I have one again because three years owning an EVC nearly bankrupted me (and
it was a poor camper compared to the Westy), and I can't afford a
Sportsmobile.  A new seal would be easier to get out as long as it's a warm
day and you are careful.  Pry up one corner on the inside and gently press
it out being careful not to twist the glass.  On the old one cut away the
flap on the inside first.

The rear is a bit easier, and went right in, a 15 minute job.  I had small
rust spots I treated the day before, none went under the seal more than
about a half inch, but yours could be worse.

The trick to getting these windows in easily is liberal use of silicone
spray lube (and the rope, of course).

With water coming in this job should go to the top of your list (be sure
that's the problem though).

Good luck!

Stuart

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Tom Carchrae
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2012 6:28 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Emergency/temporary window rubber fix

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and warnings.

Stuart: I agree that it is a job that needs doing - I just wish that list
was not so long and I had more time/money on my hands (and why do you own
this van again?!.... :) oh right, it was fun to work on.) .  One excuse is
wanting to give the van a paint next year - but I guess new rubber will be
easier to remove and replace without damage the rubber?  I fear removing it
and seeing a giant rust spot and having to deal with that before putting it
back.... eesh... I really should just get to it huh.  If there is a rust
spot in the window, sooner is better.  How long did it take you to do the
job?

I'd rather not do a quick job now that will cause a lot more work later.
 The suggestion of a silicone sealant in between the glass and seal seems
like it would be reasonable and not cause too much more work.  One way or
another I want to sort these leaks out in the next week or so.

Thanks again all,

Tom

On Wed, Nov 21, 2012 at 12:07 PM, Stuart MacMillan
<stuartmacm@gmail.com>wrote:

> Usually window seals leak between the glass and the rubber, not
> between the body and rubber (unless you have a lot of rust there).  I
> just replaced my rear window seal for this reason.  It was hard and
> dried out from being in a sunny climate for years, but the rubber to
> body side was fine.  It's over an inch wide, and there are three or
> four small fins that seal really well.
>
> Order a seal, pick up a can of silicone spray and some 1/4" cotton
> rope and replace it (with an assistant, of course).  You'll thank
> yourself since you won't have a bunch of gunk to clean up later!
>
> Stuart
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf Of Courtney Hook
> Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 9:52 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Emergency/temporary window rubber fix
>
> Up here in Canada you can buy a product by Permatex called Flowable
> Silicone Windshield glass Sealant. Comes in a blue blister pack and as
> the name suggests, is specifically for leaky seals. I used it on my
> baywindow about
> 2
> yrs ago, with complete success on the windshield passenger side
> corner. It is a very "seeking" product; it crawls down under the seal
> and you think it won't flow when you first put it on, but you'd be
> wrong. I came out a few hours later and couldn't find where I'd
> applied it. It had crawled down under the lip of the seal as intended.
> I think it's great stuff, and will probably buy you time. My time has
> been 2 years; darn, I gotta get on that body resto. :-) Courtney
>
> ========I'm thankful to all those who said "no". Because of them I did
> it myself.========
>