Thanks to this site, we purchased a 2000 7.3 PSD Excursion 4x4 in August. I have been lurking around this site getting all kinds of good advice since we first started considering an Excursion.

It's been a great truck, but it has one problem that is driving me crazy. The rear driver's side power vent window is flopping around every time we hit a bump. The little actuator has come unglued. I have reglued it using a 2-part Loctite expoxy (based on a thread on this site) which held for almost one month. I have tried regluing it again, but it always "pops" after a few days.

I got this 4x4 Excursion to take long trips to wilderness areas (with the wife, 4 kids and a 30+ foot travel trailer), and if the rear glass won't hold being driven around on city streets it doesn't make me want to take it out to the boonies.

Here are my options as I see it:

1) Have a professional reglue it. The problem with this one is that no one that I have called seems to have any confidence in their ability to make this repair - they flat out tell me that there is no guarantee. I was hoping that there was some sort of glue that only professionals could get that would work better than what I was using, but I haven't gotten that impression.

2) Replace the glass with either new ($$$) or used glass. Going with the new glass is the most expensive option, but it seem like that may be the only way I am going to get a warantee that this won't happen again.

3) Reglue it but use rear-view mirror adhesive. I tried this before I used the epoxy, but the problem is that the metal on the back of the actuator isn't flat like a rear-view mirror mounting tab. There are actually 3 little nubs that hold the metal away from the glass. I have even thought about having a machine shop grind down the nubs so that I have a flat mounting surface - I don't have much to lose at this point.

So any other ideas? I have checked and my insurance company doesn't cover any glass behind the windshield, so we would have to pay the $500 deductible.

Also, would it be possible to replace the power-opening windows with the non-opening windows from the base model? After going through all this trouble, I am beginning to think that simpler is better, and would rather have windows that I never have to worry about.

Thanks,
Dave

 

go to a local body shop and ask them to put a dab of the glue that they use for moulding on it. Just stick it on the window and it is there to stay almost immediately. Can't remember the name of the stuff. but it sticks ,right now.

 

I actually happen to have my rear quarter window out right now and sitting in my living room

After close inspection of it, I feel the best method would be to use some structural epoxy. http://www.emsdiasum.com/summers/opt...tructural.html

 

You are thinking of a catalyzed glue. You put the liquid glue on, position it and spray it with the catalyst and it hardens within seconds. It doesn't bond as well as the slow set epoxies.

 

I hate the thought of putting a non-opening glass on. My wife and I travel with 3 Weimaraners, and when they get gas, opening the front window and the rear vents is the fastest way to clear out the car....!

 

I work in autoglass as a mobile tech and have come across these quite often. No mirror glue or any apoxy has ever worked to re-glue quarter glasses. They all pop-off after a couple pot holes or rough roads. Just buy a new Window if you want it properly repaired.

 

If nothing else works I would try Gorilla glue as a last resort. Maybe it will or maybe it won't work but worth a try.

 

I haven't done it on an Excursion's quarter glass, but my Ex-Wife is a glass artist who makes huge glass slabs. Each one can weigh from 5-50 lbs. She epoxies them to blind metal hanging brackets all the time. Some hang from the top, some from the sides, some are subject to outdoor weather and vibrations from heavy trucks driving by. She's never had one fail yet.

The slower it dries, the stronger the molecular bond. The mobile auto glass world is about speed, speed, and speed. The industry adhesives are designed for the most strength possible within the quick curing time required. They won't ever be as strong as a slow-cure process.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. This weekend we brought it to a glass shop where they reglued it some special glue in a big caulk gun. He just told me it was worth a try and didn't even charge me anything. He taped the window shut and told me to leave it that way while the glue cures. I looked and, unforunately, the actuator arm didn't sit flush. So I get the feeling that this one won't last either.

I am getting very close to trying to use some slow-cure epoxy as a last resort. If I do that I will take the glass out and lay it on some sawhorses so that I can make sure the actuator is positioned correctly and I can put some clamp on it.

Otherwise, I am still entertaining the idea of replacing the power glass with stationary glass. The glass itself is cheaper ($465 versus $708) but I need to find out if it requires other parts. If anyone has a copy of the factory manual for the Excursion and could look this up, that would be great.
Thanks - Dave

 

[QUOTE=mohrds]I actually happen to have my rear quarter window out right now and sitting in my living room

After close inspection of it, I feel the best method would be to use some structural epoxy. http://www.emsdiasum.com/summers/optical/cements/cements/structural.html[/QUOTE]

So are you dealing with the exact same problem? If so, let me know how successful you are getting it re-glued. The way I figure it is, the glass was glued at the factory, so there must be some glue that works.

 

It was probably put on with a heat applicator at the "framer".

 

[QUOTE=Daveinpdx]No, I removed the vent window because I was getting body work done on the quarter panel. Being an ex-body guy, I know those windows are impossible to do a clean tape job on and get good paint adhesion, so I took it out. I also removed the cladding on the affected panels, the door handle, the door window and front bumper/grill/reinforcement. I paid them to remove the rear bumper and receiver and to put them in the back of the truck instead of re-installing them. It was too cold to deal with getting those tamper-proof bolts out on the receiver. Let them do it in a nice warm shop

Now, the trick will be to have the patience to clean up all the bumper brackets and receiver, then powder coat them before I re-install them. I figure doing that that, along with some rustproofing on the backside of the chrome bumpers should keep that part of the truck looking new for quite a while.

But anyway, my vent latch was still attached from the factory.

Doug

 

Dave, if you haven't solved the window problem yet, it might be worth trying some 3M Double Sided Acrylic Foam Tape. There is a huge variety of different grades for different purposes, so it's worth doing a little research on their website to "pick" the best grade for what you want to do. Find one with the highest TENSILE strength that is rated for metal and glass, like one from the #4950 family. Here is a link to their spec sheet: (cut & paste the whole thing)

http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediaw...GGGNqS6c2222e-

It's easy to cut a piece of the tape the size of the mount, the press the glass onto it. Make sure you clean the parts with alcohol first, and avoid touching the adhesive part of the tape. Even though it will stick instantly, it takes a day or two for it to completely cure, but when it does, it has an unbelievably strong bond. Plus, if it doesn't last, you haven't made a mess on the latch, and it would be easy enough to try again. The tape is $20-$100+ a roll, but still a lot cheaper, easier, neater, and less permanent than epoxy or the like. Plus, the thickness of the tape allows for irregularities in the surfaces you are joining. Also, this stuff has a "shelf life", so find a reputable source just to make certain you get fresh tape. (I have a partial roll from 1993 that I used to install fender flares on an Explorer, and it still has incredible bonding strength -- and the flares are STILL lock-tight on the truck.)

Be safe, and best of luck.
Don

 

greetings this is a late post, but find an electornics store, or ebay and buy the panduit epoxy. its designed for a litany of surfaces, comes in a little mixing cup. you have 2 minutes to use it. leave it alone for an hour or so.

it will hold on glass like nothing ive ever seen. they have someone make it, but ive never found its equal.

 

I have not used this glue on a vent window but I have used it on glass.

3M Emblem Adhesive
Comes in a red and white tube and usually can be purchased at Advance Auto Parts.

Once stuck to glass it adheres stronger the the strengh of glass.