freakshow10mm Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Hi everyone. Haven't been on since last year but I have a problem. The passenger side roof latch is broken. The rails go into the A-pillar and rear section just fine and hold tight enough to where I can push firmly up and the roof stays put. The red light above the roof on the dash display is lit. There is almost no resistance to the latch lever forwards or backwards. The button that is gray and orange that you move to release the handle is stuck halfway between the "open" and "close" position. Has anyone had this issue before and is it easy to fix, ie a spring or internal mechanism. My Google-fu is weak and I couldn't find a drawing of the parts that make up the latch. Thanks for any help you can provide. FWIW it's a 1995. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orca89 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 My first thought would be that the handle itself is stripped... although since it hasn't fallen off that seems unlikely. I'd suggest unscrewing it and trying the one from the other side to see if it'll turn it. Obviously it won't work as originally intended, but it'll help diagnose. If the good handle will operate it, you need a new handle. If it won't, then something in the latch mechanism itself is broken. If you're lucky, you'll have it latched on securely and only have to spend $15 or so on a new handle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakshow10mm Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 I'll try that tomorrow and see what I can come up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 The gear teeth are part of the handle itself and they are plastic. It is not uncommon for the handle to strip. Even from the Honda dealership the handle is under $20 I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orca89 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 The gear teeth are part of the handle itself and they are plastic. It is not uncommon for the handle to strip. Even from the Honda dealership the handle is under $20 I believe. Well, technically there's a metal gear in the plastic handle that has teeth on the outside to grip the handle, and teeth on the inside to turn the latch. But if the handle had stripped, odds are it would fall off every time he hit a pot-hole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 The plastic has flanges where the gear attaches to, those break off and just spin in the assembly. It was tight enough fit on mine that the pressure still held it in otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orca89 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 The plastic has flanges where the gear attaches to, those break off and just spin in the assembly. It was tight enough fit on mine that the pressure still held it in otherwise. Mine just cracked and the whole thing slid off easily. Still had all the plastic teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Yeah, mine didn't crack it sheared off smooth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orca89 Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Yeah, mine didn't crack it sheared off smooth I didn't think that'd be possible... Seems like it'd take a whole lot of torque to crack all of the teeth loose... Unless there was a flaw in the handle itself... *shrugs* Anyway, where'd you go Freakshow? get it figured out yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakshow10mm Posted May 22, 2009 Author Share Posted May 22, 2009 I'm still around. Business has been picking up lately so I'm busier than normal. Finally got around to looking at the situation. I think the issue is a cracked handle. Right side of the roof in the locked position. Note position of the rod and the orange tab on the release slider. This is the left side, the good side, in the locked position as if the roof was on. I took the right handle off and noticed it was cracked. My guess is that tension released and it was skipping over the ridges. I grabbed a channel lock pliers and was able to manually turn the mechanism and it operated normally. Culprit= handle. I'll have to order a new one at the dealership, which means a 2 hour drive east to the nearest one unless I can find one online and package it with some goodies. The teeth on the handle and interior mechanism are definitely metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orca89 Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 I grabbed a channel lock pliers and was able to manually turn the mechanism and it operated normally. Culprit= handle. I'll have to order a new one at the dealership, which means a 2 hour drive east to the nearest one unless I can find one online and package it with some goodies. http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/j...T&catcgry5= Someone needs to make a better handle for the Sol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 also, majestic honda has a huge online part store and they are cheap for honda factory parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orca89 Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 also, majestic honda has a huge online part store and they are cheap for honda factory parts. That's the link I gave him. HondaAutomotiveParts.com is Majestic Honda's site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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