Well, for the last couple weeks, I've been tinkering with my OEM hardtop. It is adjusted just about perfectly and sits great on the car. I have been noticing over the last week or so, that there is some new noise that I'm hearing from the rear. Almost like it's coming from the soft top.

The latches on the soft top have already had the DIY latch rattle fix, and I have the hook banded down so they don't rattle. I only hear the noise over very bumpy/dipping roads that unsettle the car. Has anyone noticed this before? Possibly the soft top bouncing around in the back?

Oh, and just for reference... the hardtop is very snug, and I have applied shin-etsu to every single seal on the hardtop.

Thanks for any help guys

 

Also, I'm wondering if it doesn't help that I have some stiff 10k coilovers. I know that's just bouncing the car around even more.

 

i had a problem like this. i found my soft top rubbing on the hardtop brackets that bolt to the bottom of the hardtop window. soft top was folded weird one time when i put the hardtop on. and found it touching the brackets at the bottom of the rear window. i would notice when the body flexes, i would hear a rubbing/creaking noise from the rear soft top area. took off the hardtop and closed it, then opened it again, and made sure it was all folded nicely. reinstalled hardtop and made sure the soft top was not touching those rear brackets. the rear brackets are to keep the soft top from coming up and hitting the window while the hardtop is on. hope this will help you. hopefully it is this simple. was was glad i caught it right away because i allready replaced the soft top for tearing as in the svc bulliten. and didn't want the brackets to rub a hole in the soft top.

 

Rossco, thanks very much for the reply, but that's not the issue...

The soft top is folded correctly and all the way down. It's that the rubber stops that are attached to the rear end of the hardtop have a gap between them and the soft top. Which, I'm sure is the reason for the noise over rough potholes/bumps.

I think I just need to put a bigger/beefier rubber bumper back there to hold down the soft top. BUT, I'm wondering if that will bring on new sounds, haha. It's a new rattle with this car every week!

For now, I just removed the latches from the soft top completely. I figured it's one less part back there to make noise.

 

if your rubber stops don't contact the softop when installed you may need to adjust the metal hangers downward to create the contact or get yourself bigger rubber plugs if you can find them. Mine contact perfectly and maintain pressure on the softop forward frame.

I also put a piece of thin carpet on top of the rear tray to cushion the glass panel when the softop is folded down, kind of like Muz sells but a home made vesion using a set of thin floor mats I never used.

 

Thanks JFUSION, that's exactly what I've been thinking.

 

i had to adjust those bumpers to contact the soft top. it helped.

i think the part that was actually making noise in my car was the plastic tray on which the soft top sits. the bumpers pushed down on the soft top harder and that pushed down on the rear tray harder...hence, no plastic tray movement.

 

When you say "adjust", did you just bend the tabs down more?

 

This was a couple years back.

I actually don't think I touched the metal pieces. I think I just stuffed some folded cardboard between the rubber stoppers and soft top.

 

Fish,

did you buy the hardtop new? There are two rubber spacers that go on the soft top. These spacers preven the softop from folding all the way down, and therefore the hardtop metal stops contact the softtop.

I can get a picture of the rubber pieces if you dont know what I am talking about.

J