Roxy

hey everyone - i'm posting lots of question threads for everybody. i'm a newby i guess. my '01 that i just bought was upgraded to a glass window convertible top. the previous owner that installed it didn't get everything perfectly matched up, because when i close the top there is a small gap (maybe a quarter inch) between the front windshield and the edge of the top. the top does not leak at all, but the gap causes the cabin to be noisy, especially above 40mph. also, the top needs a little help on the way up. i assume this is because the motor is intended for the lighter plastic window and struggles with the heavier glass window. suggestions for fixing either problems? thanks.

HondaS

hard top strikers will fix the gap and wind noise. you may need a new motor for the top

screaminyellow

Lock the latches after putting the top up! LOL

Roxy

har har har. thanks screamin , got that much. i was looking at a parts list for different models, and the motor for the top has the same part number in all models, but i think that my02 and later have TWO of them. can anyone confirm? interesting. thanks for the striker fix Honda S - where can i get those? are they just the same mounting but shorter somehow to close the gap? anyway, thanks again.

screaminyellow

Do you have a rubber seal on both the windshield and the top its self? If you are missing one of the seals then that would cause the gap. As far as the strikers go, I could have swore that it was the same for the plastic vs. glass window cars. Maybe HondaS thought you meant that it was changed to a hard top. Witch in that case, yes you would need new hardware!

tekstar

hardtop strikers work for soft tops as well, in fact they are often used to prevent extraneous wind noise caused by loose convertible top strikers.

screaminyellow

Nice tip. I will have to keep that in mind if mine start to wear out. Thanks!

HondaS

yours are probably pretty worn out you just dont know it yet

i put some on like 2 weeks ago and my car is quieter than my previous honda civic i was stunned when i took it on the free way

iam7head

couple thing could be wrong, dont' just randomly throw parts at it like a bunch of clubsi member.

first thing you need to check is how secure is the striker(or whatever teh name of the thing installed on the windsheld. you have to remove the plastic around it, the light has to come out also, which shouldnt take more than 10 minute.

mine was loose i can turn it with my finger wiht one of the screw, it doesn't rattle unless you hit it bump, it's more like a sideway shift than a up down shift. make sure you use blue locite and a impact driver(or big head phillip to turn the screw)

the second thing you can check is the catcher(or whatever the name of the arm thing install on the top), there's two screws on each side, make sure they are not loose.

if all else failed and you still have the gap, you can order a set of new catcher or do this: remove the striker thing again, put a very thin washer between the striker and the body of the car, install everyting like we would. this will give you more tension when you close the top.

dont over do it and stack up a home depot's worth of washer's there, enough is enough, the one i used is quite thin, i don't recall the exact size but it's commonly availble in hardward store.

that was 80 cents worth of hardware compare to a set of new catcher at honda.

people told me i can't get rid of the noise since it's a convertible but i guess they are wrong.

hondaf1

the strikers are worn on the side, so you can swap them from side to side and it would be like putting on new strikers. you could also shim them with washers like someone else posted. i did both and it worked good for me.