Lower Rear Window Replacement
Lower Rear Window Replacement
NOTE:
- Wear eye protection while cutting the glass adhesive with a piano wire.
- Put on gloves to protect your hands.
- Use seat covers to avoid damaging any surfaces.
- Do not damage the lower rear window defogger grid lines, the window antenna grid lines, or the terminals.
1. Remove these items:
- Tailgate lower trim
- Tailgate spoiler Service and Repair
2. Disconnect the lower rear window defogger terminals (A).
3. Remove the glass molding (A) from the edge of the lower rear window (B). If necessary, cut off the upper molding with a utility knife.
4. Apply protective tape along the inside and outside edges of the tailgate. Make holes with an awl through the upper adhesive from inside the vehicle from both sides of the lower rear window.
5. With a helper on the outside, pull the piano wire (A) back and forth in a sawing motion. Hold the piano wire as close to the lower rear window (B) as possible to prevent damage to the body, and carefully cut through the adhesive (C) in the upper area and the corners, but not the lower area.
Cutting positions
6. Detach the clips (A, B) that hold the lower rear window (C), then carefully remove the window.
7. Scrape smooth the original adhesive with a knife until there is a thickness of about 2 mm (0.08 in) on the bonding surface around the entire lower rear window opening flange. Do not scrape down to the painted surface of the body; damaged paint will interfere with proper bonding.
8. Clean the body bonding surface with a shop towel dampened with isopropyl alcohol. After cleaning, do not allow oil, grease, and water to contact on the surface.
9. If you are reinstalling the old window, scrape off all of original adhesive, the clips, and the rubber dam from the lower rear window with a putty knife. Clean the bonding surfaces on the inside face and the edge of the lower rear window with isopropyl alcohol. Make sure the bonding surface is kept free of water, oil, and grease.
10. Apply glass primer to the clip mounting areas on the lower rear window (A), and let it dry. Attach the glass molding (B) and the clips (C) with the adhesive tape to the inside face of the lower rear window as shown. Be careful not to touch the lower rear window where the adhesive will be applied.
11. Apply a light coat of glass primer to the lower rear window (A) along the edge of the rubber dam (B) and the glass molding (C) as shown, then lightly wipe it off with gauze or cheesecloth:
- Apply the glass primer to the corner areas of the lower rear window using the printed dots (D) on the lower rear window as a guide.
- Do not apply body primer to the lower rear window, and do not mix up the body and glass primer applicators.
- Never touch the primed surfaces with your hands. If you do, the adhesive may not bond to the lower rear window properly, causing a leak after the rear window is installed.
- Keep water, dust, and abrasive materials away from the primed surfaces.
12. Carefully apply a light coat of body primer to any exposed paint or metal around the flange where the new adhesive will be applied. Let the body primer dry for at least 10 minutes:
- Do not apply body primer to any remaining original adhesive on the flange.
- Be careful not to mix up the body and glass primer applicators.
- Never touch the primed surfaces with your hands.
13. Cut a "V" in the end of the nozzle (A) on the adhesive cartridge as shown.
14. Put the cartridge in a caulking gun, and run a continuous bead of the adhesive (A) around the lower rear window (B) along the edge of the glass molding (C) as shown:
- Use the printed dots (D) as a guide when you apply the adhesive to the corners of the lower rear window.
- Apply the adhesive within 30 minutes after applying the glass primer.
- Make a slightly thicker bead at each corner.
15. Hold the lower rear window with suction cups over the opening, align the clips, and set it down on adhesive. Lightly push on the lower rear window until its edges are fully seated on adhesive all the way around.
NOTE: Do not open or close any of the doors for about an hour until adhesive is dry.
16. Remove the excess adhesive with a putty knife or a shop towel dampened with isopropyl alcohol.
17. Wait at least an hour for the adhesive to dry, then spray water over the lower rear window and check for leaks. Mark the leaking areas, let the lower rear window dry, then seal with sealant. Let the vehicle stand for at least 4 hours after lower rear window installation. If the vehicle has to be used within the first 4 hours, it must be driven slowly.
18. Reinstall all remaining removed parts.
NOTE: Advise the client not to do the following things for 2 to 3 days:
- Slam the doors with all the windows rolled up.
- Twist the body excessively (such as when going in and out of driveways at an angle or driving over rough, uneven roads).