MugOfPaul
Member
- First Name
- Paul
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2021
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 11
- Reaction score
- 16
- Location
- Portland, OR
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 JLU, 2015 Sprinter Conversion
- Thread starter
- #1
I have a Sky Top on my 2019 JLU and I absolutely love it. Living in the PNW, it's so great to be able to open and close the roof on demand. I bought my JL used and it was incredible shape but there was definitely some leaking and dripping. I suspect it's a big reason why the original owner traded it in.
I did tons of searches to try and find any information on these tops – most conversations either dead ended or became "took it to the dealer" with no real solutions. I just wanted to share what I've taught myself to make my Sky Top keep things totally dry inside even during heavy downpours.
Replace Butyl in Gutters
First and foremost, the biggest issue I had was the butyl seal that runs the length of the top on both driver and passenger side. If you lift up the rubber cap, you should see the butyl. Mine was pretty thin and spotty. Using plastic trim tools, I was able to pull out all of the old stuff (the rubber stays in place and the butyl peels out – I think this was easier done in cooler weather). I used this 3/4" butyl tape and fed it in along the length of the seal, using a trim tool to press it down between the rubber and the painted surface down in the gutter. I worked in 18" sections. The first and last 2" (front/rear) I fully packed with butyl up until it hits the header seals.
After getting both sides done, put it in the sun to warm up and you'll be able to work the butyl further down into the gutter and remove any globs that might be peeking out under the rubber cap. I did many passes with a flat trim tool to press down on top of the rubber cap to ensure the butyl was fully engaged on the painted side (down in the gutter) and the inner seal. This completely resolved any drips I was getting in the cabin during rain.
Draining Water From Inner Structure
Another issue I had was that before the butyl tape was replaced, water got into the inner structure of the top. I could hear it sloshing around on hard brake/acceleration but couldn't figure out where it was. It sounded like it was in the roll bar but that didn't make sense as there's lots of drain points for the roll bar. It was driving me insane but I got that fixed this weekend.
You will need to do a partial unbolting the top. I originally used this YouTube video as a reference but you do not need to remove the top entirely. Here's the basics:
Remove this bolt that is just under each visor:
Then you will need to remove these bolts that connect the top to the roll bar. NOTE: the front most bolt is much shorter than the others. It's best to just keep them sorted so they go back into the holes they came from:
Go ahead an also remove the rear quarter windows. At this point you should be able to fully lift the front of the top off the Jeep by several inches. When you lift the top you should see two body color painted "bulges" that run along the side. The first is the length of the front door and the second is the length of the rear door and quarter window. The sloshing water is inside these cavities.
I took a small drill bit and drilled a hole into the back, lowest corner in each of the 4 sections. I held the roof up with one hand while drilling but you could also used something like a piece of wood to hold the front up while you work. The nice thing about the front is that it will drain directly into the existing drain route that is in the door. The rear will drain into the cargo area – if you fixed the butyl seal, you shouldn't have any more drainage after this.
After you drill the holes, set the top back down ensuring all the rubber seals at all of the corners and door jambs are overlapping properly and not folded over or crushed. I like to put the bolts back in starting at the front and alternating tightening each side down working my way back. I could never find torque specs so I just go with "pretty snug" and it's been fine for me.
Also I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but I do this calibration procedure just to be safe. I hope this helps someone enjoy their Sky Top as much as I do. I also recommend the Metalcloak/ARS Rocklander rack if you want full use of your top!
I did tons of searches to try and find any information on these tops – most conversations either dead ended or became "took it to the dealer" with no real solutions. I just wanted to share what I've taught myself to make my Sky Top keep things totally dry inside even during heavy downpours.
Replace Butyl in Gutters
First and foremost, the biggest issue I had was the butyl seal that runs the length of the top on both driver and passenger side. If you lift up the rubber cap, you should see the butyl. Mine was pretty thin and spotty. Using plastic trim tools, I was able to pull out all of the old stuff (the rubber stays in place and the butyl peels out – I think this was easier done in cooler weather). I used this 3/4" butyl tape and fed it in along the length of the seal, using a trim tool to press it down between the rubber and the painted surface down in the gutter. I worked in 18" sections. The first and last 2" (front/rear) I fully packed with butyl up until it hits the header seals.
After getting both sides done, put it in the sun to warm up and you'll be able to work the butyl further down into the gutter and remove any globs that might be peeking out under the rubber cap. I did many passes with a flat trim tool to press down on top of the rubber cap to ensure the butyl was fully engaged on the painted side (down in the gutter) and the inner seal. This completely resolved any drips I was getting in the cabin during rain.
Draining Water From Inner Structure
Another issue I had was that before the butyl tape was replaced, water got into the inner structure of the top. I could hear it sloshing around on hard brake/acceleration but couldn't figure out where it was. It sounded like it was in the roll bar but that didn't make sense as there's lots of drain points for the roll bar. It was driving me insane but I got that fixed this weekend.
You will need to do a partial unbolting the top. I originally used this YouTube video as a reference but you do not need to remove the top entirely. Here's the basics:
Remove this bolt that is just under each visor:
Then you will need to remove these bolts that connect the top to the roll bar. NOTE: the front most bolt is much shorter than the others. It's best to just keep them sorted so they go back into the holes they came from:
Go ahead an also remove the rear quarter windows. At this point you should be able to fully lift the front of the top off the Jeep by several inches. When you lift the top you should see two body color painted "bulges" that run along the side. The first is the length of the front door and the second is the length of the rear door and quarter window. The sloshing water is inside these cavities.
I took a small drill bit and drilled a hole into the back, lowest corner in each of the 4 sections. I held the roof up with one hand while drilling but you could also used something like a piece of wood to hold the front up while you work. The nice thing about the front is that it will drain directly into the existing drain route that is in the door. The rear will drain into the cargo area – if you fixed the butyl seal, you shouldn't have any more drainage after this.
After you drill the holes, set the top back down ensuring all the rubber seals at all of the corners and door jambs are overlapping properly and not folded over or crushed. I like to put the bolts back in starting at the front and alternating tightening each side down working my way back. I could never find torque specs so I just go with "pretty snug" and it's been fine for me.
Also I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but I do this calibration procedure just to be safe. I hope this helps someone enjoy their Sky Top as much as I do. I also recommend the Metalcloak/ARS Rocklander rack if you want full use of your top!
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