How to fix a busted floppy windscreen / wind deflector

[goestoeleven]

I bought a windscreen used and figured out (when it started making rattling noises and the little metal disc fell out) that it was busted. It still stayed up but it needed fixing. After looking at the other "fix windscreen" post (thanks Palomino for the thread of threads and all the posters there), I decided to try the JB Weld / epoxy trick mentioned by JimmieJazz. I didn't like the drill a hole / pin approach - I just wanted something that looks better.

Within your windscreen there is a metal disc on each side that is pushed into a small cavity when the screen is in the fully open / fully closed position by a spring. The plastic that holds the disc in place breaks over time and then the disc pops out. Eventually, only what remains of the spring is what holds the screen up or down.

The problem was how to replace the disc / spring combo and rebuild the plastic. I settled on purchasing very small plunger pins from McMaster Carr (about $2.50 each + $4.00 shipping) and then using epoxy to fix them in position (thanks JimmieJazz for the JBWeld idea).

Here's a few pix of the results (with crappy epoxy layup by yours truly)

After reassembly, it's as good as new from the outside, and seems to work pretty well. It's a bit "sticky" but I think if the pins were a bit more rounded, it would work perfectly.

Start by removing the covers / pivot points. Push out the covers from behind / underneath the windscreen. Note - the "handle" was removed for clarity, but you don't have to remove it to get this out.
1removeplug.JPG

Next mix up some epoxy, partially fill the hole, then put your plunger pin into position. Then fill up the rest of the area around the pin with epoxy. I used a toothpick to add small amounts at a time. I also used some foil to create a mold because some of the plastic was just gone. It's not the neatest job but it seems to work. Be VERY careful not to get epoxy on the head of the plunger pin or you will be very sorry . . . and using a drill to remove the pin if you can't clean it off. I was lucky . . .

Wait for the epoxy to completely cure . . . .

Results:
2epoxypin.JPG
3epoxypin.JPG

4pinposition.JPG


Replace the covers / pivot points and you will have a wind deflector that looks and works as good as new.

[davester]

That looks like a great solution! Which of the many spring pins they offer did you use? I see they have choices for diameter, travel, spring force, etc.

[goestoeleven]

For the fix in the pictures, I used McMaster Carr's part number 8683A21. However, I think the pins are a bit too "pointy" which is what makes the screen harder to open and close. I considered replacing them with 84835A42, which are much more rounded. I actually ordered those as well, but I've already got the first ones in place so I'm committed at this point short of drilling out the first ones. Also, I deliberately ordered the pins with a smaller diameter than the spring hole in the screen so that the JBWeld would hold them in place. However, I think you might be able to go up to the .197 size.

[davester]

OK, after many measurements and checking, I ordered the more rounded pins you suggested. They should be here in a few days. I'll post an update on how well they work.

[ozzy328fan]

thats awesome. thanks for the pics and tips. gotta try that soon.

i bought a deflector from this d&^k head on ebay who said his was hardly used. I wont mention his ebay id but his name is Karl from melbourne.

The day i bought it home, the disc popped out from the right side and the left side started scrapping plastic out of the joint. and he had the balls to say i broke it. beeatch.

anyway, i was sweatin, but that looks good.

thanks heaps again.

[davester]

OK, I finally got around to modifying my wind deflector a la goestoeleven. I started out by using the McMaster Carr part 84835A42 (i.e. the "more rounded" pins that were not used by goestoeleven. However, I screwed one up (the pin slowly sank into the epoxy so that it didn't align) and so had to drill one side out. I tried using it with just one pin for a while and it worked OK, but didn't take much force to knock down. So, I ordered a new pin with a higher spring force to it (part no. 84835A11). After installing that one, the deflector works perfectly, and snaps smartly into position (either up or down). This is definitely the way to go if you want to restore that "like new" function

[Jimmie Jazz]

Awesome. Glad I could provide some small bit of assistance; the lion's share of the real work rests with the OP and he deserves the credit for this, not I.

[jasontn]

I am bringing back an old thread. I ordered part 84835a11 as davester instructed. How did you determine the depth of the plunger pin?

[davester]

That was fairly straightforward.

1. I simply put the wind deflector back together in the "up" position (without the covers/pivot points in and with one of the plunger pins sitting loosely in its hole in the arm.

2. I then positioned the plunger pin so that it projected out as far as possible without the plunger pin casing blocking the arm from swinging (see the last pic of goestoeleven's post above).

3. I then seared this position into my brain (I think I also used a tape measure to find how far it projected beyond the broken piece).

4. I then took the arm off, quickly did the JBweld thing (using the "seared into brain info from step 3, and being EXTRA careful not to get the goo on the pin), wiped off ALL the excess, then carefully put the arm back in to make sure things were positioned right.

5. I then took it apart to dry. Make sure that you put it in a fairly neutral position (i.e. plunger pin parallel to the ground). I left it to dry with the pins tipped up and one of them gradually sank into the goo, requiring drilling it out and buying a replacement pin.

I would also strongly suggest doing the pins one at a time. Make sure the JBweld on pin 1 is dry enough so that it won't move around when you start working on pin 2.

[jasontn]

Thanks for the info. The pins should be here middle of the week and I will probably work on it this weekend. I appreciate the help and I will let you know how it goes. Thanks.

[goestoeleven]

I hope the fix works for you also.

I just remembered that I had the same issue as davester - one of the pins started sinking and I think I used a toothpick or something to hold it in place just long enough for the jb weld to start setting. Just a thought, but maybe you could put a tiny bit of plastic or something in the bottom to keep the pin from sinking in farther than flush with the end of the hole. In other words, test fit a bit of plastic (or anything) then the pin (flush with hole), take pin out (leaving "filler" plastic in hole), then 1/2 fill with jbweld, then put pin back. Maybe that will prevent the scary moment when your pin starts dropping into the jb weld . . .

[98M3cab]

So I want to buy a windscreen, but it seems like a gamble on ebay where they go used for $225 or more. I can buy OEM new for $335. Is this a good deal and a worthwhile accessory? No experience with these yet. What do you guys think?

[jasontn]

We got ours last weekend. The screen was in really good shape but I had the problem described above. Wifey and I took a small road trip this weekend with it and it does make a difference. We live in Colorado so I feel this will extend our top down season. Its a worthwhile investment.

[davester]

So I want to buy a windscreen, but it seems like a gamble on ebay where they go used for $225 or more. I can buy OEM new for $335. Is this a good deal and a worthwhile accessory? No experience with these yet. What do you guys think?

Here's my take. This is not a worthwhile accessory...it is an INDISPENSABLE accessory. You MUST have one. I would not pay $225 for a site-unseen ebay windscreen unless I was assured by the buyer (and believed him) that it had essentially never been used. I would only buy from craigslist where I could inspect the item, or buy it new from the cheap $335 source.

I would however buy an ebay windscreen if I could get it for a song. This is what happened with mine. I bought it for $125 (guy claimed it was in perfect condition). When I got it I found that it had the broken detents so I called the guy back. He refunded my money without me even asking and told me I could keep the broken windscreen. Eventually I stumbled on goestoeleven's solution and fixed it like new.

[jasontn]

Thanks for all the info. I used the instructions and things worked great. One side had a large piece of plastic missing and when I put the screen in place it popped the JB Weld loose. However, the other side worked perfectly and provides enough pressure to hold the windscreen in place. Again, thanks for all the help.

[Norwich fan]

I know this is really cheeky, but I am having real difficulty getting a part similar to McMaster Carr's part no. 84835A11 used in these posts. They don't ship to the UK and UK suppliers tend to need a business account to place an order. If someone can get two of these I would be more than happy to cover their cost plus cost of postage to them and then to me plus a little extra. I can't believe how difficult it can be to buy two little things like these over here. Any help would be very much appreciated. p.s. other similar part numbers people may be familiar with are "CL-3-PBP-2" and "PFB-52"

[red97tj]

I know this is really cheeky, but I am having real difficulty getting a part similar to McMaster Carr's part no. 84835A11 used in these posts. They don't ship to the UK and UK suppliers tend to need a business account to place an order. If someone can get two of these I would be more than happy to cover their cost plus cost of postage to them and then to me plus a little extra. I can't believe how difficult it can be to buy two little things like these over here. Any help would be very much appreciated. p.s. other similar part numbers people may be familiar with are "CL-3-PBP-2" and "PFB-52"

well the artic cold is beginning to let up around here so the convertible top down bug is beginning to come back again...
i can order for you when i start on fixing mine...prob in at least a couple of weeks. pm me & i can help out.

[Norwich fan]

well the artic cold is beginning to let up around here so the convertible top down bug is beginning to come back again...
i can order for you when i start on fixing mine...prob in at least a couple of weeks. pm me & i can help out.

Thanks ever so much for the offer red97tj but Davester has sorted it out for me. Thanks again anyway.

[red97tj]

Thanks ever so much for the offer red97tj but Davester has sorted it out for me. Thanks again anyway.

no worries!!!

[slemmer]

You don't know how long I've been searching for a solution to this same issue. Thanks to all that were the guinea pigs and R&D a solution to this seemingly chronic problem!

[ozzy328fan]

hey guys some pics of my repair - had to order some parts from australia since MCMaster wouldnt ship to oz. i ordered these from mini parts and bearings (from memory) and they have a site you can order from. i ordered the 5,6 and 8mm and i think (from memory) that i settled on the 6mm plunger. had to scrape out a tiny bit of plastic but that helped give the plunger a snug fit inside the arm and helped when setting it in epoxy. as the epoxy set i scraped it up to fashion straight edges so as to resemble the actual shape of the arm. i forgot to take some shots before i reassembled everything.
the repair went well, besides the fact that i snapped one of the side plugs that you have to remove in order to take the deflector apart. I then had to repair that aswell but all is fine
the plungers work well and so far i have had no probs at all - in fact, it's working better than when i bought it. but it does rattle a little on heavy bumps and i think thats due to the broken plug not really fitting into the socket properly. oh well - the whole assembly was badly designed i think (hence why we have to repair the darn things) and i think i have managed to make a broken deflector work very well, if not as brand new, from the repair. thanks to goes211 for techniques n pics.

[69tr6r]

I just bought a used windscreen and the covers/pivot points keep rotating out of where I think they should sit. Is this a common problem, and is there anything I can do about it? The screen stays up fine, but seems a little hard to fold up and down. Thanks.

[ozzy328fan]

those covers have tabs on them that clip into place. perhaps those tabs have broken and thats why the covers are being pushed out of place.
if its second hand, take those covers off and have a look - you may have some wear and tear inside the joint - maybe the spiring is bent way out of place and its pushing the covers out of place. thats what was happening to mine. you may need to take the whole thing a part, and do the repair like we did.

[Kardanill]

OK, I finally got around to modifying my wind deflector a la goestoeleven. I started out by using the McMaster Carr part 84835A42 (i.e. the "more rounded" pins that were not used by goestoeleven. However, I screwed one up (the pin slowly sank into the epoxy so that it didn't align) and so had to drill one side out. I tried using it with just one pin for a while and it worked OK, but didn't take much force to knock down. So, I ordered a new pin with a higher spring force to it (part no. 84835A11). After installing that one, the deflector works perfectly, and snaps smartly into position (either up or down). This is definitely the way to go if you want to restore that "like new" function

This is awesome, I too have ordered the parts. I'm looking forward to cutting the tiewraps that are presently holding mine up :-(

[red97tj]

hey finally got to modding mine...works great!!!
i bought the parts from grainger...they only sell them in packs of 5 & it's still cheaper than mcmaster carr (save on shipping).
so if anyone wants to buy the other 3, let me know.
cheers...