Window leakage

[TAndrus]

My hatch window seems to be leaking around the edges. Is there anything I can do to reseal them? A quick fix that won't cost me much? After it rains, If I lift up my hatch, all of the water runs down inside the car from the interior, it's not good. Thanks..

 

[NN4S]

My hatch window seems to be leaking around the edges. Is there anything I can do to reseal them? A quick fix that won't cost me much? After it rains, If I lift up my hatch, all of the water runs down inside the car from the interior, it's not good. Thanks..

Have you made sure that the drains in the body on both sides of the car are clean and working? If they get clogged, water backs up & gets in the hatch trim only to dump out when you open the hatch. My daughter's 95 Talon had that problem, but cleaning the drains took care of it.

 

[whiteythepimp]

The drains are clean.. It just straight up leaks through the rubber.. I mean I know I have to replace the seal (since I pulled my AC and during the summer its gunna suck.. Need the SUNROOF!! ) Any quit fixes besides pulling the whole sealing and laying down new rubber which in turn will probably never seal right again?!

 

[Defiant]

Stop the boat.
Are we talking about the hatch, the hatch window, or the sunroof? Three different things.
The hatch and the sunroof both have drainage tubes. The sunroof has four, one at each corner. To clean the drains, run heavy weed whacker line down them to make sure they're clear, then use low-pressure compressed air to clean them all the way out. Blowing with air into a blocked drain will blow the tubing off its nipple.
If you're leaking around the weatherstrip on the hatch glass -that's the big door on the ass of the car, the hatch, not the sunroof- a wicking silicone seal is available meant just for glass gaskets, but you'll need the gasket to be dry before using it.

 

[TAndrus]

I'm referring to the actual window on the rear hatch. The trim that goes around the window seems to be coming up on the edges and I believe water is coming in.

I'm going to take it to the wash and have someone spray it while i watch for leaks inside.

 

[Defiant]

Yeah.

 

[Icarus]

I spent a summer installing auto glass, I'm no expert but I do remember a few things. I know a lot shops will insist that if they didn't do the work, they will want to remove and install the glass themselves to ensure proper seal. Also after that, any decent shop will warranty the seal for life. You should be able to find a shop that will fix the leak if that is all you want. If you insist on doing it yourself, you should be aware that the only thing that will properly bond with the urethane trim and adheasive used in installing the glass is urethane (I hated cleaning up silicone after a botched DIY). The bad side is urethane adhesive is more expensive than silicone. Another issue to consider would be rust forming underneath the paint and urethane. This usually happens near seams in the metal and is a major cause of leaks. They only way to repair this is to remove the glass and reprime the effected area with urethane primer (urethane does not adhere to paint very well).

If you're looking for a temporary fix use the permatex. If you want to do it yourself get the right tools or you will be fixing it again. If you want it done right take to a glass shop, a good one will use Essex adehsives and PPG shields.

P.S. Urethane is easy to clean off of body work with any citrus based wipes, silicone not so much...

 

[Defiant]

Is the hatch glass urethaned in, or is it just gasket-captive?

 

[Icarus]

Is the hatch glass urethaned in, or is it just gasket-captive?

Never had to do the back glass on a DSM, but I have a pretty good idea of how it's set. I'm 99% certain it's urethaned.