Fitting windscreen has me feeling like an idiot.

[ajh]

...because no matter how I orient the seal it does not seem to seal tight against the glass enough to get the glass into the groove without it coming back out somewhere. I am also a bit unsure as to how it fits, I.E. Which grove goes where, I am assuming that the large one faces the inside and the glass and screen frame go into the other two. Things have been apart long enough that I really want to be certain that I am doing this correctly.

[grnrvrs]

Are you using the rope trick?

[ajh]

I'm not even at that stage, I am just trying to fit the seal to the glass to start. No matter how I orient the seal it won't stay in place and what little I've found on installing screens says you have to do this first, then put the cord in.

[junkyddog11]

Make sure that the seal is good and warm. If cold it will fight you all the way. Not sure how to describe which groove goes where......

[ajh]

As usual all I had to do was post something that made me look idiotic and then go look at it again. All the guides say to lubricate the seal, well don't do this BEFORE fitting it to the glass or there's no way to get it to stick in place and it just falls back off, that's what was happening. When I went back out to the shop and tried again it went on fine. Oh and the bits missing from all the on-line descriptions is, fit with the line going around the seal facing outwards and so you can read the print on the glass from the inside. Sigh.

Thanks for the help. :) Now I just need to wait for some help, another reason it's frustrating is that I've been painting so the shop is sitting at about 35C right now, which gets a bit uncomfortable while cursing at a rubber seal that won't stay in place. :)

[ron]

i paid $50 and had the glass guy do it

[ajh]

The point of a Defender for me as an expedition vehicle is self-sufficiency, knowing every bolt, connector, ground, and service procedure to be able to fix things no matter what happens. So being able to do it all, no matter
how frustrating at least once is important. :)

[huck1974]

careful not to break it. overlap the rope a couple of feet. Have your friend put pressure on the outside while you pull the greased rope. Gloves help. Good luck!

[ajh]

Thanks, yeah I will warm it through and probaby use some nylon trimmer line to fit it. Need to wait for some help though, and it won't likely be tonight as I stumbled upon a bottle of Blairfindy 31 Speyside in the cellar moments ago.

I did get a genuine seal though, a lot more expensive but much more pliable than the pattern ones which is apparently one cause of excessive breakage. That and I tried to remove the original, if you need to just cut
it out as the seals go rigid with time and will never flex enough and will break the glass every time.

[huck1974]

thats a good idea. I have always used some fairly thin rope from the hardware store dipped in wheel bearing grease and never found a need to heat anything. My first try several years ago, I broke a CJ-7 glass pushing too hard.

[ajh]

Yeah, The "no forcing" rule is in play for sure. :)

[evilfij]

Use gojo or goop for lube.

Or jsut pay a glass guy like I did after I broke a heated screen.

[Manimal]

What's the "rope trick"?

I have a 15 year old windshield that is going to be replaced at some point.

[RiftRover]

This may be obvious to all here, but I'll share since I broke a brand new screen due to my lack of knowledge. Put the seal on the glass and then use the rope trick on the frame - I did it backwards and had the seal on the frame first. Previous posts on the subject didn't make that clear...

[junkyddog11]

I've installed probably several dozen windscreens and have yet to use any lube on the rope (I use a jump rope from toys "R" us.....the handles make it a 30 second job to get the rope in the seal). If you use lube would that not leave it in the frame? I'd not be terribly happy with that as I use a primer in the frame (forget the name, get it at the local glass shop) that acts as a mild adhesive /sealant and prevents any leaking ever and I'd think that the grease or lube would contaminate that.

I've had the $50 glass shop experience. Yes they do it, but the disruption in the shop costs much more than that. I can get the job done in 20 min now without having to deal with some clod mucking up something on a 80k truck.

[TDI Guy]

I have done several as well.. I use soapy water and Echo string trimmer line. Works like a charm.

[cgalpin]

What's the "rope trick"?

I have a 15 year old windshield that is going to be replaced at some point.
Carl I have not done it, but you should be able to find it by searching here (sorry to lazy to search for you). The general idea is you put the seal on the glass, then put some rope in the groove where the seal ends up mating to the frame. You then position the glass over the frame, and from the inside iirc you'd pull the rope out of the groove which in turn pulls the seal to the inside and the frame ends up in the seal. Going from memory so don't fry me if I'm wrong.

[Davis]

x2 soapy water