a little windshield rant (1 Viewer)

[bryan89]

well, case and point fellas....here it is:
as some of you may know, i started a thread about a year ago for a leaky windshield and at the same time I wanted to get the australian style windshield gasket to eliminate the factory trim. see here:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/79-95-toyota-truck-tech/484513-first-gen-windshield-replacement.html

well, at the end of the long thread I couldn't get a hold of the gasket and ended up going AGAINST MY WILL to a glue in windshield with universal rubber trim installed by a local HACK..

I made this point very clear that no one in south carolina can install a windshield...they are all on CRACK....but i had no choice..
so I had a local crack head do it....I even went as far as to pull all of the trim out of the way, remove the cowl and the old windshield, and clean the old adhesive off myself...all he had to do was glue the new one in...I even put all the trim back myself....


Alas, last night, in nearly exactly one years time (september 22 2011 is the receipt for work ) which was only 3404 miles I found that my windshield is leaking.......AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!


case and point on if you want something done right do it yourself..

 

[jynx]

Bummer. How hard is it to do it yourself? I need to do it on my 80 and seriously considered trying to do it myself.

Also, I am going to look at this Aussie gasket, wonder if Lowe could get it?

 

[bryan89]

to do it yourself, you need at least two people, a pair of suction cups, and a nice pneumatic or electric caulking gun....

technically, the windshield adhesive should be installed in a nice continuous triangle bead about 1/2" to 3/4" tall (depending on if its a virgin install or a re-install)...the only way to go that is with a nice powered gun. not going to get it by hand i promise...

so unless you invest some cash you really dont have the right equipment to do it. you would be lucky if it didnt leak.

 

[Sam Stewart]

Bummer. How hard is it to do it yourself? I need to do it on my 80 and seriously considered trying to do it myself.

Also, I am going to look at this Aussie gasket, wonder if Lowe could get it?

I think I've been down that road and you can't order it. I was told at one point that the aftermarket guys could get it but I asked the guy that does ours (very good, knows what he's talking about) that they didn't make a one piece. Now, that was for my first gen but he didn't seem to think you could get them. Mine is not a daily driver by any means so I wasn't too concerned about it. We actually just put some sealer (like they use to glue the windshield in) in the spaces where mine was leaking. It's been doing good so far. We'll see.

 

[bryan89]

i considered just touching it up with more adhesive, but i am worried that just because i dont see it leaking down inside the cab anymore doesnt mean its not getting trapped in the frame and causing cancer.....

 

[Sam Stewart]

i considered just touching it up with more adhesive, but i am worried that just because i dont see it leaking down inside the cab anymore doesnt mean its not getting trapped in the frame and causing cancer.....

Yeah true story. I looked at mine and it seemed ok. The only place there was any rust was the giant hole in the driver's floor board but that's just because some freakin idiot left it outside with a broken driver's window for who knows how long.

 

[bryan89]

so, i did a little investigation...

pin pionted the leak to be coming in at the passenger side top corner...so i pulled the a pillar trim off and the headliner trim back and started poking around with my finger.....


with MY FINGER now, I found why it was leaking.....i separated the windshield from the frame with MY FINGER.....the glue isn't even sticking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no wonder it leaks....

So now, the windshield obviously has to come out again...its not safe to drive and now the leak will surely be worse....


doesn anyone know of a good "kit" to do this by yourself with....

i dont have the trust or patience to hire anyone to do this for me anymore..

 

[KLF]

I would give this a try first:

http://www.permatex.com/products/Au...able_Silicone_Windshield_and_Glass_Sealer.htm

I've used it to fix a leak in my FJ62 windshield, it worked. Very "runny" silicone that wicks it's way into narrow seam leaks. Put masking tape down first to keep the mess from getting away from you.

 

[jynx]

I think I am going to try that permatex stuff on the 80 to see how it does. It got a replacement windshield and I am pretty sure the installer didn't use any sealant because it is a gasket install, like bryan I am leery of these glass installers.

You might also try asking around at the local body shops or if there are any hot rod guys around, to see if there is a good "glass shop" in your area that could do it for you.

 

[x factor]

Just this week I got nailed with 1 1/2"-2" hail on my way home from work that took out the windshield.

The glass company that installed my winshield used a perimeter molding from an older Pontiac Grand Prix that fits well and looks good. The installer told me the windshield I had installed didn't bond to the urethane and he was able to push it out by hand. This was due to the lack of a black UV protection coating around the perimeter but also told me that the do make a special UV urethane that can be used on clear glass.

I will call the glass company for any further windshield needs and I need them in our Saturn and Suburban.

 

[bryan89]

x factor,
thanks for the info...
got any close up pics?
also any info / product names for the materials u were speaking of?

 

[toy4xfun]

to do it yourself, you need at least two people, a pair of suction cups, and a nice pneumatic or electric caulking gun....

technically, the windshield adhesive should be installed in a nice continuous triangle bead about 1/2" to 3/4" tall (depending on if its a virgin install or a re-install)...the only way to go that is with a nice powered gun. not going to get it by hand i promise...

so unless you invest some cash you really dont have the right equipment to do it. you would be lucky if it didnt leak.

i installed mine by myself, using butyl tape, no suction cups, and i also pulled it from a parts truck i had here at the time. it does not leak. but i should have used the urethane caulk not the butyl tape.

 

[x factor]

Betaseal 16050N urethane adhesive made by Dow chemical.

http://www.dowautomotive.com/products/betaseal/16050n.htm

 

[PAToyota]

Betaseal 16050N urethane adhesive made by Dow chemical.

What rubber gasket did you use with the adhesive? Anything special?

[EDIT] Sorry, went back and found your other post...

The glass company that installed my winshield used a perimeter molding from an older Pontiac Grand Prix that fits well and looks good.

 

[Bob_Garrett]

Can you not get an OEM gasket w/o trim for that year? I bought one for my 1st gen 83 and it was available with or w/o the trim. I think the gasket is the same as the w/o the trim has a recessed area where it appears the trim should go.

The installer commented on how much better quality it was, compared to the aftermarket ones that they use.

 

[KLF]

Can you not get an OEM gasket w/o trim for that year?

'84+ don't use a gasket OEM. The windshield is bedded in a butyl rubber sealant.

 

[toy4xfun]

'84+ don't use a gasket OEM. The windshield is bedded in a butyl rubber sealant.

i am glad to here that, i guess using buty tape was not far off.