Replace Worn Moon-roof Seal (with pics)

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Irish Pride

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Last year on my road trip to New Orleans i noticed a lot of wind noise coming from the Moon-roof on my 91. I already had a replacement gasket from Dr Sunroof and today i decided to tackle the job. It was very easy and start to finish it took me about 2.5 hours to complete. I could have done it quicker but my OCD wouldnt let me.



Tools needed - Small tip phillips screwdriver, large tip phillips screwdriver with magnetic tip, ratchet with phillips bit(optional), several single edge razor blades, adhesive remover(i used finger nail polish remover), and rubbing alcohol.

Here is a copy of the instructions that came with the new gasket.



First thing is to remove the 3 small screws that hold the front trim to the glass. Once removed the trim can be slid inside the roof. This allows you to access the 2 screws at the very front on each side.




Use the large tip screwdriver to remove the 6 screws holding the glass in place. 5 of mine came out with no problem but the very front left screw didnt want to come loose so i had to use a ratchet with a phillips bit to get enough torque to get it out. On the front screws there is very little room and getting your fingers in there is impossible. You will need a magnetic tip to get the screws started on reassembly.




Once the screws are out you can just lift the glass off. Once off you can see how bad my gasket was. I also learned that my glass had been replaced at some point which further adds to the mystery of my car. According to Autocheck, my 91 was first registered in 1994 with 333 miles on it.







The old gasket comes off very easy. Get it started where it splits on the passenger side and just work it loose all the way around. I wanted the mating surface as clean as possible for the new gasket so i first scraped off all the old adhesive with razor blades and then rubbed it down with nail polish remover. Finally, i went over it with rubbing alcohol to make sure the surface was as good as could be.



The new gasket attaches with 3M tape and has a lip that goes over the top to help line it up. Pick a spot to start and work it around. I started in the middle on the passenger side because thats where it started on the original. When you get all the way around use a new razor to cut it to length. I cut mine a little to long and when i trimmed it a second time it came out just a little short. Very minimal gap that i dont see being an issue but my OCD is driving me nuts because of it. If it does end up being an issue ill just trim it back a few inches and use some of the excess gasket to fill in the gap. No big deal.





Installation is the exact opposite as removal. The only thing you need to make sure of is that the glass mounts flush with the roof of the car. I put the glass in place and got all the screws started and then lowered the glass. While sitting in the drivers seat i used my hand to feel where the front corner was and when i was happy i then tightened the front screw down. Then i did the same thing with the rear corner. I then moved to the passenger seat and did the same procedure. once i was happy with the front and rear placement i then tightened the middle screws.

The only issue i have with the new gasket is it works too good. When opening and closing the glass now it doesnt want to pop all the way into place. I have to give it a little nudge to get it to settle. I'm hoping that as the gasket breaks in this problem will go away but if not, its just a small price to pay for a quiet cabin. All in all i'm very satisfied with it.



 

rubydist

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yes, the little lip that hangs over was on the bottom on the original. I think it is there to help keep the seal from being pushed up the edge of the frame when the glass slides down into place, so its better with the lip on the bottom.
 

Irish Pride

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#9 on the instructions states "position weatherstrip with larger section toward top of glass".

I posted a pic of the seal so you can see what it looks like. This weatherstrip is not identical to the factory Ford seal. It is not wide enough to cover the entire width of the metal.
 

kevinspann

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Interesting that it's a different seal design. When I bought mine, before they went out of stock for a while, I received a seal that was the same as the factory one that had to be glued on.
 

rubydist

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I get it now Chad.

I do recall that after they had found the new source for the seal that someone said the cross-section was a little different, but that it still worked well.
 

Irish Pride

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I get it now Chad.

I do recall that after they had found the new source for the seal that someone said the cross-section was a little different, but that it still worked well.
If appears to be sealing excellent. Way better than what I had. I'll take it on the interstate this weekend and see if the wind noise is completely gone now.
 

SHOdded

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Excellent writeup :thumb:

Former: 1995 ATX, 1992 MTX
 
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TimboSHO

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I just did mine last summer and have the same issue with it sealing to well! I have to 'help' the glass back into place. I guess if I use it enough, it will eventually wear into place. Car is so quiet now! The whistling on the freeway was driving me nuts! Nice write up Chad!
 

TimboSHO

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Yes, my new seal looked the same as yours. I got it from the same place, and it had the same instructions as well. My old one didn't look quite as bad as yours though! Wow!
 

zak

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I bought a seal from them in December (for a gen 2 if that matters) and it was not that style, had to add adhesive.and it matched the OEM seal on the 95 I bought.
 

blk\blk90

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Thanks for the write up! I just did mine and screwed it up royally. My front left screw stripped. When I drilled it out I didn't do it straight and drilled out the side. I overworked it and tapped it with a 1/4-20 to get it fixed. But mine is waaay to tight. It wont retract,vent, or close w/o help. Have yalls broken in yet?

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Also, the frame was out of its....little track piece(?). I put it back in and it needs some **** or something. I shot a touch of WD to get it to slide a little. What should I put in the tracks to help it? I'm thinking white lithium? Also, I didn't realize there was a sunshade with these. It was broken, gross and shoved all the way back. I forgot I set it on the trunk when I went for a drive. It's gone now. Oops.
 
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