jon38iowa Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 It seems I have a cracked passenger side window gusset- Loud wind sneaking in, and this is strange since I don't use that side of the car very often(I close doors with the handle);I ordered a new one today. What have I got myself into, that is how much of a job is this? Does the entire door panel have to be removed? Thanks in advance for any pointers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 If what you are referring to as the window gusset is the short vertical rubber seal at the front of the door glass, you may not have to replace it. This is the rubber seal that forms one side of the triangular shaped section that hides the mounting bolts that hold the mirror on the inside of the car? My car had a wind whistle here when I first got it. It was an easy fix. I simply lowered the window glass all of the way down, and pushed the inner part of the seal towards the outside of the car. (The seal has a metal inner that you can feel but not see.) This forced the inside the car part of the seal more onto the window glass when the window was in the up position, and completely stopped the whistling noise. I hope this all makes sense, and that we're talking about the same problem. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon38iowa Posted October 31, 2006 Author Share Posted October 31, 2006 If what you are referring to as the window gusset is the short vertical rubber seal at the front of the door glass, you may not have to replace it. This is the rubber seal that forms one side of the triangular shaped section that hides the mounting bolts that hold the mirror on the inside of the car? My car had a wind whistle here when I first got it. It was an easy fix. I simply lowered the window glass all of the way down, and pushed the inner part of the seal towards the outside of the car. (The seal has a metal inner that you can feel but not see.) This forced the inside the car part of the seal more onto the window glass when the window was in the up position, and completely stopped the whistling noise. I hope this all makes sense, and that we're talking about the same problem. Good Luck! We are on the same page. However, I have already ordered it and thus might as well replace it ( though your suggestion is a valid one to stop the noise up). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 If you feel trapped at having to buy the ordered part, you may as well install it. Yes, I suspect that you'll have to remove the interior door panel to get at the old seal, and the outside mirror as well, as it directly bolts into that part of the door frame that the seal resides in. Personally I've had a hundred of these doors apart (I've worked in an antique auto restoration facility and a body shop over the years) and they are all pretty straight forward. I have never had the need to remove any door panels on any of my OBW's. I would suggest that you open a new thread under "remove interior door panel 99 Forester" or such. Somebody else already has done it and will hop to your rescue. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 If you can do the repair as described above, I would suggest you try it and if it works, either return the item or put it on the shelf until you really need it. The less you take apart, the less parts you can lose, break, reinstall incorrectly... As I recall, the Subie tech explained the repair as pinching the outer and inner aspects of the triangular piece together. Aside from closing the door using the glass (you don't), the distortion can happen when the passenger (plus size) is trying to exit the car in a tight parking spot and pushes against the glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon38iowa Posted November 1, 2006 Author Share Posted November 1, 2006 If you can do the repair as described above, I would suggest you try it and if it works, either return the item or put it on the shelf until you really need it. The less you take apart, the less parts you can lose, break, reinstall incorrectly...As I recall, the Subie tech explained the repair as pinching the outer and inner aspects of the triangular piece together. Aside from closing the door using the glass (you don't), the distortion can happen when the passenger (plus size) is trying to exit the car in a tight parking spot and pushes against the glass.[/QUOT The part is on the way; I really don't want to send parts back, moreover last time it was a big hassle. The place took a month to give me a credit and thats with me holding their feet to the fire. I won't replace it now, but I will replace it when i Insulate the doors next spring. Kinda dreading the job, however I'm not total novice I just don't like taking apart the plastic interior pieces. Last time I removed the A pillar covers the retaining clips were rusty and hard to handle. Who knows what the doors will look like. By the way the pinch method does work at eliminating the air leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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