I have a 1998 F-150 with a solid back window. About 4" in on both sides on the top I get a small drip inside when it rains. I thought about putting silicon between the body and the grey trim piece. I also thought about putting a bead between the glass and the trim piece, in that channel. What I don't understand is how the window is held in. Do those interior nuts just hold the trim piece and it's seal? Or does that somehow also hold the glass? Does the seal around the trim piece keep water out of the cab or is it just a cushion for the piece. If someone can explain the various components and how they go togther for that back window it sure would help me trouble shoot it. Thanks a lot!

Spotty

 

Ah the classic leaking rear window that occurred until they changed designs sometime in the 2000's, I forget when. I also have a 1998. I pulled out the rear window, although I have a slider. There are a bunch of little botls that hold it on along with a good sealing of butyl tape. All the nuts are remeoved from the inside of truck, the ones near the top kind of under the headliner are a booger to work with. Anyhoo, take all of them off, and get some sharp implements of destruction to break the seal all around the window. You might want to have somebody on the bed of your truck ready to catch it if it breaks loose suddenly. The cutting is kind of tough and tedious.

When you pull it out you scrape off the old sealant, run down to Napa and buy some more butyl sealant and slap it on there. Oh, at this point you may notice that the plastic frame is cracked at one or more places near the top. So, you may have to epoxy that to fix it. I think really replacing the whole frame is the right answer, but whatever. When you install the window, make sure you tighten them all a little at a time, so the sealant is even all the way around.

Now the other thing you can probably do if you don't mind it being a liitle hokey looking is to just caulk between plastic frame and roof on the top. That's where water was originating from in my truck. That felt-like seal between the roof and plastic frame, doesn't do water prevention, just dust and dirt I guess. So, once your seal is worn out or the plastic frame cracks(my truck suffered from both problems!) the water finds it's way in through that "crack". Well it did for me anyway.

 

Great info Doofus! The previous owner of my truck had this same problem, and had it fixed at the dealership...but it still leaks to this day.

 

2002 is when Ford changed designs I am pretty sure. Take a length of blue tape and tack it on covering that gap between the pastic frame and roof, then get out the garden hose and turn it on. That's how I determined that is where water was getting in.

 

Thanks for the reply! I did silicon the gap between the grey plastic and the body, I get just a small little drip in the right side, left side is good. I also snugged up the top row of nuts for the window. I now understand that the grey plastic does not seal the window. I f a guy could get that grey plastic off he could silicon the cracks in the window seal. On the back window I see the row of nuts on top and the row on the bottom when the seat is out. Do you know if there are any nuts behind the side plastic pieces?

Thanks....... Spotty

 

That wold be good if Ford designed it that way. But if I recall, the trim and outside trim is all one piece. So you have to remove the whole piece to get at that area. Frustrating I know. Look at this link, might show better what I am describing.

http://www.parts.com/partlocator/ind...=1&catalogid=2