Convertible top leak

I have a 2001 Sebring convertible, which has started to leak, on the
drivers side, at the seam where the convertible top butts into the corner of
the window frame. I have tried to adjust the latch, but it is already
screwed in as far as it can go.

Are there any other adjustments possible or do I need to replace something?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Bob

 

i'm surprised the latch adjustment u made did not make more leaks the seal might
be out of place or collapsed and the window glass does have adjustment specs
u might want to find a factory manual for this issue

 

I have a 05 Sebring

Last Jan 2 & 3rd it was raining hard to moderate here in NYC, This
time after a good hard downpour on the 2nd and staying dry during my
45 minuet trip that night, I found the following morning on the 3rd
of moderate rain I had a continuous drip down onto the area of the
window up/down switches. The origin of the drip was from between
the drivers "side glass" and the weather-stripping, in the area of
where the drivers sun visor mounts to the pillar extending out from
that point an inch up and down , This was not due to some water
coming in initially when a door is opened on a frameless window
convertible due to not having any drip rails like conventional cars
OR the roof not being latched properly OR the window not being up
fully OR the door not being fully closed. These conditions were
considered as this drip continued for the entire 45 minuets of my
trip.


The weather stripping appears in good shape except for one
possibility. The top weather stripping that meets the closed
convertible roof appears to extend over the side glass on the
passenger side , but on the divers side it appears to end in the
center of the width of the side glass. This condition may have
caused some water to flow being the weather strip V type flap that
holds tight against the side glass. The option of a adjustment to
the latch so it closes tighter may have no effect as the drip was
at the side where a hinge adjustment would have more effect.

I've been in it a couple of times when it was pouring out and no
problems. the window switch area was filling with water such that I
finally got a plastic bag and stuck one side of the bag into where
the arm rest mounts to the door covering the switch area. I got
the car new in late July 05, most of the week it's under a cover and
I use it on weekends, On my next service visit I'll put this on
the list.

In doing some net research I found the following blurb,
""the dealer replaced the whole top on my car because one of the
front-to-back tension pads tore loose, but at the same time they
replaced the A-pillar weatherstrip "

Right now I'm not too clear on what is a " A-pillar " or what is
a " front-to-back tension pads " if someone could explain or
direct me to a picture I'd appreciate it.

 

Last Jan 2 & 3rd it was raining hard to moderate here in NYC, This

We had the same problem on our 04 Sebring.
Took it to the local dealer and he adjusted the top to fit down over the
drivers window a little tighter.
No leaks since.

 

Thanks for the response. Does anyone know how this adjustment is done?
Is it in the top latches or something in the folding frame top?

 

the a pillar is the side of the windshield and there is no front to rear tenson pads
jsut front to rear ward top frame adjsutments for the tenson/contact of the top
against the upper windshield weather seal
when a dealer replaces the one seal if the seal has been revised with a new one then
there is a good bet the rest have been revised and also need replacing and d/c
warranty does cover it iknow i have done it and thats what the teach in the convert.
top class take in and have them fix your leak

 

Thank you for taking the time to offer your expert advise on this
and many other items.

 

We had the same problem on our 04 Sebring.

Don't know for certain, I know he made the adjustment on the front where the
top joins the roll-over bar and I believe he mentioned that there was a
second adjustment made which moved the top, forwards & backwards. As it was
under warrantee, I wasn't really listening.

Dennis

 

is that windshield frame a roll over bar? I remember in the 70's
the convertibles had a roll over bar - then I don't see them any
more much. The roll over bar was that a law or just a owner installed
extra?

 

No, a windshield frame will not protect in a turn over.
The roll bars have not been a law. Due to pressure from the media, Jeep
put them in. Some cars like the Mercedes have a automatic pop up roll
bar. Some are optional from dealers and some are owner installed.

 

OT: About the jeep rollbar ... I have seen one collapsed a few years
back when the roll occurred at highway speed ... the driver was killed.
I keep meaning to look into this ... perhaps someone has info on "to
what speed" those jeep rollbars are good to.

 

Most of them were factory-installed placebos. They weren't tested or
rated for rollover protection, but they "looked" safer than a completely
open car.

Even the Viper R/T 10s "halo bar" over the rear window wasn't
technically called a "roll bar" because that would have opened up too
many legal worm cans if someone were to be killed in a rollover. It was
at least engineered to give *some* protection, most of the others weren't.

And by the way- you'd be surprised how little protection a full roof
gives in a rollover sometimes...

 

Interesting -- I had thought there were some liability cases that
established that anything that looked like a roll bar needed to
function as one, and calling it a light rack or something wouldn't
help... (note the conspicuous lack of cites here, of course).

 

Due to their poor performance in rollover tests, I believe !!!

 

Jeep never put a 'roll bar' into any stock product I am aware of. They
put a 'sport' bar in that works very well for off road slow speed roll
overs or tip overs.

Even so most serious off roaders modify the sport bar and anchor it to
the frame instead of just the body tub like it comes stock. This
increases the strength. Lots make real roll cages too.

I have my 'sport' bar tagged to my frame.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

 

Just for reference, my 1996 Chevy extended cab pickup has a (don't remember
the exact name of the option) "hinged panel" and not a 3rd door. This was
the first year Chevy put the 3rd door in the truck and the design didn't
meet the standards for a "door" (I think relative to crush strength and
such) so they couldn't call it a door. Maybe "roll bar" has a legal
definition and standard.

 

"And by the way- you'd be surprised how little protection a full roof
gives in a rollover sometimes... "

Especially when the windshield pops out- its a structural member.
(I couldn't believe that when I first heard it...)

Dave

 

Maybe that's why they called it a 'halo' bar. I don't honestly know, but
I did just read a passage in a book about the fact that there was an
internal argument between some guys at Chrysler over whether to include
it or not. One camp thought that it detracted from a clean top-down
look. The guy who prevailed was the one who had a had actual experience
with building limited-production high-performance vehicles before, and
felt that it was necessary because it offered some level of protection,
and given the type of car there *would* be single car incidents that
wound up with the wheels in the air. he must've seen Kelsey Grammer's
name on the waiting list...

 

That's why they're almost universally glued in now. They're designed to
STAY in and add a little rigidity to the front of the roof.

nate

(strange but true...)

 

Indeed. The rear head rests. They can be raised and lowered in 'normal'
use. They pop up and lock in an emergency. This includes, I gather, the
car being at an 'unnatural' angle.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
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Some cars like the Mercedes have a automatic pop up roll

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