Hard top Noise

[Fishtales]

I took the hard top off my 2021JLU for the first time yesterday. With the weather changing here in the Northest it went back on this morning.
First drive out after its back on it seems to make a lot of noise. My first impression was i needed to retighten everything which i did with no help.
I could tell that the top had never been off ( i purchased vehicle used) by the way it was stuck to the body as it was being lifted up. I also cleaned and put a coat of wax where it sits on the body where i had cleaned.
Anyone have ant tips on how i can get it back to how it was prior to the removal. I sat in the back seats to see where it was coming from and couldnf pin point one area. Hard to explain but just sounds crickety. Yes higher the radio helps, but not the answer im looking for!
Or is this just the result of Jeep ownership once its been removed from factory. Loved having the top off, but want to love it again now that its back on!
Thanks
J

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[NoahVD]

I would never call my top creaky and I have taken it off many times. I do get what could be called wind noise from the freedom panel area sometimes, there are seals there that can get folded over wrong.

 

[Joe98]

I have a 2 door.
I remove the freedom panels often but not the main top
It is almost 3 years old and when off road, the roof creaks just a bit.
.

 

[Rubigone]

My top started creaking about two three weeks ago, these creaks drove me nuts. I used a trick I’ve done with prior cars, lubricate the door sills on the doors and the surfaces on the body where they connect with some wd40. And voila the creaks went away. I know wd40 isn’t optimal but I’d rather not put some silicone lube on the door seals and the sills of the car since it will be a pain to remove completely.

 

[Tharris]

I took the hard top off my 2021JLU for the first time yesterday. With the weather changing here in the Northest it went back on this morning.
First drive out after its back on it seems to make a lot of noise. My first impression was i needed to retighten everything which i did with no help.
I could tell that the top had never been off ( i purchased vehicle used) by the way it was stuck to the body as it was being lifted up. I also cleaned and put a coat of wax where it sits on the body where i had cleaned.
Anyone have ant tips on how i can get it back to how it was prior to the removal. I sat in the back seats to see where it was coming from and couldnf pin point one area. Hard to explain but just sounds crickety. Yes higher the radio helps, but not the answer im looking for!
Or is this just the result of Jeep ownership once its been removed from factory. Loved having the top off, but want to love it again now that its back on!
Thanks
J

I had the same issue after taking the top off for the first time. I then used silicone based spray lube on all the contacting rubber and it solved the problem.

 

[LarryB]

Few thoughts:

1) It may be coming from the freedom panels. They can often be a bit temperamental when they are put back in. You can use a silicone-based grease on them, but I personally had more success first cleaning them well and then using 303 protectant.

2) Still on the panels, there are two pegs on each panel (one by the visor and one by the back where it connects to the main roof). I found that putting tape on them prevents them from banging away.

3) I also found that I over-tightened the bolts the first time I put the roof back on. The specs are on here somewhere, but they are much looser than you may think. Use a torque wrench and ensure you are using the right values.

4) Not a creak noise, but I found that after I put my hardtop back on, I had a bit of a ”styrofoam” type noise when the roof flexed. I rolled up a towel and put to between the crossbar and the roof. Solved it.

5) The part where the glass meets the tailgate is often a culprit. Here, I did use silicone based grease on the rubber part and it really helped. If it still does it, try some anti-squeak tape on the tailgate (where it meets that rubber strip). There is a thread on here showing where.

6) Finally, I thought I had a similar sound from the front roof panel, but it was actually two things … I guess the previous owner had the windshield down, and when I checked, one of the bolts was quite loose. As well, in the same area, the sun visors can be annoying, and it bounces the sound to mask it. Put some soft, double-sided tape on the underside.

Hope this helps

 

[Fishtales]

I'm

Few thoughts:

1) It may be coming from the freedom panels. They can often be a bit temperamental when they are put back in. You can use a silicone-based grease on them, but I personally had more success first cleaning them well and then using 303 protectant.

2) Still on the panels, there are two pegs on each panel (one by the visor and one by the back where it connects to the main roof). I found that putting tape on them prevents them from banging away.

3) I also found that I over-tightened the bolts the first time I put the roof back on. The specs are on here somewhere, but they are much looser than you may think. Use a torque wrench and ensure you are using the right values.

4) Not a creak noise, but I found that after I put my hardtop back on, I had a bit of a ”styrofoam” type noise when the roof flexed. I rolled up a towel and put to between the crossbar and the roof. Solved it.

5) The part where the glass meets the tailgate is often a culprit. Here, I did use silicone based grease on the rubber part and it really helped. If it still does it, try some anti-squeak tape on the tailgate (where it meets that rubber strip). There is a thread on here showing where.

6) Finally, I thought I had a similar sound from the front roof panel, but it was actually two things … I guess the previous owner had the windshield down, and when I checked, one of the bolts was quite loose. As well, in the same area, the sun visors can be annoying, and it bounces the sound to mask it. Put some soft, double-sided tape on the underside.

Hope this helps

It definitly is not the freedom panels. I hadnt put them back on when i took my first ride. I have since, and the noise is still there. Intersting on torque spec for top. I definitly cranked it down after i heard the noise the first time. Actually commented how could you possibly tighten them with the screw type by hand if it needs to be this tight not to have a noise. Kind of the reason i didnt crank them down the first time becasue i didnt want to crack the fiberglass. So i need to do s search and find that torque spec. Maybe its in my manual too. Do you have a silicone based lube you use? Not sure i have heard of that. I will definitely try it, but just seems strange the this all happened after roof and doors were off.
Thanks for everyone's suggestions though. I appreciate it and will try more things tomorrow.

 

[Chief_Dan]

I have had 2 vehicles before my Jeep that had glass T-tops. They would creak after taking them off & putting them back on. Especially on my MR2, after being at a race. Figured out that the rubber seals need to be kept supple & soft. Any drying out of the seals & the creaking came back. So, after spending all day in the sun during Auto-X, track day, or time trial, those seals were real dry. So, before putting the T-tops back in, I would spray some silicone lubricant on a lint free rag & rub the seal down. As mentioned WD40 will work as well, I would just spray it on a rag & rub it on the seal too.

I have done this with my Jeep & have had the top & doors off quite a few times. No creaks.

Any decent silicone lubricant will work or even WD40. Again, just spray a lint free rag & rub on the seals. This way you avoid any drips or over spraying. As mentioned, don't over tighten the screws holding the top down too.

Hope this helps.

 

[dchemphill1]

Someone on here said not to use wd-40 as it will degrade the rubber...silicone is best to use.

 

[kermitjewel]

the graphite lube that they use for slide outs on trailers was once recommended to me

 

[LarryB]

I'm

It definitly is not the freedom panels. I hadnt put them back on when i took my first ride. I have since, and the noise is still there. Intersting on torque spec for top. I definitly cranked it down after i heard the noise the first time. Actually commented how could you possibly tighten them with the screw type by hand if it needs to be this tight not to have a noise. Kind of the reason i didnt crank them down the first time becasue i didnt want to crack the fiberglass. So i need to do s search and find that torque spec. Maybe its in my manual too. Do you have a silicone based lube you use? Not sure i have heard of that. I will definitely try it, but just seems strange the this all happened after roof and doors were off.
Thanks for everyone's suggestions though. I appreciate it and will try more things tomorrow.

I found it weird too, but mind you, I am not sure the entire roof had been off mine before, so things might really have shifted.

There is a spec listed here (it is a measly 9lbs)
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/torque-values-for-jeep-jl-wrangler.17791/#post-518028

Hard top to body bolts | 12 Nm | 9 ft. lbs. | - |
Hard top to B-pillar bolts | 12 Nm | 9 ft. lbs. | - |
Hard top front receiver bracket bolts | 12 Nm | 9 ft. lbs. | - |

I use this lube (bought from Amazon, but I am sure you can find it anywhere
Super Lube 97008 Silicone Lubricating Grease, 8 oz Tube, White

 

[Fishtales]

Update:
Thanks for the torque spec. I found that late last night as well.
Woke up this morning and backed off on the rear t50's. I dont have a torque wrench but 9lbs is what i would think to be "snug". Then not having any silicone based lube in the house i tried the dawn soap trick around the rear glass. Probably only needed it where it meets the tailgate but ended up running it around the whole gasket. Took it for the trip to the bakery for some Easter Bread and dessert and im happy to report back its completely gone! Thanks for all who answered. I can believe it did the trick.
Thanks again,
John

 

[garykk]

You can use WD-40 as long as it’s the specialized silicone spray. Regular WD-40 can cause rubber to swell from what I have found.

 

[Kllrbee]

Mine creaks too so youre not alone. As noted, I believe its mostly from where the glass meets the tailgate. It honestly doesnt bother me too much so I havent done anything about it, but I guess some lube would do the trick.
Good deal on those torque specs Larry!
Im sure mine are tighter than 9 ft. lbs.....

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