Hi Folks,
Has anyone experienced leaks from the Jeep TJ hard top? My rear floor is soaking wet after rain storms. No issues up front.
The problem may be related to the rear window seal. Rust is forming where the defroster wires attach to the windshiled. I was about to re-seal where the foam meets the hard top, however the original factory did not use adhesive at all.
I'm at a loss. Does anyone have advice on how to stop the leak?
Thanks so much, Nick
Take it to an auto glass specialist if you have money. Otherwise the first step is to positively find the source of the leak. A trick we used in the Dodge dealership where I used to work may come in helpful. Sitting inside the back of the Jeep, have a partner squirt the suspect area with a garden hose, until you are sure you know where the water is coming from. If the window seal is leaking, the best advice is probably to replace it.
Earle
Agreed.
Common hard top leaks are at the lower edge of the side glass, at the bottom and or top of the rear glass, and at the front seal over the windsheild.
I watched it leak when it was raining out. It appears to be the front seal over the windshield, between the glass and seal. I'm not sure what to do other then replace the gasket/seal. Maybe soak it in silicone? Jeep wants $87.50 for a new rubber seal!
Any suggestions?
Thanks, Nick
Thanks. The leak appears between the window and the rubber, not the rubber and the hardtop. Do you think a layer of caulk on the outward facing rubber would help?
Billy Ray wrote:
My soft top has the leak at the windshield header. I went to Home Depot and got some Frost King X-Treme rubber weatherseal #V27W. It's 5/8" wide by 5/16" thick by 10' long. I put a strip where the top meets the header.
No more leak. Total cost: $7.97 plus your local tax.
I've used a couple of different sealers made especially for windshields with decent results. The one that worked best were urethane sealers - messy as heck to work with but effective. I usually find them at auto parts stores, but the best I found was at a glass shop. The stuff was really thin out of the tube but it was still holding when I sold the truck 5 years later. I had no real luck with the silicone stuff but the urethane sealer worked well. Take a thin putty knife or the like to pull the rubber away from the glass, fill the crack and let the rubber back down. If it's a long run, mask the glass next to the rubber so that you can pull off any excess that squeezes out - that stuff is a bitch to clean once it sets. The Dow-Corning brand I like cost me over $5 a tube but was well worth the price.
I had the same type of problem.
Don't use silicone sealer. It won't work and it will cause corrosion in your windshield frame.
Your problem isn't the outer rubber weatherstripping. That's nothing but cosmetic, anyway.
The actual seal is on the *inside*, as Will states above it's a urethane compound made specifically for auto glass. Get a tube of it and run a bead all along the inside of your windshield.
Also check that the glass is firmly held in place. My windshield was so loose I'm surprised it didn't fall out!
Folks,
Thanks for the suggestions, but I think some may have misinterpeted the problem. This isn't the "front windshield". It's the rear hard top hatch window. Very different. It closes to meet a rubber gasket that runs the length of the hard top opening. Nothing to seal on the window, only the existing gasket.
Some have indicated my hard top may be too far forward to create a good seal. I will try to position it back and see if that helps.
Nick
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