer extension, 12 instead of 6 inches and use my regular 3/8" ratchet. You are right the locknut is a bitch to reach. And once the crowfoot wrench is wrapped (at least I think it is) around the locknut it won't budge. Any advice on how I can loosen this nut so I can adjust the "lowered position stop" ? Can that stop be adjusted by hand once the locknut is loosen? I know I am jumping ahead. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Paul

txst

I didn't have any trouble with the locknut being too tight - it was just a bugger to get to. Once it's loose, the stop can be adjusted by hand - it turns easily, just be sure to turn each side down by the same amount. Let me know if you have any more questions.

andrewewing

Yes, I didn't find the locknut tight at all BUT the trick is that there is very limited movement range for the crowfoot wrench. You have to make sure you put the wrench on the nut at a place where the wrench has room to move, otherwise the reason it won't loosen is not that the nut is tight, it's because the wrench is hitting something. Hope that makes sense

mister_two

txst and andrew,

Thanks for your replies. And yes, Andrew, I know exactly what you are talking about, that area has very limited space to maneuver. Plus, I was working at night in a narrow garage, couldn't swing the door wide open, with a small mag flashlight hanging out of my mouth, that didn't help either. I will give it another try this weekend in the daytime outside.

Paul

Shark

I just performed this fix as well. Forget about it if you don't have the right tools. Also, spend the $25 for the Craftsman stubby-ratchet, the $5 Pep Boys version is a piece of stink!

For me, it was impossible to determine how many times I was turning the nut. So I loosened the nut, lowered the stops on both sides to their lowest position, put the roof down, then raised the stops so that they touched the ass-end of the raised-stop.

It took me a good hour and a half to do this. I can't believe that a tech is only allotted a half-hour. This is why flat-rate compensation is in the best interest of the dealer, not the customer.

After I got everything back together, I took it for a nice ride and the cover stayed on.

mister_two

Well, I finally got a chance to finish this job, thanks to txst, andrew and shark's advice. The locknut finally loosened. The problem was I didn't give the crowfoot wrench enough room to maneuver. Once, I loosened the nut, I did what Shark did. I removed the bolt completely and lowered the rubber stopper to its lowest position. Then I adjusted the rubber stopper up to meet the convertible top metal bracket. It's difficult to explain but if anyone is doing this adjustment they will know what I mean.

I haven't had a chance to test out whether the rear boot cover still flop around or not at high speed. But I suspect this adjustment should help. Before the adjustment, whenever I put the boot cover on, I always felt resistance from the convertible top pushing up against the boot. After the adjustment this resisitance is almost completely gone. If this adjustment still doesn't work I will extend the tabs on the boot cover. I believe andrew did this mod.

Also, a crowfoot wrench is essential to do this adjustment. You can pick one up at Sears for about 6 or 7 bucks, 12mm. A stubby 3/8" ratchet would probably make the job easier but I used a regular 3/8" ratchet, plus a six inch extension.