xviper

I don't believe this will solve your problem. The manual indicates that when fully latched, certain reference measurements must be met. Changing where your top motor stop won't change the "latched" reference distances. Your latch may not rattle anymore but your top won't be sitting on the windshield seal as it is supposed to either. I have seen instances where, over time, the latch plates can come loose. When I installed mine, I used Locktite on the screw threads to make sure this won't happen easily. Mine is an '00 and has never rattled. Also, there is a possiblility that if the seals are not regularly maintained with silicone grease, they may dry out and shrink, thus creating a bigger gap and reduced elastic force against the leading edge of the top.

pfb

Latch plates seem tight... I saw an ealier post (believe it was yours) about checking them.

Seals might be drying out, it is pretty dry here in Colorado.

They've been shinetzu'ed (is that a verb?) a bunch of times, and look in good shape, but perhaps have shrunk a little due to the Colorado dryness.

xviper

Even still, with the dryness and since you've checked the latch plates, I'm beginning to concur with what has been posted already. You may need to shim the latch itself.
Here is a test:
Get some thin foam rubber insulation and put it on top of the seal at both places where the latches are. Use a rubber thickness that would give you a "compressed" thickness of about 1/8". With those "rubbers" in place, latch your top and go for a drive where they would normally rattle. Have they stopped rattling? If they have, then this will show you that the pressure the seal exerts back onto the leading edge of the top is insufficient AND, will also tell you that changing the stop point of the top travel won't solve you situation. All this does is to make the top itself pull on the latch to make it stop rattling when it is in fact the force with which the top presses against the windshield seal that is the key. Shimming the latches will take care of this.

BTW, if they still rattle when you're doing this test, then it's "back to the drawing board". The latch itself may be at fault. Something inside may have worn loose or broken.

KennyS2K

my h/t gets noisier as the outside temperature rises or if the car is left parked in the sun.

on a cold day it is quiet and rattle free.

could the top expand and contract so much that it is noticeable?

xviper

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kenny'S2K
my h/t gets noisier as the outside temperature rises or if the car is left parked in the sun.

KennyS2K

i'm sure

xviper

In this case, see if you can home in on the rattel. If it is coming from behind you, it may well be that the rear hold downs are not pulling the top down hard enough. You'll need to look at the installation instructions to see how to do this. You basically must remove the trim pieces to expose the rear latch mechanism, unlatch the hold downs, loosen all the nuts and bolts of the latch mechanism, have someone firmly push down on the HT while you tighten up the nuts and bolts on both sides. Then when you turn the hold down lever, they will pull on the top with more force. This should have been done at the time of installation but I'm sure some installers might just skip this part out of laziness.