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Window Rail Disconnected

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JohnGarziglia

#1243
Supporting Member
Oct 22, 2011
211
124
Reston, Virginia
For a long while, I wondered why my RH door made a clang noise when closing, different than the LH door. I finally opened up the door and discovered that the window rail toward the rear of the door had become completely disconnected and was just loose at the bottom of the door. Notably, the window worked fine without it. So I thought I would report on it here -- not looking for responses but just noting the failure in the event it helps anyone else.

The window rails toward the rear of the door are held on at the top by some sort of glued connection to the inside of the door, and at the bottom by fitting in a bracket connected to the adjustment screw that is at the lower rear of the door (the small screw sticking through a small hole). Apparently, if the top of the window rail comes loose, the bottom can work its way out of the bracket that is part of the adjustment screw.

It is not necessary to take apart the door to see if the top of the window rail has become unglued. The top of the window rail can be inspected by taking off the rubber door sill molding. Start by removing the small plastic pin -- it just pops out:
IMG_20191110_145839.jpg


The rubber molding can then be pulled back and the top inside of the door inspected. Pull it back maybe 1/3 of the way.
This is looking down at the door with the rubber molding starting to be removed (The yellow thing is my garage wall
door bumper so I do not damage the door or the wall opening the door).
IMG_20191110_143438.jpg


This is the top of the window rail how it should look if properly glued on:
IMG_20191110_143608.jpg

The bracket connected with the Phillips head screw is glued on to the door. If it was disconnected, this bracket would be loose and not connected. This is my LH door which is good.

To repair my RH door, I first tried using heavy-duty auto molding tape, the red kind that sticks things onto the outside of cars. That did not work. My latest attempt to stick the bracket back to the door is this steel epoxy stuff which at least for now appears to be sticking.
IMG_20191110_151507.jpg


Below is the inside of the RH door with the bracket stuck back on with the steel epoxy (for some reason, the light was not as good as in the photo above of the other door). It is not the most attractive repair but it is hard to get a hand or tool down in there to stick the stuff on. I probably would have been able to do a better job if
took apart the door again and reached up from the inside but this seems to have stuck for now.

IMG_20191110_144843.jpg


So, if you have a rattle in your door, it might be the top of the window rail at the rear of the door disconnected. As I noted above, that was not the only thing I found disconnected inside my doors. The mechanism for the emergency key lock was likewise connected with some sort of glue and disconnected. I am posting that separately so it can be found if needed.
 
Yes, I also had to take my door apart. As an update, the Steel Stick referenced above did not hold. On the advice of someone here on this forum for a similar repair to the emergency locking mechanism on the driver's door, I used the original J-B Weld (https://www.amazon.com/J-B-Weld-8265S-Cold-Weld-Reinforced/dp/B0006O1ICE) very liberally between and around the bracket and door, and then figured out a way to use a paint stirrer once I applied the adhesive to wedge in between the bracket and the opposite side of the door frame to keep it in place for 24 hours for the J-B Weld to fully set. So far, it is holding.
 
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