ZIPPER PROBLEM
 

I posted earleir about a shifting problem I was having on a 2000 Jeep
Wrangler Sport I had just purchased. Now I have discovered another.
This morning I attempted to take the soft top down for the first time.
The zipper on the left rear window is messed up. It is not missing any
teeth or anything, but the teeth are out of line and prevent either
zipper from zipping through to take the window out. The place where it
is messed up is about six inches from the end of the zipper track. I
wanted to take my top off so I just carefully pushed the window in
with the top while folding it all down. I know that this will cause
scratches on the window. Do I have any other alternatives? Can this be
fixed without replacing the entire top? I need the help of you experts
again!

Re: ZIPPER PROBLEM
 

Shane wrote:

> I posted earleir about a shifting problem I was having on a 2000 Jeep
> Wrangler Sport I had just purchased. Now I have discovered another.
> This morning I attempted to take the soft top down for the first time.
> The zipper on the left rear window is messed up. It is not missing any
> teeth or anything, but the teeth are out of line and prevent either
> zipper from zipping through to take the window out. The place where it
> is messed up is about six inches from the end of the zipper track. I
> wanted to take my top off so I just carefully pushed the window in
> with the top while folding it all down. I know that this will cause
> scratches on the window. Do I have any other alternatives? Can this be
> fixed without replacing the entire top? I need the help of you experts
> again!

Is it a "Steel Horse" top?

Re: ZIPPER PROBLEM
 

Shane wrote:

> I posted earleir about a shifting problem I was having on a 2000 Jeep
> Wrangler Sport I had just purchased. Now I have discovered another.
> This morning I attempted to take the soft top down for the first time.
> The zipper on the left rear window is messed up. It is not missing any
> teeth or anything, but the teeth are out of line and prevent either
> zipper from zipping through to take the window out. The place where it
> is messed up is about six inches from the end of the zipper track. I
> wanted to take my top off so I just carefully pushed the window in
> with the top while folding it all down. I know that this will cause
> scratches on the window. Do I have any other alternatives? Can this be
> fixed without replacing the entire top? I need the help of you experts
> again!

Is it a "Steel Horse" top?

Re: ZIPPER PROBLEM
 

Shane wrote:

> I posted earleir about a shifting problem I was having on a 2000 Jeep
> Wrangler Sport I had just purchased. Now I have discovered another.
> This morning I attempted to take the soft top down for the first time.
> The zipper on the left rear window is messed up. It is not missing any
> teeth or anything, but the teeth are out of line and prevent either
> zipper from zipping through to take the window out. The place where it
> is messed up is about six inches from the end of the zipper track. I
> wanted to take my top off so I just carefully pushed the window in
> with the top while folding it all down. I know that this will cause
> scratches on the window. Do I have any other alternatives? Can this be
> fixed without replacing the entire top? I need the help of you experts
> again!

Is it a "Steel Horse" top?

Re: ZIPPER PROBLEM
 

Different Zipper Problem, never mind ...

Re: ZIPPER PROBLEM
 

Different Zipper Problem, never mind ...

Re: ZIPPER PROBLEM
 

Different Zipper Problem, never mind ...

Re: ZIPPER PROBLEM
 

On or about 21 Nov 2003, Shane of no1volzfan@yahoo.com wrote:

> I posted earleir about a shifting problem I was having on a 2000 Jeep
> Wrangler Sport I had just purchased. Now I have discovered another.
> This morning I attempted to take the soft top down for the first time.
> The zipper on the left rear window is messed up. It is not missing any
> teeth or anything, but the teeth are out of line and prevent either
> zipper from zipping through to take the window out. The place where it
> is messed up is about six inches from the end of the zipper track. I

Plastic zipper? These are generally self-healing. Lube the teeth, Bestop
recommends "a silicone lubricant" for theirs but the other suggestions
about beeswax and the like sound reasonable. Wiggle the slider as you tug
gently on it to see if you can get it past the misaligned part. If not,
pull the zipper teeth open a little at a time and run the slider back to
the "open" position. The Bestop instruction sheet says that this is
often caused by the slider stretching open. They recommend _gently_
squeezing the slider sides in a plier until they are parallel again. The
illustration shows the slider as viewed from the plane of the fabric, so
what they call "sides" is probably what you or I would call the top and
bottom or insider and outside face of the slider.


> wanted to take my top off so I just carefully pushed the window in
> with the top while folding it all down. I know that this will cause
> scratches on the window. Do I have any other alternatives? Can this be
> fixed without replacing the entire top? I need the help of you experts
> again!

_Everything_ causes scratches to the windows. It is just a Jeep thing.

Re: ZIPPER PROBLEM
 

On or about 21 Nov 2003, Shane of no1volzfan@yahoo.com wrote:

> I posted earleir about a shifting problem I was having on a 2000 Jeep
> Wrangler Sport I had just purchased. Now I have discovered another.
> This morning I attempted to take the soft top down for the first time.
> The zipper on the left rear window is messed up. It is not missing any
> teeth or anything, but the teeth are out of line and prevent either
> zipper from zipping through to take the window out. The place where it
> is messed up is about six inches from the end of the zipper track. I

Plastic zipper? These are generally self-healing. Lube the teeth, Bestop
recommends "a silicone lubricant" for theirs but the other suggestions
about beeswax and the like sound reasonable. Wiggle the slider as you tug
gently on it to see if you can get it past the misaligned part. If not,
pull the zipper teeth open a little at a time and run the slider back to
the "open" position. The Bestop instruction sheet says that this is
often caused by the slider stretching open. They recommend _gently_
squeezing the slider sides in a plier until they are parallel again. The
illustration shows the slider as viewed from the plane of the fabric, so
what they call "sides" is probably what you or I would call the top and
bottom or insider and outside face of the slider.


> wanted to take my top off so I just carefully pushed the window in
> with the top while folding it all down. I know that this will cause
> scratches on the window. Do I have any other alternatives? Can this be
> fixed without replacing the entire top? I need the help of you experts
> again!

_Everything_ causes scratches to the windows. It is just a Jeep thing.

Re: ZIPPER PROBLEM
 

On or about 21 Nov 2003, Shane of no1volzfan@yahoo.com wrote:

> I posted earleir about a shifting problem I was having on a 2000 Jeep
> Wrangler Sport I had just purchased. Now I have discovered another.
> This morning I attempted to take the soft top down for the first time.
> The zipper on the left rear window is messed up. It is not missing any
> teeth or anything, but the teeth are out of line and prevent either
> zipper from zipping through to take the window out. The place where it
> is messed up is about six inches from the end of the zipper track. I

Plastic zipper? These are generally self-healing. Lube the teeth, Bestop
recommends "a silicone lubricant" for theirs but the other suggestions
about beeswax and the like sound reasonable. Wiggle the slider as you tug
gently on it to see if you can get it past the misaligned part. If not,
pull the zipper teeth open a little at a time and run the slider back to
the "open" position. The Bestop instruction sheet says that this is
often caused by the slider stretching open. They recommend _gently_
squeezing the slider sides in a plier until they are parallel again. The
illustration shows the slider as viewed from the plane of the fabric, so
what they call "sides" is probably what you or I would call the top and
bottom or insider and outside face of the slider.


> wanted to take my top off so I just carefully pushed the window in
> with the top while folding it all down. I know that this will cause
> scratches on the window. Do I have any other alternatives? Can this be
> fixed without replacing the entire top? I need the help of you experts
> again!

_Everything_ causes scratches to the windows. It is just a Jeep thing.