leaky windshield

so my new truck (97) has a leak developing from the upper part of the windshield due to a faulty seal im guessing. the headliner was soaked in one area today, and i noticed while driving it home on the highway the other day that wind is uncommonly audible at that point on the upper windshield. what adhesive do they use when reinstalling that molding around the windshield? im asking because id like to figure out if i should just have it professionally resealed and/or if all new molding is required (i.e after you peel back the old molding it cannot be reinstalled?). no cracks or damage to the glass fyi. thanks

http://www.levineautoparts.com/3mwinsupfasu.html
Good shit. I'd just put it in a caulking gun, determine where the leak is and just inject it in said leak.

Do it when it's completely dry if you're going to do it yourself. I strongly suggest handling it ASAP though, the exact same problem is why the entire headliner in my MJ got all saggy, I've got it out and I'm working on reupholstering it right now. It can also cause real rust problems under the edge of the windshield which can be very difficult to repair.

yeah i can just imagine what havok that water is probably causing right now in terms of rust. maybe this rig won't be so rust free after all :rattle:. if i do discover a rust spot, will grinding it all out and applying bondo if necessary suffice? or is bondo not a good idea for that area due to necessity for a clean seal? in addition id still use a good sealant though like crimsondragon linked to

I'd do that, unless it's rusted through the sheetmetal, then I'd cut it out and weld in a 16ga patch then put good automotive paint over it. I'll let you know how it goes when I take the 3" long cancer out of the windshield frame on my MJ... as soon as the weather becomes less miserable. Mine's so bad it came through all the way from the windshield side and is bubbling up pretty badly on the headliner side.

EDIT: also I wouldn't grind unless you think the inside of a pinch seam is rusty, I'd just hit it with a wire wheel till it's mostly shiny and then throw a rust converting primer on it.

If it's rusted, I'd throw some Naval Jelly on it. Let it sit for 5 minutes, rinse with clean water and then hit it with a wire wheel to clean up any rust left over. Primer, primer, paint, paint, and clear coat if you wish.

thanks guys ill check it out once this weather clears up and have a break from school

yeah kastein let me know how it goes if you get to it before me. id like to see how you end up doing it as i dont know anything about the structure of the sheetmetal up there

so i took off the molding today and theres a nice amount of rust along the entire top. not sure how deep it runs though. i would like to get rid of all the rust, but id say the windshield has to be removed to do it right, which i dont really mind doing. i know suction cups are basically a must when it comes to windshields, but whats the best way to remove it? the adhesive seems on there pretty good and i dont want to break a perfectly fine windshield

okay so we got the windshield out..but its no longer perfect :tears:. we used a heat gun and wire to separate it from the sealant, but my buddy accidently gave it a nice big crack when prying on some molding to get it out. whatever, i knew this was a chance i was taking when we decided to remove it. after we got it all out, i noticed that the molding/sealant that was under the glass border isnt exactly smooth anymore. is this molding/sealant an OEM part that is glued down to the border? can i or a professional pull all this out and put in new before putting in new glass?

heres what im talking about. plus it will be easier to take care of the rust with it removed

Just to throw something out there--current issue JP Magazine talking about faults with particular models of Jeeps, and they mention the rusting floor pans from leaking windshields--leaking windshields that they blame on body flex while wheeling. Their answer to the problem is limiting flex with unibody stiffeners or armor plate.

thanks joe, good to know. so does anyone know if that under molding border is easily replaceable or not and can be bought as a single piece specific to our xjs?

5515 4994 1 WINDSHIELD
55235 391AB 1 MOLDING, Windshield
55235 796AA 2 SPACER, Windshield

Not sure how hard replacing that molding is.

update: the spacer molding was moderately easy to get off. in some areas it pealed straight off and wasnt adhered well at all, so im glad i decided to remove it. after taking various wire wheels to the rust, it turns out that the metal was quite pitted and warped in some areas and there were 3 small holes eaten through. i think im going to use that new dremel multi-tool with the scraper attachment to try and remove some residual adhesive thats still stuck on there but too small to get a blade under







yeah i accidently messed up the edge of the headliner a little. for the 3 rust holes i made sure they were down to bare metal and closed them in using JB weld.. its all i had here at the house and had no way to go get something better today. do you think the JB weld will be fine as a seal and anyone know if its paintable? if not its no big deal to clean it off and do it right with something else