how are the rear pop out windows held in?

one of mine is not connected at the bottom. It rattles a bit and I would never want to open it because it's not held in tight

There is three points of attachment. Two are the two hinges that are glued to the window. the third is the clasp. There are pins in the hinges just link the pins in a door hinge in a house. There is also a pin in the rear clasp/latch that you can push out with a drift to remove the window. I am sure there is a post on re-gluing the hinges to the glass. They very often give way and fall off the car!! So be sure you do not lose it.

yeah, so it looks like the lower hinge isn't glued in.
I'll search around unless someone else finds it first.
For now it seems fine as long as I don't open it

Rear window vent repair on ISSF. I was thinking of using mirror adhesive on mine but will probably use Gorilla Glue after reading the thread.

thanks.
where do you apply the glue exactly? I don't see any real hinge when I'm looking at it

I have tried a couple of different glues, and have not been overly excited about any of them. First, you must make sure the glass and metal are absolutely sanitary. I use MEK or lacquer thinner as a final rinse (ether is the best, but you can not buy it anymore except as starting fluid). When you apply the glue, use it sparingly, and make sure the parts securely clamped. I have since considered using windshield urethane (expensive) to hold the hinges, but you have to use it sparingly, or it will be everywhere you do not want it to be. A thin film is the best application.

I would apply glue to the metal hinge, and the glass, then join them. That is the preferred method of gluing for any two dissimilar surfaces. If you clean the window within the mark left by the old glue, you can use the mark for a guide to put your glue, and consequently the hinge on the glass. Put just enough glue on the surfaces to fill any void that may be between the flat hinge and the curved glass. You can use a sprung clothes pin to hold the parts in place while the glue sets.

If the glue fails, which has happened often, I have a few windows with good hinges (see my parts for sale thread). To remove the window, first remove the pin at the latch, then use a long screwdriver to push (tap) out the hinge pins. The hinge pins are usually coated with silicone to keep them from working themselves out.

I tried the rear view mirror glue and gorilla glue, neither held out. I probably didn't do a good enough cleaning job though. Whenever I go to the yard I grab vent glass with good hinges for just this reason.

dremel the glass where the hinge glues on,. glue always adheres better to a rough surface,.

Nick

Dremeling the glass is not a good idea. Window urethane should hold it pretty good without roughing up the surface. Just clean, clean, clean. Think about how hard it is to get a window out of a car.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

Dremeling the glass is not a good idea. .

says you,and you,ve never done it,.
but my window is stuck nice to BOTH hinges for the last 6 yrs or so on my blue wagon which had the pass side completely loose when i bought it,.,..so i'll just keep on doing things my way(as always)
Meh,..

Nick

I can see why Fred is uncomfortable with the idea of grinding tempered glass. Safety glass is under internal pressure between the surfaces. If you breach the surface, the entire piece of glass explodes into thousands of little cubes.

It also makes sense that auto glass would have thick surfaces so it doesn't get destroyed by road wear. I know that in parts of New Mexico, windshields get sandblasted by the wind so badly that people have to replace them every three or four years.

So in theory, scuffing auto glass should work if you don't go too deep.

I'd still be nervous about doing it myself.

I need to get on this sooner rather then later. it's letting water in now.
I don't see how the two hinges are secured though? I'd love to take the entire unit out and reattach the hinges on a bench. That way I could use some clamps to let the glue settle properly on the glass
I would assume the best adhesive would be the stuff they use to make rearview mirrors adhere to windshields...

Once you take the hinge pins out at the latch mechanism, and the hinges, you will see the screws that hold the hinges to the body. You do not have to remove them. I have heard of a couple of people having success with a couple of different glues, and others who have had those same glues fail. Cleanliness of the surfaces seems to be a major factor. If you feel comfortable with etching the surface at the hinge attachment to the glass, it should give the glue more bite. I have not tried windshield adhesive, but it holds the front window on, so that would be my next choice, and I have tried some of the others...gorilla glue, Goop, mirror adhesive. I gave up on gluing, and keep spares that have good hinges, and if one comes loose, I just swap it out. I do not have time for fooling around with them.

The leakproof method thats an alternative that i did on my black wagon, is to urethane the windows permanently closed. a bead of urethane and it,s done.
This is the method i,m personally going to be doing to any other wagons i get, because the back windows seal so poorly and they let in not only water,. but plenty of road dirt,.
Yes its true if you constantly have kids back ,.. without tinted windows,.. and you live in the desert or somewhere extremely hot,... they will miss the limited amount of ventilation available, but we,ve found that exhaust smell gets sucked up in thru the vents too,.
So you decide whats best for you,if i lived somewhere extremely hot,. i,d add rear air in where the storage box is,.

Nick

tried window urethane, didn't hold more than a week

they're held on by a combination of magic and coincidence. As has been stated, if you want to reglue the hinges, prep is everything. I've had mixed results trying to clean the metal and glass, but the dremel method works.

jasonlachapelle wrote:

they're held on by a combination of magic and coincidence.

Now thats hilarious,..and so true,.

someone suggested sealing the whole window off so it won't open?
I need to either fix it or get it sealed. So much water leaked in the other day, it filled the little tray/cupholder on the driver side... I was bailing it out with a tiny little cup in a very humourous manner

chapel wrote:

someone suggested sealing the whole window off so it won't open?
I need to either fix it or get it sealed. So much water leaked in the other day, it filled the little tray/cupholder on the driver side... I was bailing it out with a tiny little cup in a very humourous manner

Are you sure that it came in the vent? Most water that gets into the tray by the vent comes in from the top of the side glass reveal molding, or the sealant covered body seam at the roof rack. It runs down the channel in the side of the headiner, and exits through the grab handle. The vent window is not in a position to allow water to drain into the tray. Unless the vent window has a seperated hinge, it will only allow water to go into the fender.

hmm, I thought I saw some drips on the grab handle actually...

Where exactly am I looking for this?

I didn't think of that because the headliner was dry.

I'll pull the tray out and see if there's water in the fender

Wow. There's like 3 gallons of water in the fender. So, would that be the vent window?

Also, how should I bail it all out? I would imagine drilling a hole would be BAD with these cars.
Guess I'll have to get the shop vac and a crevice tool.

There should be a drain hole in the bottom of the fender. The holes are notorious for clogging. It is probably the same source as the tray. Since the vent windows usually do not leak, I would suspect another source first. Just think, you will probably get better gas mileage after you drain it. Water is heavier than gas.

where abouts would I find that hole?
towards the bumper or towards the wheel well?

I took a quick picture of the side of the car and the roof.
Where are you suggesting it's leaking?
(pics are large... and unfocused a bit...)
http://www.chapeltech.net/buickroof.jpg
http://www.chapeltech.net/buicksidewindow.jpg

The hole should be at the lowest point of the wheelhouse.

The only way you can determine where the leak is coming from, is to pull the headliner, and run water on the outside starting low, and working your way up. Then, check for water coming in along interior body seams. You may have to use a good bit of water to get results.

The leak is probably along the top of the quarter glass reveal molding. The seam is much farther inboard than you would think by looking at the outside of the car. Look for rusty window reveal hold down nuts, because that my give you a clue.

what exactly is a 'reveal molding'?
the chrome strip?

and by quarter glass, you mean the vent window, yes?

I have an ultrasonic leak detector I can use, I just need to wait until the shop is open on Monday to get it

The quarter glass is the entire side glass behind the rear door. The reveal molding covers the joint between the window and the body. It includes the chrome strip, and the black plasic surrounding it, all the way to the body panel. You will probably still have to remove the headliner to check the seams, unless the ultrasonic leak detector will check them from the outside.

An idiot I went to, to have my reveal molding checked, put soapy water on the outside, and used high pressure air from the inside to try to find bubbles. His efforts partially removed my tint, and I was irritated at best. So, just as a word of caution, do not use that technique, if you have tint on your windows.

There are a number of seams where water can enter the car. You should check all of them, including the nutserts for the roofrack, and slider rails.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

unless the ultrasonic leak detector will check them from the outside.

yeah, it's pretty cool. it's two pieces: a receiver and a transmitter
you put the receiver on one side near where you think the leak is and the transmitter is a wand... you wave the wand around until you see the lights or hear the beeping get louder.

This is a fantastic price I just found. normally they're $300+
http://www.abesofmaine.com/item.do?item=VISSS1000&id=VISSS1000&l=FROOGLE