EDIT! Pictures to help you through this were uploaded by Jesusphish on page three!


okay so this quick fix will stop that annoying wind noise about your windshield when your soft top is up...dont know what year models this is common on but i know my MY01 did it REALLY BAD but the previous owner rarely removed hardtop so it was never fixed until now.

So what you will need for this job:

1)Torx bit set...i dont know exactly which size it is, but the set isnt too expensive and its a good investment, i think for these screws u can use a really wide flat head screwdriver too
2)#2 and #3 Philips head screw driver
3)Small Flat head screw driver
4)10mm wrench/socket
5)4 each 10mm bolts i'd say about 3/4-1" length(not including the head) i used the common gold looking honda 10mm flange bolts i had left over from my civic
6)If you have the gold colored honda 10mm flane bolts with the pressed on washers then you only need 4 washers, i should have looked up the thickness but mine were about the same thickness as a nickle/penny whatever(as long as there all the same it shouldnt matter, if your using regular hardware store bought bolts then get 8 washers alittle bigger in diameter than a quarter, theres no science to it, your just making a spacer...

Ok so here it goes!

1) remove your sunvisors using the torx bit!
2) Use the flat head screwdriver to gently pry off the cover for the interior dome light, there are two notches on the windshield side of the cover, just put the tip in there and gently pry it out
3) use your #2 screwdriver or 10mm socket to remove the two bolts holding in the dome light assembly, unplug it and set the assembly aside
4)Gently pull down on the plastic peice untill you hear the clips release and do the same for the side plastics(but pull the out, not down)..just be gentle and it shouldnt break..mine didnt
5) now you should be able to see the striker plates, undo your latches and use a #3 screwdriver with ALOT of pressure and pop out the two screws out of each striker plate
6)Once both plates are out, this is what your going to do with all the hardware you bought or are getting ready to buy(i actually did this in the Ace Hardware parking lot) so i knew i had the right length 10mm bolts


The safe route i suppose would be to take apart your interior, then drive to a hardware store, remove your strikers and carry the #3 screw into the store and get a 10mm bolt to match it but add some length for the extra washers, that IS if you dont have any gold honda 10mm flange bolts

best way to put it all back together:
1)Tighten the new striker bolts up real good!
2)Place top plastic peice up and be sure the wire for the dome light is hanging through the housing cutout, and press the clips back in
3)Plug in the dome light connector, press it into its hole and reinstall the 10mm/phillips bolts
4)Clip the side plastic covers back on, be very careful here, i pressed the sides on first and just wiggled where the two plastics meet at the top until i herd it snap together
5)place the back of the dome cover in first and then press in the front(closest to windshield) for some reason it took me 5min to clip mine in...
6)put your sun visors back on and you should be done!

if you look closely when you latch them, you can see them move...im thinking about cutting out a plate to act as a shim unstead of using the washers as shims, or just placing another washer near the back of the striker to stop it from flexing. But even with it flexing, it still works!

 

nice illustration

 

yea i used the new Autodesk Inventor haha or...as some call it...Paint

 

good idea! i will try this during the weekend

 

Nice write-up. Quick question...how come you used a longer bolt on one side and they don't look one inch either?



J/K. I will be giving this a try as soon as it warms up a little more. Thanks for the info.

 

best bet is to get everything apart, and just pull out the screws in the parking lot of the ace hardware lol, especially if you drop a washer and it falls down into ur interior...u can just walk in and get another (my washers were 5 cents each and i only had 3 honda bolts so the bolt from Ace cost me 48cents)

 

Good idea! I can't believe this wasnt thought of earlier. I'll give it a shot this weekend.

 

Duude, you rock. Subscribed and am doing this Sunday FO SHO! It's been on my mind (or in my ears) ever since I sold the HT.

 

yea...i was so pissed off at this wind noise that i just starting taking apart the interior around the latches and a lightbulb turned on lol

everyone that does this has to paypal me $5 for saving you $58 on hardtop plates haha (just kidding)


it has been crowned the HaflerMOD (pronounced Half-Ler-Mod)

 

if anyone doing this can they take pics with their steps?