Hi all, this morning I have removed the rear 1/4 windows to clean and re-seal them to stop water getting into the boot. When I removed the passenger side one, two of the screws that hold it in place broke off due to being rusted. All the other screws are OK. Will it be alright to put it back on without the two broken screws and just make sure I put on sufficient sealant ? I've been hunting around wreckers, gumtree etc all morning and it appears most have at least one screw, if not more, missing so not sure I'm going to find a good one in a hurry and I need them back in asap. Thanks.
If you use a decent sealant like Sikaflex 227 which is about $16.50 at Bunnings, you'll find it will stick and seal with no problems despite having a few screws missing. Make sure both surfaces are clean and dry.
Mine was missing one screw on the passenger side, but it was in the middle. No leaks as of yet so it must have sealed fine. Like 304runner said, don't use a silicone based sealant. I used black windscreen sealant, but sikaflex will probably hold it tighter. If you can work out a way to change the screws I'm pretty sure I have some spares you can have.
Thanks guys. I used Sikaflex 255 Extra + windscreen sealant. It is polyurethane so should be OK ? One of the broken / rusted screws was so bad that it had swelled in the rubber and was all crumbly so I was able to scrape it all out. I found a nut and bolt in my spares tray that fitted in the space and it has done up nice and tight. The other wasn't as bad so I couldn't remove it. In the end just one screw missing. I'll load some pics to my ride thread later tonight / tomorrow for anyone that is interested. Now just waiting for the rain that is forecast for this weekend to see if it works !
Fine. Urethane based sealants are neutral cure. Most silicon sealants contain acetic acid (basically vinegar).
Go to your local bolts store, and see if they have the same size and same gauge screw in stainless steel. Will stop them from rusting ever again. Just some piece of mind for a couple dollars, you don't want the replacement screws rusting, and not being able to get them out again...
If you seal the window properly, it will never ever need to come out again....in fact you will basically be unable to remove it because it will be so firmly stuck on that removal is only possible by destroying the seal itself.
