Windshield leak... suggestions?

[Jonathan]

My windshield is leaking again.

It did this a couple seasons ago and I thought I had resolved it but apparently not.

I was out earlier today and it started raining. Not really even that hard as I only had the wipers on the delay setting. What happens is the water will literally drip straight down onto my right leg from the lip in behind the headliner. There is a hard edge, maybe a metal strip or it could be fiberglass, that is between the glass of the windshield and the fabric of the headliner. Today the headliner had no moisture on it whatsoever. Yet the water would drip in a small stream right down on to my leg in the same spot so long as it was raining outside.

Not fun as you can imagine. Where is it I need to go in and reseal something? There aren't any cracks in my glass that I have ever seen. I had gone into the area before by removing that metal strip on the top (and repainted it while it was off too). I had tried to get some of that 3M windoweld goop in where it seemed it should go but it didn't seem to help. I have not before drilled out that lower metal bracket that is below there as it looks like it'll take some work to get it out (i.e. drill out the screws as they're rusty).

Is this likely where my problem is? With this lower metal bracket? Am I missing something else, easier maybe? I can get that top, black metal strip off easy-peasy and go at it from there. The lower one'll take more work if necessary.

[DMCMW Dave]

You need to remove the as strip. Can't get a good reseal otherwise. Drill out elf he screws and replace with as screws . Put sealant on the threads too.


Sent from phone

[Jonathan]

Not sure what your spell checker was trying to tell me Dave, but I think I got it. Drill out the secondary strip or it won't seal well. Thx.

[DMCMW Dave]

You need to remove the as strip. Can't get a good reseal otherwise. Drill out elf he screws and replace with as screws . Put sealant on the threads too.

Darn phone. I was waiting for the dentist and in a bit of a rush.

"You need to remove the SS (stainless) strip. Can't get a good reseal otherwise. Drill out the screws and replace with SS (stainless) screws . Put sealant on the threads too."

[dn010]

Is the windshield separated from the urethane or is the water getting in via the screws of the ss header retainer strip?

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[DMCMW Dave]

Is the windshield separated from the urethane or is the water getting in via the screws of the ss header retainer strip?

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If the water is dripping from the fiberglass, it's getting between the glass and the body. You need to get the strip out of the way to get the sealant in the right place. Sealing the screws is good practice, but if water gets around the screws it will come in through the holes where the sunvisors are attached to the body.

[dn010]

Got it, must have skimmed through too fast! This is good to know - I didn't know you could simply reseal these, I thought the glass had to come out and new urethane put down in order to resolve sealing and integrity issues.

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[hmcelraft]

I had exactly the same issue years ago. Water was poring in on my leg. When I was moving though. When I stopped - like at a light - the leak slowed way down. With the SS cover removed I found, with a glass of water, that the leak was through a space in the windshield sealant bead at the top of the windshield. I filled the space with black silicone. Also, put some silicone on new screws for the cover. That was 20 years ago. So far so good.

[Jonathan]

I had exactly the same issue years ago. Water was poring in on my leg. When I was moving though. When I stopped - like at a light - the leak slowed way down. With the SS cover removed I found, with a glass of water, that the leak was through a space in the windshield sealant bead at the top of the windshield. I filled the space with black silicone. Also, put some silicone on new screws for the cover. That was 20 years ago. So far so good.

Oooh, I like the test method. Same here. Only when moving, like the force of the car moving through the air pushes the water back under there somewhere and it ends up on my leg. Yea, definitely slows down when not moving. I'll try that out and see what I can see.

[DMCMW Dave]

Got it, must have skimmed through too fast! This is good to know - I didn't know you could simply reseal these, I thought the glass had to come out and new urethane put down in order to resolve sealing and integrity issues.

Sealing is one thing, integrity is another. If the glass is loose all the way across the top, it's certainly better to take it out and clean it all up. If you are just dealing with the results of someone on the assembly line not doing such a hot job of glue application, you can easily run a bead of sealant across the top of the glass and stop the leaks.

Here's the test. Take the frame off the glass. Now slam the door (normally) with the small windows rolled up and the other door closed. If you see the glass jump up from the air pressure, it's more than just leaky. Watch across the bottom too, I've seen cars where the bottom of the glass was completely unglued, and the windshield wipers would jump when you slammed the door!