- Thread starter
- #81
Glad this has helped some 'mudders out!
HOW TO: Fix your leaky windshield (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter firetruck41
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Glad this has helped some 'mudders out!
Thanks firetruck41.
Since the water on the passenger side floor mat on my 94 LC was quite warm I assume it is from the cooling system.
Anyone have thoughts in that?
Since the water on the passenger side floor mat on my 94 LC was quite warm I assume it is from the cooling system.
Anyone have thoughts in that?
Did it smell or feel like coolant?
It did not smell like coolant. I am in process of flushing the system so I am running straight distilled water. As the rig is not a DD I am not too concerned about the water pump not having lubricant. This Saturday the rear heater under the front passenger seat will be removed along with the hoses getting a bit of rerouting on the engine side of the firewall. That will help me sleep better!
After adding and adding sealants to my windshield with not much success. I ended up buying a new OEM gasket and taking it to a glass shop for a R&R. They said it was leaking because there was a cheapo aftermarket gasket in there. They said they could barely get the new seal with glass installed. But they did ,and its a very tight fit now with no leaks or squeeking over bumps
Well s*** im glad i found this thread i woke up this morning after having a huge rain storm last night and there was a puddle on my passenger floor mat, the carpet was soaked and there was water in the wire channels, so i pulled the plug to let it drain of the course of the day and im going to go home and check the sealon the windshield! this whole winter my defrosters would work at all either so im thinking this might be the problem. hopefully this solves it 
Well I just resealed my windshield with poly yesterday. I've noticed in the past year, that when I take the Cruiser through a car wash, I'm getting water running down the A pillars inside the vehicle. And my DS carpet has been wet after a good rain.
Quick question on the windshield though. I put the polyurethane between the seal and the glass(the inside). I noticed that the outer edge of the seal can lift up pretty easily. Is the A pillar body metal supposed to be glued to the seal to? And all around the outside for that matter? I'm not real clear on that even after viewing the FSM pages. I only see them masking the inside of the windshield.
Quick question on the windshield though. I put the polyurethane between the seal and the glass(the inside). I noticed that the outer edge of the seal can lift up pretty easily. Is the A pillar body metal supposed to be glued to the seal to? And all around the outside for that matter? I'm not real clear on that even after viewing the FSM pages. I only see them masking the inside of the windshield.
hamishpotter
SILVER Star
I recommend checking the sunroof drains as well. I thought my windshield was leaking but it turned out to be simple fix of sending some air down the sunroof drains
hamishpotter
SILVER Star
I recommend checking the sunroof drains as well. I thought my windshield was leaking but it turned out to be simple fix of sending some air down the sunroof drains
Thanks, I checked out the sunroof drains and couldn't really see that they were an issue. I pulled back the drivers side kick panel and peeled the carpet back where it was wet. I then poured water down the drivers side drain and from what I could tell, nothing was getting wet on the floor or around the A pillars. All the water seemed to drain out the rails below without issue.
We did have a little bit of rain yesterday and the DS floor didn't get wet, which was nice. I'm wondering if the high pressure water jets in a car wash are causing the outer side of the windshield seal to lift up and let water in. Or maybe it was the inner seal(which is now sealed up) all along.
In any regard, resealing the inside portion of the windshield has seemed to help a lot. I'll need to take it through a car wash to see how it responds now.
We did have a little bit of rain yesterday and the DS floor didn't get wet, which was nice. I'm wondering if the high pressure water jets in a car wash are causing the outer side of the windshield seal to lift up and let water in. Or maybe it was the inner seal(which is now sealed up) all along.
In any regard, resealing the inside portion of the windshield has seemed to help a lot. I'll need to take it through a car wash to see how it responds now.
I need to do this for my truck as the passenger side lower brand freaking new carpet is wet after rains. A little confusing for me, as there seems to be 2 places to seal, one is between the glass and the gasket, the other between the gasket and the body. Is that correct? I found this pic from a different thread showing where to actually seal:
- Thread starter
- #92
I did not seal that side (as pictured with screwdriver above). As I mentioned in the original post, I put the adhesive on the seal/windshield interface. If you have moisture in the bottom corner of the interior windshield gasket (common), follow the original post for the fix. Per the FSM, there should be adhesive applied to body/seal, and seal/windshield interfaces, you could certainly try to seal the body/seal interface as well. In my case, I could tell that the leak was from the glass/seal interface, and that seems to be common.
NLXTACY
Wits' End
Had a few days of constant rain last week. Not a drop. This fix has brought me unspeakable joy. As Firetruck said ^ just used sealant on the glass side of the gasket not the body side. It wasn't designed to get sealant that side.
I have this situation plus water collecting on low carpet point nearest doors.
The FSM shows, as I can tell, tape on glass, and tape on metal, then adhesive or sealant added to glass, and to metal. Am I reading that incorrectly? Thanks
The FSM shows, as I can tell, tape on glass, and tape on metal, then adhesive or sealant added to glass, and to metal. Am I reading that incorrectly? Thanks
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I did both
I had the same issue drivers side, puddles on the floor. When I went to pull the windshield seal up, i saw a lot of that flow able silicone ,mixed in with moisture wetness, not good, especially when trying to use another sealant on top of that stuff. So I could not do fire trucks method. Something told me to pull the seal and the entire windshield my self,, " what a design and pita that was for one person to do" good thing I did though,,, there was rust marks and rust powder all around,, luckily I was able to use a cleaning wheel and sand paper, got down to bare metal, " nice and clean" applied a special primer for automotive window adhesive s from the company 3M , they have everything you need to do this job correctly. It is on their website. I cleaned up the old window, got a new oem windshield seal, used 3M 'S Windshield Urathane in a caulking tube, using a electric cordless caulking gun,, " this stuff is thick and messy, this little caulking gun made a huge help in applying the urethane to the windshield, then the seal to the body frame. The hardest part, is this stuff starts to dry in 15 minutes,,, even sooner when cooler outside. After all the pre planning , pre test fitting , and fast moving it came out nice. I am a tech kinda guy,, engines, electrical even axle .not a windshield installer,,,,, This was not one of my favorite jobs on my 96 cruiser. Very large and heavy of a windshield for a one person cruiser fan to install and get everything installed and lined up correctly, as you only have 15 minutes top,, anything after that the urethane is no longer moveable for any adjustments,,, For those that have not done this,, moving from in and out of the cab, checking for clearances ,,, and pulling a rope around the seal inside the cab to install the windshield is not really a one person job. I used those cheap plastic suction cups,, surprisingly very strong and versatile, had 3 inside and 3 outside, using pre cut wood strips that I pre measured before installation of the windshield, this was used as a block spacer on the outside of the vehicle from the outer part of the cowl to the windshield up against the handles of the suction cups,mounted on the glass windshield, Try to picture 3 of these props as I call it...lol to hold the windshield in place while the entire drying cure process,,,due to the weight of the windshield, it will slide down towards the bottom , if this happens , a re install will have to happen,,,, not fun. I Left the props on for 2 days straight,, yeah, a little over kill, lol. but there is dry time and cure time with every adheisve out there,,,,,was not in any way looking to do all of the above again for a second time...lol. no driving the cruiser for that period. As per the Fsm , your suppose to add a additional light coating seal of urethane again around the inner parts of the seals,,,, both ,,,,,,,the glass and body metal where the seal covers, similar to fire trucks solution. Took care of that,, using green automotive paint tape as a border. At the end all is completed, , looks good, no leaks, or squeaking noises.
Any one that is doing this on their own,,, plan it all out before the final install,, while almost everything on these cruisers is high quality and built correctly, and correct in mechanical theory, this windshield and seal design is by far the most hardest windshield install I ever did by myself. If you can get help,,, take it, at least to help you align the glass with the body, as it is a exact perfect fit, any off alignment , will cause leaks or other issues,,I did not have this option,,, I am referred as the local grease monkey, in my neighborhood,, the folks near me thinking working on your own cars is a crime,,, oh well,,,,, to me my automotive education and hands on experience has made me what I am today and has kept me out of trouble..... No option but to do this alone,,,,,Nice to relate to the folks on here working on their own rigs,, it is hard to find these days.
I am friends with the previous owner of my current cruiser,,, he actually had a glass company redo the seal,a while back,, he saw the glass guy do everything incorrectly,, not applying the proper primer and urethane , he said the guy was not interested in the Fsm , thus giving up,,, it leaked as he thought it would ,,,, making it worse , the po bought and applied the flow able silicone to the windshield seal and glass,,,,, what a mess. Never use that stuff , almost nothing sticks to silicone, so as mentioned earlier, using fire trucks method was out of the question. At least I know I have zero rust in the lap weld areas,,,, if let go,,, you will have a major issue. Most glass companies especially on the go type, no names mentioned here,,, my goal here is not to highlight bad work, but what needs to be done correctly instead,,, they will not address the issue. Of rust or removal of the old urethane correctly,,,there is a right way and a wrong way ,,,,,, not all glass installers are bad,,, I think the lesson is when they get upset when you show them a Fsm and ask to follow it, it is time to move on to another company or installer. Our rigs windshield is very very different from todays cars. Sorry no pics,,, just no time frame for this project....lol. Hope this helps any folks that want to do this solo.
The only thing that surprises me is the fact that the stuff fire truck and other members on here used , actually sticks directly to the glass with no primer, must have a primer mixed into it,,,, also, before applying the urethane or other sealer,,, try to lightly etch the glass very lightly where the the sealant is going to cover over,,, helps aid in adhesion as well.
CRUISER CARTEL
Any one that is doing this on their own,,, plan it all out before the final install,, while almost everything on these cruisers is high quality and built correctly, and correct in mechanical theory, this windshield and seal design is by far the most hardest windshield install I ever did by myself. If you can get help,,, take it, at least to help you align the glass with the body, as it is a exact perfect fit, any off alignment , will cause leaks or other issues,,I did not have this option,,, I am referred as the local grease monkey, in my neighborhood,, the folks near me thinking working on your own cars is a crime,,, oh well,,,,, to me my automotive education and hands on experience has made me what I am today and has kept me out of trouble..... No option but to do this alone,,,,,Nice to relate to the folks on here working on their own rigs,, it is hard to find these days.
I am friends with the previous owner of my current cruiser,,, he actually had a glass company redo the seal,a while back,, he saw the glass guy do everything incorrectly,, not applying the proper primer and urethane , he said the guy was not interested in the Fsm , thus giving up,,, it leaked as he thought it would ,,,, making it worse , the po bought and applied the flow able silicone to the windshield seal and glass,,,,, what a mess. Never use that stuff , almost nothing sticks to silicone, so as mentioned earlier, using fire trucks method was out of the question. At least I know I have zero rust in the lap weld areas,,,, if let go,,, you will have a major issue. Most glass companies especially on the go type, no names mentioned here,,, my goal here is not to highlight bad work, but what needs to be done correctly instead,,, they will not address the issue. Of rust or removal of the old urethane correctly,,,there is a right way and a wrong way ,,,,,, not all glass installers are bad,,, I think the lesson is when they get upset when you show them a Fsm and ask to follow it, it is time to move on to another company or installer. Our rigs windshield is very very different from todays cars. Sorry no pics,,, just no time frame for this project....lol. Hope this helps any folks that want to do this solo.
The only thing that surprises me is the fact that the stuff fire truck and other members on here used , actually sticks directly to the glass with no primer, must have a primer mixed into it,,,, also, before applying the urethane or other sealer,,, try to lightly etch the glass very lightly where the the sealant is going to cover over,,, helps aid in adhesion as well.
CRUISER CARTEL
MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
Well, after finding this thread about 8 months ago I FINALLY had time to do this. Now, one of the hold ups was trying to find the listed sealant - not sure if it's a "not in Canada" product, of if it's just that no where I go has it, or can find it in their computer... So finally I settled on another product, but still a black polyurethane sealant.
I used a putty knife shop towels and rubbing alcohol to clean out the crap between the glass and the seal. Seemed to come clean, and when the paper towels came out clean I stopped.
Did the passenger side by just sticking the tip of the caulking gun under the seal... But then it fell off my hood and busted the tip off... Son of a B$;$7ch! Had to do the rest with two putty knives, very slow!
But, fingers crossed, so far so good, thanks a TON @firetruck41 !!
I used a putty knife shop towels and rubbing alcohol to clean out the crap between the glass and the seal. Seemed to come clean, and when the paper towels came out clean I stopped.
Did the passenger side by just sticking the tip of the caulking gun under the seal... But then it fell off my hood and busted the tip off... Son of a B$;$7ch! Had to do the rest with two putty knives, very slow!
But, fingers crossed, so far so good, thanks a TON @firetruck41 !!
Finally got to it after being away for a week. It rain quite a bit here, so carpet was wet. Used the same Loctite as the original post, Lowes had it for $5.88. Used 3/4 of the tube.
You can clearly see the problem, inside the windshield was pretty wet by seal. Taped it up on both sides as per FSM too, but before adding the sealant, I ran a flat screw driver on the inside of the gasket, both sides. On the glass side, I removed quite a bit of muck or mud, impressive.
This is the sealant on both sides, I cut the caulk tip at 45 degrees, jammed in as much as I could under seal and squeezed and moved. To make sure it got in there good and heavy. As I did that, and the seal came back, it squeezed the goo out. I will wait until tomorrow to remove the tape and the excess.
You can clearly see the problem, inside the windshield was pretty wet by seal. Taped it up on both sides as per FSM too, but before adding the sealant, I ran a flat screw driver on the inside of the gasket, both sides. On the glass side, I removed quite a bit of muck or mud, impressive.
This is the sealant on both sides, I cut the caulk tip at 45 degrees, jammed in as much as I could under seal and squeezed and moved. To make sure it got in there good and heavy. As I did that, and the seal came back, it squeezed the goo out. I will wait until tomorrow to remove the tape and the excess.
The last thing I did today was the cleaning of the sunroof drains. Used Genie brand spring wire for garage door spring. The length of it is 13 feet. I inserted into hole, had to do some twisting and turning of it, back and forth, in and out until I had about 18 left. I could hear the tip hitting something metallic, but no matter where I looked, I have no idea where the drain comes out. I have heard others talk about using tie wraps to remove debris from under truck, I couldn't find any location for that.
Next was to use some 40psi air from compressor, blew each hole just in case. If anyone has any photos as to where it comes out, please post up. Unless we have to remove underbody parts....
Insert cable (13 ft) until the loop tip can barely touch headrest. Move it around and do some re-inserts to get the gunk out.
Next was to use some 40psi air from compressor, blew each hole just in case. If anyone has any photos as to where it comes out, please post up. Unless we have to remove underbody parts....
Insert cable (13 ft) until the loop tip can barely touch headrest. Move it around and do some re-inserts to get the gunk out.
OK, I'm looking at a few of the pics here...
In regards to sealing the gasket to the body (not to the glass): did you guys remove the cowl before sealing?
My understanding from looking at the FSM is that you have to remove the "cowl louver" to access the place you need to seal the gasket to the body. From the looks of the pictures posted in this thread, it appears that guys have been sealing the flap that rests on top of the cowl to the cowl itself - but I believe that flap is meant to simply have the cowl "snug up" into it - without the use of urethane. The actual "gasket to body" sealing area is the below the cowl - and I'm not seeing that in the posted pics!
See the FSM page below, bottom diagram:
Keep in mind at this point in the FSM instructions, the "cowl louver" has already been removed and is not re-installed until after sealing the gasket to body, and I believe the cowl snugs up into that second pocket above where the cartridge is pictured in the diagram.
Am I seeing this right?
In regards to sealing the gasket to the body (not to the glass): did you guys remove the cowl before sealing?
My understanding from looking at the FSM is that you have to remove the "cowl louver" to access the place you need to seal the gasket to the body. From the looks of the pictures posted in this thread, it appears that guys have been sealing the flap that rests on top of the cowl to the cowl itself - but I believe that flap is meant to simply have the cowl "snug up" into it - without the use of urethane. The actual "gasket to body" sealing area is the below the cowl - and I'm not seeing that in the posted pics!
See the FSM page below, bottom diagram:
Keep in mind at this point in the FSM instructions, the "cowl louver" has already been removed and is not re-installed until after sealing the gasket to body, and I believe the cowl snugs up into that second pocket above where the cartridge is pictured in the diagram.
Am I seeing this right?
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