my driverside top latch is buzzing pretty badly and its really annoying. I used some compressed air to see if it was dirt inside the latch, and it didnt help at all. Is something loose? The hook itself isnt causing the buzzing--it is something within the latch itself. Anyone know how much a latch is if I bought it new?

 

my solutions:
1. keep the top down... that one is guaranteed to work!

2. if the top must be up, get some of the air tubing for fish tank pumps, and put it on the latch finger. it tightens things up enough usually to get rid of all rattles. and if it comes off or breaks, just put some more on!!

 

well the problem I have is that the rattle is present even with the top down

 

One suggestion would be to lubricate the latches with some heavy grease, this will damp the vibration and quiet the latch.

Seems the real problem is too much slop in the hinge. Looks like the pin needs to have a fiber or felt washer on either side of the latch. The would take care of the problem once and for all.

 

you think rather than using a grease based lube that I could use graphite lube? Just wondering if that would do the job without making a greasy mess

 

It's at the joint of the hinge. Unlatch it, and wiggle it with your fingers. That was the noise I was having. I have the hardtop on, and heavy grease kept the hinge from rubbing and smacking on itself. I don't think graphite lube will help... it's the grease cushion that really cut out the noise. If you're careful and use a Q-tip, you can keep all the grease IN the hinge. Nothing to get messy.

And that same rattle was annoying me from the soft top latches in the back of the hardtop, so I used velcro bands to bind the latches shut. I just take them off in the spring and voila!

But it's really cut out all the annoying creaks from the latches.
(Don't forget to do the anti-seatbelt leather creaking mod, too...)

 

My latches rattle pretty badly when the top is down, so I've started playing around trying to get some grease in the hinge. It has helped, so now I'll try to find the thickest stuff that will hopefully stay put.

Now that I think about it, perhaps some clear silicone sealant would do the trick. Squeeze it in and let it set up. Once the hinge moves, it would break any seal but still be in there isolating the various hinge parts.....but first I gotta clean all that grease outta there

Mark