2003 hard top screw attach

[kberg85284]

Hi. I can’t get the left driver side screw to find the hard top hole to pull the hard top down secure. Right passenger side tightened no problem. Any ideas? Is it possibly stripped? Thanks

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[Timberroad]

Hi. I can’t get the left driver side screw to find the hard top hole to pull the hard top down secure. Right passenger side tightened no problem. Any ideas? Is it possibly stripped? Thanks

Try taking the top off and check the hole for trash and try putting a screw in the hole with it off. Don't know what size the screw is though

 

[Ronaldo]

Hi. I can’t get the left driver side screw to find the hard top hole to pull the hard top down secure. Right passenger side tightened no problem. Any ideas? Is it possibly stripped? Thanks

Try pushing down on that corner with one hand and screwing with the other. Works for me.

 

[DennisC]

Hi. I can’t get the left driver side screw to find the hard top hole to pull the hard top down secure. Right passenger side tightened no problem. Any ideas? Is it possibly stripped? Thanks

Hi Kberg,
Occasionally I experience the same thing on my passenger side. Unless you somehow buggered the thread on the screw it always comes down to the angle being off a tiny bit but enough to misalign the starting threads. The two solutions that always work for me are to loosen the side that does screw in okay. Then screw in the difficult while pulling the top down from the outside. This will release any twisting pressure on the top as it does twist a bit putting the threads out of alignment. If That does not work the other solution is to engage the rear corner lock down lever or if you already engaged it, release it. you may even find that you need to engage one lever but not the other for example engage the passenger side rear lever but not the drivers side, etc. for a few cents Ford engineers could have used self aligning screws which have a small shaft at the end before the threads start which allows the screw to enter the hole to engage the threads properly. Maybe next time. Good luck.

 

[kberg85284]

Thanks Dennis. That sounds like a logical solution - try putting pressure or taking pressure off from different corners!! I hope the female socket isn’t stripped. It worked at the dealer a year ago. In AZ we don’t use the hardtop much but I love the look especially at Christmas since I have torch red. She’s a beauty at only 39,000 miles.
Cruise on
Ken

 

[lkaroll]

Hi. I can’t get the left driver side screw to find the hard top hole to pull the hard top down secure. Right passenger side tightened no problem. Any ideas? Is it possibly stripped? Thanks

Mine does the same thing sometimes. It seems to work best if I do the drivers side first. Don’t know what you have tried, but I have tried different things like latch the driver’s side rear and unlatch the passenger side & vice versa. See if there’s a combination that works for you.
I always seem to eventually get it to tighten.
Good luck.