A rear seat passenger complained about the draft coming from the tops of both rear doors. I found that there's not enough gasket around the door jam/frame. Now, being that I'm an older dude, I understand shrinkage. Is that sort-of what has happened here after 17 years or is it a commonly found design/manufacturing defect? What's the best means of repair? Where can I get the materials needed to correct this?



Exterior view of short or shrunken door gasket, upper-left corner of right rear passenger door frame



Interior view of short or shrunken door gasket, upper-right corner of right rear passenger door frame

 

Yeah, I've got the same problem. I cleaned mine up real well and stretched them, used Superglue, and it held for a while. This used to happen with GM cars and you could remove the step-plate and pull some out, but jeeps aren't made that way. I talked to bodyshop guys about it and they said "Yeah, I can order you a new gasket, but it may not be any longer than the one you have." Great.

In the spring, what I'm going to do is get a gasket from the junkyard and glue sections to my gaskets to make them longer, probably splicing it on the vertical section of the door front post.

When these gaskets are made they have volatile solvents in them that evaporate later and shrink the length. GM thought about this and joined them in the center underneath the step plate. Then you could pull some out leaving a gap under the plate and not creating an air leak.

 

Should be able to stretch and reglue. 3M makes a glue just for weatherstripping. Should be able to get at most auto parts stores.

 

My Superglue worked all summer, but when it got cold again, it came loose. Stretching it is not the answer. You have to really press on it hard to get it to conform. It was fine for 10 years, then it shrank. According to the auto industry, you're not supposed to keep a car for more than 10 years, or even 5.

I always used this axiom; regardless of the vehicle, if it took me 3 years to pay for it, I kept it at least the much longer. Some people get bored with a car after 6 years, but I got my money's worth out of them. I've spent more money on this jeep fixing it than any other vehicle I've ever owned, but as long as the body is good, I'll continue to fix it.

 

Dave that is exactly the way I feel about my WJ it's the last one I will ever need. Not worth a lot but the cost to replace it with all the equipment it has would cost in the $50-70k range what a rip.


I bought my first house in 1968 for $10k $1500 down and assumed a 3.5% loan the payment was $68 a month lol.

 

Mine did this but it was just loose. It easily went back into place and I used that Contact Cement to keep it there. You know the stuff that comes in a brown jar with the brush in the cap. It dries quickly and last forever. Its been around forever.

 

Yeah, but!! You're in California, you don't know cold like we do! It gets so cold here if you take off a serpentine belt, it will keep it's shape! Seriously! I've seen rear axle lube gel up like Vaseline. Sometimes even -30* antifreeze protection isn't enough. Those are the days I think "Do I really need to go somewhere!" Call in to work, sit in front of the fireplace.