Question1998 Ford Expedition- Side windows have pulled loose from arms (glass bottom attachments). How do you re-attach them? Are they glued? I have door panels off
AnswerHi Ken,
Let's make sure I understand your question first. What I typically find is the two glass mounting brackets that are glued to the bottom edge of the glass are no longer attached to the glass. Assuming that this is your problem, proceed as follows.
1. Remove the door panels, the plastic moisture barrier, and then remove speakers from door.
2. Remove the glass mounting brackets (black metal @ 2" - 3" wide) from the window regulator by removing the 10mm mounting bolt that secures a bracket to each end of the glass lifting channel. (keep track of which one is "left" and which one is "right")
3. Lower the window regulator to the bottom of the door using the window switch.... be careful to center the lifting channel in the middle of the door and go down an inch or two at a time. The regulator is powerful and can bend things when the glass is not attached.
4. Remove the horizontal rubber/felt weatherstrip at the top inside of the door by prying up from the back toward the front.
5. Remove the door glass from inside the door by raising it up part way and then tilting the front edge down to release it from the glass run channel.
6. Mark the exact locations where the glass brackets were glued to the window. Some people use tape, some use a marker. Just remember to be careful. You must put the brackets back in the exact same spot.
7. Clean the old glue off the window with a scrapper or razor blade then sand the glass with emery cloth or fine sandpaper.
8. Clean the remaining glue from inside the glass brackets by using a drill bit just slightly smaller than the channel in the bracket. It's best to secure the brackets in a vise, but vise-grip pliers will work if you don't have the vise.
9. Test fit the cleaned brackets on the glass. Adjust the tension so that they push on easily with just a little bit of tension.
10. Mix a two part epoxy adhesive that is compatible for glass. You need enough epoxy to line the inside of the brackets and some smaller amount on the glass as well. The excess epoxy will ooze out the bottom edge of the brackets as you slide them on the glass. "Baste" the excess glue onto the edges of the bracket. Let the epoxy harden for about an hour.
11. Re-install the glass in the door by tilting the glass front edge down and sliding it into the opening and then lowering the back edge of the glass part way down into the opening before leveling the glass. It can be a little tricky getting the glass back in the glass run channels, but be patient and try putting the glass in deeper or shallower before leveling it until you get it right.
12. Once you have the glass in its channels, slide it up to the top of the door and place a piece of tape over the top middle of the door and partially down both sides of the glass to hold it in place.
13. Now, move the regulator back up so that the bolt holes in the lifting channel line up with the access holes near the top of the door.
14. Slide the glass down until it reaches the regulator lifting channel. Then pull the lifting channel back toward you one end at a time so that the mounting hole in the lifting channel slides over the stud on the glass bracket. Then secure the brackets to the regulator lift channel using the two 10mm nuts you removed in step 2.
15. If you have some spray silicone (either wet or dry is fine) it's good idea to spray the channels where the glass slides up and down. Don't use any type of lubricant but silicone.
16. Now you should be ready to put the speaker, the moisture barrier and the door panel back on.
Good luck and let me know if you need any clarification.
Ben ..... the Power Window Guy
