Hard top leak

[JLeco2022]

so its been a little wet in so cal this winter and i was in denial for a good two days, but today i checked the back carpet and its soaked, it apears to be coming from about the roll bar almost at the freedom panels but when i removed the top pass freedom panel its dry and seal looked good in the rubber. For now i have a tarp on the top and will fix when it get a little dry spell. Note until i take off the plastics on the seatbelt front pass seat and the overhead plastic i can't see the exact point of failure.

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[The Last Cowboy]

Try conditioning all the seals with 303 Aerospace Protectant, nothing else. Also, when you put the panels back in place, make sure both are laid in place before securing any latches. I move them around a little before just to make sure nothing is pinched or slightly out of place. If I get any resistance when tightening latches, then I undo all of them, shift the panels a little to make sure everything is lined up, then start latching again.

Also, when you put your hardtop back on last time, did you put the two bolts, one on each side, back in where is secures to the roll bar?

 

[JLeco2022]

Try conditioning all the seals with 303 Aerospace Protectant, nothing else. Also, when you put the panels back in place, make sure both are laid in place before securing any latches. I move them around a little before just to make sure nothing is pinched or slightly out of place. If I get any resistance when tightening latches, then I undo all of them, shift the panels a little to make sure everything is lined up, then start latching again.

Also, when you put your hardtop back on last time, did you put the two bolts, one on each side, back in where is secures to the roll bar?

yeah i learned the little tricks after buying my 2000 ws6 with t-tops, i've never had the back hard top off of this to be honest and the freedom panels maybe 2 or 3 times, i know a bought a jeep but me and the sun don't get along with my leukemia , But i will check the things you have said, its probably something simple

 

[JLeco2022]

and yes people give me poop when i wheel with my hard top on, mostly my dad and his friend tho

 

[Micky]

This can be silly and stupid. I once had a rubber peice bent and trapped under a panel. when i removed it, whistling and rain drip stopped.

Remove the panes, clean area, and put it back on securely.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I’m not a fan of the way these roof panels fit. It’s easy to latch them down when they aren’t properly fitted together. They just require a little extra finesse is all.

Nothing wrong with leaving your top on, you paid extra for it.

Go around all 8 of the hardtop screws twice a year or so and make sure they’re good and snug. Sometimes they can get loose enough to allow the top the shift slightly. Don’t crank them down though.

Next, check the 4 bolts the secure the windshield frame to the top of the roll bar, those work loose as well. When loose it can cause wind noise and leaks.

Use 303 on all the top panel seals and door seals. It’s good on plastic too, wont break them down like Armor All and similar oil based so called “protectants”. The shiny wet looking stuff is bad.

 

[JLeco2022]

This can be silly and stupid. I once had a rubber peice bent and trapped under a panel. when i removed it, whistling and rain drip stopped.

Remove the panes, clean area, and put it back on securely.

i've found with rubber seals sooner or later they fail, i have yet to see a design thats perfect. but before this week it seemed to work, just gotta see where I or the design failed

 

[JLeco2022]

I’m not a fan of the way these roof panels fit. It’s easy to latch them down when they aren’t properly fitted together. They just require a little extra finesse is all.

Nothing wrong with leaving your top on, you paid extra for it.

Go around all 8 of the hardtop screws twice a year or so and make sure they’re good and snug. Sometimes they can get loose enough to allow the top the shift slightly. Don’t crank them down though.

Next, check the 4 bolts the secure the windshield frame to the top of the roll bar, those work loose as well. When loose it can cause wind noise and leaks.

Use 303 on all the top panel seals and door seals. It’s good on plastic too, wont break them down like Armor All and similar oil based so called “protectants”. The shiny wet looking stuff is bad.

I found the bottle of 303 i've been using on my other offroad vehicle, just need it to stop raining for a little bit

 

[JLeco2022]

kinda glad it leaked now and not when im driving back east in a few weeks tho

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Yeah, it would suck to have to deal with it on the road. And road trips are funny. I've driven 1000 miles in a day and not a drop of rain. Other times It poured nearly the entire trip.

 

[JLeco2022]

Yeah, it would suck to have to deal with it on the road. And road trips are funny. I've driven 1000 miles in a day and not a drop of rain. Other times It poured nearly the entire trip.

i've driven across this country i think over 20 times now while i served, each time is so much different than the last. some of the hardest rain i've driven in was back in 07 on the 40 back east, another time driving from drum to la i got caught in a bunch of whiteout snow. I've just learned to plan to get stuck and be able to fix basic road things. heat food and water are super important in bad weather

 

[Rogersocal]

Im in the Torrance area of socal and this for the first time happened to me too.. Pulled out of my driveway and i got a dribble of water on my back..

 

[JLeco2022]

i think i fixed the issue now that it stopped raining as hard, there is a tube in the corner back side of the freedom panels for the driver and pass side, the tube that lets water flow down to under the tub was blocked with dust and back filling into the top of the jeep running down the side behind the plastic panels to the carpet, will update if really fixed once starts raining again. Also reset both panels and 303'd all of my rubbers since i was out there anyways

 

[JLeco2022]

also side note i might have had the panels placed in the wrong order last time i put them on, one goes on first before the other, you can put them onin any order, however the ways the rubber works you will pinch if you put one side on before the other it appears. its prolly in the manual tho

 

[Rogersocal]

also side note i might have had the panels placed in the wrong order last time i put them on, one goes on first before the other

Which goes on first?

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