1999 Sunfire roof

[Abb890]

Hey guys,
I'm helping a good friend fix his roof, this is his first car and is not very mechanically incline. He bought the car a couple of years ago and it needed a new top, so he saved up the $1300 and paid for a new top and for the work to be done. The guy said that the driver side motor on the top was broken so he loosened the gears so that my friend could open and close the top manually. Because he loosened the top there is a gap between the Windows big enough for water to run through when it rains... Has anyone had any experience with this type of thing? How could we fix it without buying a new motor?

 

[melsg5]

I'm not entirely clear as to why the complete top was replaced but the shop didn't replace the motor knowing it was bad. If the gear was loosened to permit manually closing and opening the top and now it wont completely close why arent you taking it back to the shop that did the work. Something has gone wrong with that gear that is preventing you from closing the top so you need to access the motor.

 

[Abb890]

I'm not entirely clear as to why the complete top was replaced but the shop didn't replace the motor knowing it was bad. If the gear was loosened to permit manually closing and opening the top and now it wont completely close why arent you taking it back to the shop that did the work. Something has gone wrong with that gear that is preventing you from closing the top so you need to access the motor.

The top was leaking before, and the rear window was completely broken, and that's why they replaced the top. They found the top at a junk yard and all four motors they had from the original and the new top were broken. The top does close all the way but the windows that are connected to the top don't push all the way forward, which leaves a gap between the door windows and the windows attached to the top. I'm guessing that because the motor is broken it sags on both sides. I'll post pictures when I get home later.

 

[melsg5]

I now realize you are talking about a convertible top since your first post refers to a roof which gave me the impression you had a sunroof replaced. What windows would be physically attached to the top other than the back glass. You have door windows and quarter glass windows. Is this the way the car was after the shop replaced the convertible top or this problem occurred some time afterwards?

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[Abb890]

I now realize you are talking about a convertible top since your first post refers to a roof which gave me the impression you had a sunroof replaced. What windows would be physically attached to the top other than the back glass. You have door windows and quarter glass windows. Is this the way the car was after the shop replaced the convertible top or this problem occurred some time afterwards?

Sorry for the confusion, yes this is a convertible sunfire. I talked to my friend and he told me the full story about what happened. The guy they got to do the job screwed him over and overcharged him for the job. The new tops quarter windows didn't
close all the way when he got the car back. We don't want to take it back to the guy because he screwed him over the first time and would probably charge him for the extra work. I probably could be able to fix it myself, I'm just trying to look for advice if anyone has worked with something similar first!

 

[melsg5]

this link covers the install of a convertible top including sections on properly installing the quarter glass, see if this helps
http://www.autozone.com/repairguide...XTERIOR/Convertible-Tops/_/P-0900c1528003d23c

 

[Abb890]

this link covers the install of a convertible top including sections on properly installing the quarter glass, see if this helps
http://www.autozone.com/repairguide...XTERIOR/Convertible-Tops/_/P-0900c1528003d23c

Thanks that link will really help out. Is there any way to rebuild the motor or do you know where we could buy a new one from? Also, here is a picture of the what i'm talking about.

 

[melsg5]

check with these guys on the motor
http://www.convertibletopguys.com/convertible/909/Mid-1998-2001-Pontiac-Sunfire

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