1998 Jeep rear hatch window... I hit it with my jon boat and it shattered but stayed together (tinted) tempered glass.
I taped up the outside also to keep it together.

found out I have full glass coverage... COOL

make appointment, safelight glass comes while I'm working but I am watching through the surveillance camera.
He comes, pulls the window.... then stands around a while... then makes a phone call.... I could only make out something about a gasket...

my wife gets a call and the guy says WE don't have the gasket.... we will tape it with "crash plastic" for now and come back..... sucks but, OK

hour later she gets a call.... we can't get the gasket... sorry we can't replace the window.

I get word of this and I'm hotter than a hornet.
call the tech.... no answer/ mailbox full..... call safelight tech.... recording after recording.... vertually impossible to take to a human.

FINALLY I found a text # and it seemed like I was talking to a human.... he put in a "call back" to the local manager.... I got the # and address also.

If I don't get a call tomorrow, my first stop after work if safelight.

also calling farmers insurance to report this....


So, besides the rant.....

Is a 1998 XJ rear hatch window unavailable???

I didn't even mention this guy left glass pieces all over the driveway....
I had to use the leaf blower b4 I let the dogs out.......

thanks for listening...

 

The hatch glass molding has been N/A for sometime now.
When I swapped over to Privacy Glass in my '00 my glass guy told me I had to get the molding.
I didn't think anything of it. Went to my local dealership, ordered it, and it only cost me $32 out the door.
But this was sometime ago and they were still available.
Turns out the reason that he told me I had to source it is cause there is no aftermarket support for this.
A part specifically made the '97 and up XJ's.
Best I can tell is some form of generic molding is the only way.
In my travels in internet land came across this:


Start watching at about 13:50 in.
They used this generic molding and in the video it looks pretty good.
They show the part number on the box so if you can source some it might solve the molding problem.

Another thing I have been meaning try is to see if a used one can be salvaged off a boneyard Jeep.
Problem is the only way I can think of doing this would be to smash the glass first to get better access to the molding.
And even then thinking it is debatable that I can get it out and it will still be in good usable shape.
On the plus side I am in good with one of the boneyards in my area and there is a chance they will be OK with me smashing the glass to try and pull this off.
Maybe.
LOL.

 

Sounds familiar. When I needed a windshield a couple of years ago the biggest company in the country (tat all the insurance companies here are in thrall to) said they couldn't get a replacement - vehicle was too old.When I called my insurance company & rather pointedly asked them who they refer their classic car policy holders to, they came up with another company, neither of us had heard of & just booked it on-line in usual way & their guy duly turned up with the glass - & rubber seal (also, supposedly, unavailable.

But, to your problem: can't imagine any boneyard agreeing to you breaking the glass so you can have the seal, leaving them with a hatch they can't sell. Besides, I think it might be stuck in, I could check that at the weekend, as I have a damaged hatch with very little glass left in it but how is another used seal any better than the one you've got?

 

Ralph I didn't get a chance to watch ... but I will...



I talked to the manager today and he is working with me...... they are not authorized to buy parts out of state or ebay etc etc....

he said he got the original gasket from the installer kid but it's too full of hard glue to be salvageable....
I'm sure any boneyard rubber would be the same...

I WILL find one somewhere.... I just have to submit the bill to my insurance for the gasket ... he said it's rare but this sh*t happens and he will talk to insurance.

it's actually a lift gate window seal.... / rear hatch window gasket to the rest of us...

anyway If anyone comes up with a dealer part # for a 1998 gasket lemme know please... (I know different years were.... Umm... different) earlier...

 

What is the difference between the rear windows on these XJ's?

I found this but it says ONLY 1984-1996 ?????

https://www.shopjeepparts.com/jeep-x...l-p-21937.html

 

The early XJ's had a fiberglass hatch and the later ones were metal .and I don't know if the windows are the same .

 

seems to me the glass guy figured he could reuse your seal, seeing as they are not available, that seems reasonable. But the problem of it being filled with hardened glues seems to be the show stopper here. He may have not been aware that glue is used. I have lots of different cars with a gasket type window mount, and none use glue.
Is the use of glue here a factory thing? maybe, maybe not. if not a factory thing, you may find another used seal at a wrecker with no glue. If glue is a factory thing, then the solution maybe to painstakingly remove the glue bit by bit with an exacto knife or simular tool.

I have had the rear quarter windows out, and there was no glue. so hope for you it is not a factory thing to glue the rear seal, then you get one from the wrecker. Of course you may have to buy the whole hatch if they wont let you remove the glass and seal only

Can you please supply a photo of your seal, close up of the glue issue? thanks

 

I changed out the rear hatch glass on my '96. when it got shattered

I used a thin cord to remove the glass from a '95 at the junkyard. I took the seal as well, cost me $100, as the hatch was missing some parts already, the vehicle was well stripped

Neither part had glue (that I can recall)

I chose to re-use my original seal which was in place, as it was at least as good as the other

It had no glue in the glass groove

I worked it back in with a cord and some detergent water, once again, no glue

I would be surprised if there is not some aftermarket or NOS seals available if you search hard enough

 

I think '96 and earlier had the glass "float" inside and "H" channel gasket. No glue/sealer. You probably seen videos of folks wrapping a cord inside the outer channel and pull the cord to flex the lip of the gasket over the structure pulling the glass into place.

For the '98 the part number is: 55175366. A search yields lot's of folks on the hunt without success. Hope you have better luck.

 

Safelite swapped the rear glass on my 98 when I got rear-ended once. I swapped out the hatch but the glass in the first hatch I found was bubbly/clouding up. A few months later I found another junkyard hatch with perfect rear window. I brought in the new junkyard hatch and they removed the glass and molding and swapped it over to the hatch on my jeep.

 

Your best bet would be to order the molding in the video posted by Ralph77 and cut it yourself for the shop to install.

 

I did not get the seal back yet... he only told me on the phone it was basically unusable.
I bought this Jeep new... So, the glue came from the factory.

 

I am going to suggest to safelight, that they install the window and INSTEAD of a rubber gasket, fill the surrounding area with Butyl or silicone....

I don't see any reason why this wont work.

 

I always kind of thought you could get away with some generic molding on top after putting in the glass too.
I did not watch my guy do it but the factory molding has a channel that the glass goes in.
So my guess is the channel in the hatch gets gunked, the molding gets put around the glass, and they both go in at once.
So why can't you find something that will go on top and neaten up how it looks.
Little more gunk, press the molding in on top, and be good to go.

 

I checked the seal in my old hatch (no glass), I don't know about hard glue but the rubber's too hard to remove undamaged.