93_xj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Hampton, VA
I blew out the rear glass in my 97. I have another hatch out of a 97 with perfectly good glass. How hard would it be to swap the glass from the good hatch to the bad hatch....
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Replacing hatch glass in 97+
- Thread starter 93_xj
- Start date
- Location
- WA state
I know that the older glass can be pushed out easily. I think the newer glass is the same, but a different shape.
93_xj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Hampton, VA
someone had told me that the 97 and up might be glued in...
- Location
- La Habra, CA
Yup, the glass in the 97+ rear hatch is bonded in like the windshield.
- Location
- Rainy side of Washington
Pretty easy... go to harbor freight, pay 20 bucks for the windshield removal kit with the wire (not the stupid one with the right angle blade, it's worthless.)
Rip the trim off the glass... you'll need a new one. Might be able to get away with leaving it on and reusing it but not as a beginner (I certainly couldn't.)
Grab a 4-5 foot piece of the wire, put a bend in one end, loop it across the notch in the tip of that mean-looking frog sticker thing, from the inside stab the frog sticker through the adhesive between the window and the hatch. Try not to stab so hard you nick the paint (this can be considered your practice run for when you have to do a windshield.) Use a heavy wire bent into a hook, or a pair of needle nose pliers, to grab the wire where it's showing on the outside and pull it through till it's even. Put the handles on each end of the wire (thread the wire up the hole in the center of the post, then push it through the hole through the side of the post and pull back) and use the wire to separate/saw/rip the adhesive all the way around the window. Try to avoid dragging the wire across the paint and don't pull it toward the glass too much - again, this is a great opportunity to practice...
Once you've got it out, use a utility knife to remove MOST of the old urethane adhesive, you want to leave a thin layer for the new adhesive to bond to. Also remove most (but not all) of the adhesive from your hatch. Get yourself a new rubber trim strip (if you care) and throw it on, go to autozone and buy a tube or two of urethane auto glass adhesive, follow its application instructions.
Rip the trim off the glass... you'll need a new one. Might be able to get away with leaving it on and reusing it but not as a beginner (I certainly couldn't.)
Grab a 4-5 foot piece of the wire, put a bend in one end, loop it across the notch in the tip of that mean-looking frog sticker thing, from the inside stab the frog sticker through the adhesive between the window and the hatch. Try not to stab so hard you nick the paint (this can be considered your practice run for when you have to do a windshield.) Use a heavy wire bent into a hook, or a pair of needle nose pliers, to grab the wire where it's showing on the outside and pull it through till it's even. Put the handles on each end of the wire (thread the wire up the hole in the center of the post, then push it through the hole through the side of the post and pull back) and use the wire to separate/saw/rip the adhesive all the way around the window. Try to avoid dragging the wire across the paint and don't pull it toward the glass too much - again, this is a great opportunity to practice...
Once you've got it out, use a utility knife to remove MOST of the old urethane adhesive, you want to leave a thin layer for the new adhesive to bond to. Also remove most (but not all) of the adhesive from your hatch. Get yourself a new rubber trim strip (if you care) and throw it on, go to autozone and buy a tube or two of urethane auto glass adhesive, follow its application instructions.
- Location
- on the beach in Ocean View, VA
guitar string or piano cord will work in a pinch as well.