TheSamba.com :: View topic - Front Windshield Leak even after new glass and seal..

Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:38 pm

I've restored my'73 baywindow bus and around the front windshield, I replaced all rusted metal and used Por 15. Now after installing a new seal and window, it still leaks around the bottom corners. It's been almost 2 years since it was completed but since we use the bus very little it hasn't been a problem other than the occasional wet carpet. Anyway, with some recent heavy rain, I now see that I better repair it before it gets any worse.

I'm a little concerned that the guys that painted the bus may have sanded down the area around the windshield so I don't know if I have rust again or not. I intend to pull the windshield and check it before putting in another seal.

Quesion, what is the most likely cause of the leak? Someone told me that aftermarket windshields can have a diffeent radius and thereby create a leak. Others say it's the seal. I thought I had purchased a high quality seal (I think it was from West Coast Metric) and it looks really good, but...

What type of seal should I purchase, i.e., German, Brazilian, etc.? Has anyone ever used any type of sealant to fix this problem when installing a new seal?? I just don't want to go through this again...

drluv

Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:48 pm

I'm a newbie here, so I have no advice of my own. However I found this link to be particularly useful for information regarding replacing the window seals. P.S. IMO, I think Eric&Barb have some excellent advice on that thread. Especially when dealing with heavy rain/window seals

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=141872&highlight=windshield+repair

Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:57 pm

has your bus ever been hit anywhere near the front? mine has.

yes, aftermarket windscreens are not a perfect fit. i had a reputable glass shop order me a metric pilkington from england. they actually shaved (sanded) the glass until it fit right. it took three tries, i watched. best of all: i now have a template for the next person who needs to make a windshield fit!

Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:30 am

I have never replaced a rubber seal without sealing all around the perimeter with silicone or urethane, because they LEAK! ALL aftermarket , replacement VW rubber (read cheap) has leaked on mine. They do a pretty good job in the fitting department, but they still require sealant. So I pump silicone or urethane all around, on both the glass side and the body side. Now you know it will not leak. Why take a chance? :o

Wed Sep 03, 2008 6:12 am

instead of roofing tar I suggest 3M's windshield bedding compound....

roofing tar! :shock:

Wed Sep 03, 2008 6:23 am

Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:14 am

yes, I have used that silicon stuff before but it pulls away after awhile and leaks. :cry:

Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:35 am

Bleyseng wrote: yes, I have used that silicon stuff before but it pulls away after awhile and leaks.

i have used this on many vehicles (personal and customer), and have never had it pull away or leak, or have had any complaints about the window leaking after it it has been sealed with the flowable silicon.
i used it on the windshields i put in my 1959 Westfalia 8 years ago (daily driven, parked outside) and they still does not leak a drop.

Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:00 am

SEALS HAVE A DIFFERNT formula for hardness and durability. that bus seal for bays is a little more firm than a splitty seal. the bay seals are very durable and will not shrink in two years or even ten(WCM's 241-121c) which is cal look. the glass is another issue and yes as someone mentioned the glass is sometimes the culprit and the cheaper, the worse. repairs to the nose generally hold up for a couple of years max that ive seen and unless the rust is cut out then will usually come back. remember different companies can use the same part numbers or similar just for inventory and CAN BE differnt part manufacturers. sealant is not really recomended but can be used.

Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:45 am

I just replaced my windshield seal, but did not use any sealant. Would it be possible to apply some now and help keep water out, or is it not worth bothering once the windshield is already in?

Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:17 am

no dont bother...unless it leaks and you replace the seal all over again.

Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:56 pm

Where I work, we build custom fire apparatus. The windshields are installed with rubber seals, locked in with a locking strip, and sealed along the glass with silicone. Other windows are sealed with the appropriate urethane sealer. These vehicles carry a 10 year warranty, and cost upwards of $500,000. If they find it necessary to back up their windshield seals with silicone, I guess I will try it. The customers of these trucks are VERY picky about warranty issues. The silicone is deemed appropriate by the third party glass installer.
I have had issues in the past with my Bus leaking around brand new seals. I always use sealant.

Quote: instead of roofing tar I suggest 3M's windshield bedding compound....

roofing tar!

Roofing tar? Who mentioned that? :?

Yes, 3M makes a very good urethane which I use.

Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:44 am

greenbus pilot wrote: I have never replaced a rubber seal without sealing all around the perimeter with silicone or urethane, because they LEAK! ALL aftermarket , replacement VW rubber (read cheap) has leaked on mine. They do a pretty good job in the fitting department, but they still require sealant. So I pump silicone or urethane all around, on both the glass side and the body side. Now you know it will not leak. Why take a chance? :o
I have installed many bay windshields using the seal from CIP. Never use a sealer of any kind. Never had a windshield leak.
Make sure your wiper pivot seals are in good shape. If the shaft nut gets loose or the seal is bad, water will pour in.

Thu Sep 04, 2008 6:13 am

I am still laughing about using roofing tar! :shock:

Mon Dec 08, 2008 7:46 pm

Avoid using this stuff if you're trying to fill any type of gap between your seal and the window frame. I just used half a tube trying to fill a 1/16 inch gap in the upper passenger corner of my windshield--it continually flows down into the seal area below the gap. They're not kidding when they say "Flowable"! Seems like something for a more modern (sloped) windshield than for an upright (vertacle) window like on a Bus/Vanagon.

Use regular silicone if you have a visible gap around your seal.

hazetguy wrote:

Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:16 pm

About a year ago I replaced my windshield and did all the work needed to clean it up for a new windshield. New OG rubber sanded and POR15 the rust (surface) the whole 10 yrds. After about month I checked and it still leaked. :?

As of recently I sound dampened areas in the front of the bus. One of those areas was just under the lower right corner of the windshield. Now the water dribbles down the sound proofing material and on to the floor. WTF.

Last week I'm talking to my mechanic and tell him of this issue. He tells me that the bus (72 westy) was designed to have a notch in the area that the seal grabs. This is for the standing water that collects in the corners to run down inside the bus cavity and out the bottom. Funny thing is that now after a few rains - and removal of the material that was redirecting the water - the tiny leak does run down the inside front of the vehicle and out the bottom.

Now is this how its suppose to be.... Don't know but I'm happy with the water being redirected. :roll:

Hope that helps.

Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:42 pm

I had the exact same problem after some front windshield lip repair and a new seal. For me the water was leaking at the corners such as yours is but it was because the seal was not seating fully in the corners. I applied repeated strong pressure to the bottom corners of the windshield and this seemed to do the trick (I used a good deal of force but was careful not to go steroidal and break the windshield). For good measure I also put a bead of silicon on the frame side of the seal by pulling back the lip of the seal with a pick (a dentist looking tool that was hooked) and getting the silicon in the recess. After this fix not one drop has entered my bus and being in Seattle it was certainly tested repeatedly and with rigor.

also there was a similar thread a day or two ago you should read:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=187960