A lot of noise is getting inside my jeep from air getting in when going about 55 mph or faster. I'm thinking I may need a new frame for the soft top, or a new seal for the windshield. Any suggestions of what it may be thats causing the gap along the top windshield and the front of the door surround please leave them, thank you!
What's wrong with the soft top in this picture?
- Thread starter Mandag789
- Start date
Just to verify, the soft top should match with the door surrounds. In other words, if the soft top is a cable style top then the door surround would need to be cable style also. The cable would rest in a channel on the surrounds. One thing I'm noticing in your image is that the header channel is not pulled more forward onto the windshield. Is there any amount of water entering the jeep from above the doors. Just doesn't look like the right top with the correct surrounds.
Id re-seat the header channel remove all side and tension to the top before reseatting. Always start with the header channel first making sure it's mounted on the windshield correct then attached the sides and back.
As for any fluttering, you may have to place a beach towel on the speaker bar to clam this down. But the soft top will always have some noise level issues.
Edited:
As I was saying, you either have a cable style or pull in tab style soft top. if the door surrounds do not match up with the type of soft top, you'll have gaps in areas around the top. Also, it appears that you have a third party top, where as you've pushed in to installed the header channel into the fabric. So often these types of designs don't have rubberize seals that match up with the windshield.
So let's verify if you have a cable style or pull tabs soft top. then lets verify if you have a cable style or tab in door surrounds
Id re-seat the header channel remove all side and tension to the top before reseatting. Always start with the header channel first making sure it's mounted on the windshield correct then attached the sides and back.
As for any fluttering, you may have to place a beach towel on the speaker bar to clam this down. But the soft top will always have some noise level issues.
Edited:
As I was saying, you either have a cable style or pull in tab style soft top. if the door surrounds do not match up with the type of soft top, you'll have gaps in areas around the top. Also, it appears that you have a third party top, where as you've pushed in to installed the header channel into the fabric. So often these types of designs don't have rubberize seals that match up with the windshield.
So let's verify if you have a cable style or pull tabs soft top. then lets verify if you have a cable style or tab in door surrounds
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Thank you! The soft top is a sail cloth. Before I ordered it, I called in and asked if it would work with a regular soft top frame, and the customer serviceman said it would. It doesn't seem like it fits properly though in some spots, and doesn't seem to line up correctly.
It leaks in one spot. Drivers side door, where the gap is, but only when there is a lot of water on the top and I go to move and it flows forward.
Thankfully I don't have the fluttering noise. That would be really obnoxious. Just a lot of air that seems to be coming through from the top of the windshield.
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With the tab in design, when the header channel is mounted into the windshield, the tab on both sides of the jeep flip down and into slots located on the door surrounds.
But as I said take everything apart except the header just so you can either tighten the latch screws at the footman loops. This could be an area where if you or the shop/suppler mounted these latches incorrectly could instead force the header channel back and away from the windshield which seem to be what has happen.
Once you get the latch points on correctly (assuming they can be removed flipped/adjusted) you would then latch the header into place more forward then what's being shown in your images.
Once you have the header in place and latched down, goto the rear of the jeep and pull the soft top back toward the tailgate. Applying some down force on the rear of the soft top frame, flip in the plastic tab on both sides of the bed rail corners.
Then toss up the side window and locate the zipper, get the zipper started, then line up the door edge into the door surrounds. Zip the window down and into place on the soft top. open the side door and fit the side window edge (plastic molding) into a slot on the surrounds.
Once both sides have been zipped in and down and the forward window edge has been tucked into the surrounds. You can flip down the window's lower edge into the bed rails. attach all velcro edges at this point.
The last thing one does at this point is to fold down and flip in the tab ins (above the door edges) into a slot on the surrounds. If there's no edge or slot that these tab fit into, it is possible that you have a tab in design soft top with a channel designed surround which wont work.
Ideally, because you attempt anything I've said above, you will need to see if your tab in will work with your surround design. if not you'll either have to return the top for the correct version or locate the correct surrounds.
But as I said take everything apart except the header just so you can either tighten the latch screws at the footman loops. This could be an area where if you or the shop/suppler mounted these latches incorrectly could instead force the header channel back and away from the windshield which seem to be what has happen.
Once you get the latch points on correctly (assuming they can be removed flipped/adjusted) you would then latch the header into place more forward then what's being shown in your images.
Once you have the header in place and latched down, goto the rear of the jeep and pull the soft top back toward the tailgate. Applying some down force on the rear of the soft top frame, flip in the plastic tab on both sides of the bed rail corners.
Then toss up the side window and locate the zipper, get the zipper started, then line up the door edge into the door surrounds. Zip the window down and into place on the soft top. open the side door and fit the side window edge (plastic molding) into a slot on the surrounds.
Once both sides have been zipped in and down and the forward window edge has been tucked into the surrounds. You can flip down the window's lower edge into the bed rails. attach all velcro edges at this point.
The last thing one does at this point is to fold down and flip in the tab ins (above the door edges) into a slot on the surrounds. If there's no edge or slot that these tab fit into, it is possible that you have a tab in design soft top with a channel designed surround which wont work.
Ideally, because you attempt anything I've said above, you will need to see if your tab in will work with your surround design. if not you'll either have to return the top for the correct version or locate the correct surrounds.
If you still have issue with this, (mind you with cooler weather) it's going to be difficult to set the soft top in place. Wait till a warmer sunny day to allow the fabric to relax. With you being in PA this could be a small hop for us to meet up if you're still having issues. But I'll have to check our schedule.
Chris, The earlier wrangler had this type of drip edge door surround where as the tab in flips into the edge which holds the soft top in place above the doors. Later or newer wranglers, jeep introd a cable style soft top where as there is a cable made into the soft top that lays in a "V" channel at the door surround. So if you purchased a cable style soft top, but have the flip in tab in designed surround the two aren't compatible. Thats why I tell others that if they are going to order a soft top, they also should order the matching door surrounds.
yeah, the earlier JKs are the same as the TJ. Around 2011 they switched. The year of the JK itself doesn't matter, just the surrounds. I hated the tabs and picked up a premium soft top from 2013 for my 2009 rubi.
In addition knowing what top you have is also important in ordering replacement windows, because like the earlier hardtops, the rear window is a different size.
In addition knowing what top you have is also important in ordering replacement windows, because like the earlier hardtops, the rear window is a different size.
On that case, it could be the header piece being installed incorrectly or possibly being warped. Happened to me on a previous Bestop soft top I purchased. They asked for photos, then sent me a new one free of charge.
