Leaking Mr2 T-bar

[dj_davo]

well im well and truly pi***d off now!

raining all %$(*** day and i have just returned from a journey that involved shed loads of water leaking in both sides of the car - passenger seat suede and leather all wet, drivers seat 'ME' all flamin wet! grrrrrrrrrrr.

could anyone help clarify what is THE definitive cure for t-bars?

is it those special rods from Mr T., or maybe some sticky back draught excluder around the offending corners?, or maybe some silicone sealant on the rubbers?

any help wud be great as im hoping to tackle the problem in the morning (assuming we get 10 dry minutes)!!!!!

as always - help most appreciated.

thx :(

[JappyBeast]

Had a very small wet patch on the drivers side only... think of all the good times in the red hot weather with the roof off.. people you dont know waving at you.. wind all around you. It is all worth it for the odd damp seat.

You tintop/sunroof chaps might be laughing!

I know that mine isnt that bad but I get the odd drip. Buy the rods from MrT :arrgg-matey: :arrgg-matey:

T-BARS FOREVER!!!!

[TheNissanMan]

The best cure for a leaky T is to replkace the rubber seals although this an be expensive, there are sealants that you can put on th current rubber but don't expect it to last too long, I'll find an FAQ and post it here under workshop later....

[TheNissanMan]

I have poached the following information so will try and get permission now but in the mean time will post and give credit for the documents....

Club: IMOC

Author: Jamie Ayres

Topic: Fixing a leaky T-Bar

Text:

The quickest, cheapest and most reliable way to get rid of leaky roof and window problems is to use silicon lubricant. Try Holts Silicon Lubricant. It comes in a green can and claims to be for windows (stops squeaking) but basically soaks into the rubber and revives it.

Take the t-bars roofs off and wind the windows down. Spray this stuff onto the rubber and leave it to soak in and work its magic for a few hours (as long as possible!) with nothing touching the rubber seals. Don't forget to spray the rubber seals on the t-bar glass as

well!!!

Club: IMOC

Topic: MR2 T-Tops - Eccentric Rod Guide Installation

Author: Name not issued (website:

Text:

MR2 T-Tops - Eccentric Rod Guide Installation

Introduction

The position and fit of the T-Tops in the Mk.2 MR2 can be adjusted by replacing the two small plastic rod guides in the locking mechanism with a similar part manufactured with the hole off-center. Rotation of the two rod guides then allows the T-Top to be moved relative to the locking rod, hopefully providing a better fit in your particular application. This page is intended to show the steps necessary to replace the rod guides. It is a very simple operation and should take even the most mechanically challenged person no more than 15-20 minutes per side. Of course, any modifications you make to your car are your own responsibility.

Parts and Tools Required

Eccentric T-Top Rod Guide - two per side. Part number 63283-17040.

M4 x 10mm machine screws - two per side. I got these from my local hardware store. Note that you must get metric machine screws.

Medium size cross-head screwdriver to fit T-Top cover screws.

Large flat-head screwdriver for use as a lever.

Clean cloth to remove T-Top handle clip.

Directions

Remove the T-Top from the car and place it on a flat, clean surface. I placed it on an old blanket to avoid scratching the glass.

Remove the screw from each side of the T-Top which attach the locking mechanism cover.

Work a clean rag behind the locking handle and gently pull each end back and forth until the spring clip pops out. See Photo 4 for the direction you need to work the cloth. Place the handle and clip in a safe place. Pull the knob off the sliding catch and keep it safe also.

Make sure the locking mechanism is in its retracted (remove) position, then gently lift the cover over the ends of the locking rods and insert your flat bladed screwdriver to help pop the cover out of the two clips that now attach it to the locking mechanism. Photo 6 shows the T-Top with the cover removed and points out the location of the two clips. Be careful not to break the clips.

Remove the old rod guide. It is not fixed in place by anything, so just pull it off the rod.

Insert the new rod guide in the same place as the old. There were a couple of small moulding lines on my new guides which prevented them from being fully inserted. After removing the excess plastic with a sharp knife they were fine. Don't worry about the rotational orientation of the part at this time; you can adjust it on the car later. I added a small dab of grease to the rod at this point.

Insert the M4 (4mm) machine screw and tighten. Be careful not to tighten it so much you eat into the plastic rod guide. You will probably adjust this later anyway.

Repeat steps 5 through 7 for the other rod guide in the T-Top.

At this point, I re-attached the locking handle (without the cover) and fitted the T-Top back on the car. This allows you to take the car for a drive while adjusting the rotational position of the rod guides using a small open-ended wrench. When you're happy with the final position you can tighten the locking screw and re-attach the cover.

Reassembly, as the books say, is the reverse of removal. The only part of reassembly which might be tricky is the spring clips that secure the locking handles. I found the trick here is to place the spring clip half-way onto the locking handle, then fit the locking handle back onto the splined spindle on the locking mechanism and push the spring clip fully home with the tip of a screwdriver. If you try this a couple of times it should snap home eventually.

The original of the second post did have photo's, these have not been copyied accross. If I receive an email stating that authors of these posts do not want these cross posted to this forum, they will be removed immediately, I will wait and see what repsonses I get from their emails...

[dj_davo]

thx fellas

[mcmc52002]

Just bought my first toyota mr2 t-bar! love the car except getting wet when it rains! The rubber seals dont look corroded! Any suggestions would be a help! THANX

[SMW]

Guess this doesn't give you too much trouble in the UK then with our beautiful summer !

Sorry to hear about your problems - I imagine that a chap called Rhaines will be along shortly to help.

[TheNissanMan]

Thread has been merged witht the post from yesterday so all undre one happy roof with all questions hopefully answered :D

[JappyBeast]

I dont have much problem with leaks.. the odd drips when pulling off my drive.

The thing that gets to me is that the windows creek and make a sound when the body is twisting.. gets on my rag a bit.. makes the car feel like its poorly built. Doesnt happen on normal roads tho.. only off my drive and on bad bumps.. I'm not gonna but any Oil of Olay either to rub on the old 'bits'. LOL.

[Guest]

I have a 1990 Tbar.. had it out in the rain for the first time...

glad to say the bugger doesn't leek.

[dj_davo]

as an update to this topic i used some silicone spray the other month (although not holts - i couldnt find any), and i bought some 2" deep sticky backed lagging from b&q (cost £15!!!), i cut some of this to fit the end of the t-bar glass (outside edge - just under and partially around the rod. it has cut down a lot - but there were still some leaks yesterday! might try buying those eccentric rods now! <_<

[Guest]

I dont have much problem with leaks.. the odd drips when pulling off my drive.

The thing that gets to me is that the windows creek and make a sound when the body is twisting.. gets on my rag a bit.. makes the car feel like its poorly built. Doesnt happen on normal roads tho.. only off my drive and on bad bumps.. I'm not gonna but any Oil of Olay either to rub on the old 'bits'. LOL.

I noticed my car creak a little when I come off my drive also....

but my drive is a right bugger ! I scrape the front bumbper off the kerb when I reverse out ( lowered about 40mm my car is )...

It's a right bugger !! Gonna have to get Mrs Bett homes to sort out the drive..

[dj_davo]

me too jimlad, there is a right bump at the top of my drive - i even took a sledgehammer to it the other day, but needs some more bashing!

perhaps u could get the tv show to do the double?!

[Guest]

ok... Initally I said my car didn't leak... but after today ( it was ****** it down )..

I'll now say it does. It kinda drips everynow and again from the passenger side... and very, very slowly drips from the driver side.

Gonna get those eccentric rod guide thingys... would Mr Toyota fit them ?? (I'm a lazy :censor: . lol )

[Guest]

Ok... just got onto the phone to MR T and ordered the eccentric rod guides... had one day of dribbly roof... enough for me.

picking them up on saturday.

Does any one have good worded + illustrated instructions ??