Window Doesn't Sit Right

[l008com]

My front passenger window doesn't sit properly in the channel. It is smooshed inward and the glass just jams up against it. This doesn't seal and in certain rainy conditions, water gets in.

You can push against the glass and force it into place a little bit better, at least so no water gets in. But it still doesn't seem to seat fully.
I tried getting it in as best I could and not opening the window for about 6 months (which was easy since it was Winter) thinking maybe it might tend to form to the right shape. But no luck.

So what can I do about this?

 

[l008com]

Reply for attention. Years later and I'm still dealing with this. And I'm dealing with it by trying to remember to never roll down the passenger window.

 

[budwich]

One guess might be that the window at one time didn't seat properly and was left in the "smooshed" mode for a long while and / or exposed to the sun / heat thereafter which basically set weather strip.... but maybe not. Its also possible that the weather strip is not seated properly in the channel. Have you ever tried to reseat it? I would practice on a junkyard vehicle to see if it can be done easily before trying it on the "target vehicle".

Of course, the question is how did it get the way it is... that will provide a idea of how to "retrace the undoing".

 

[l008com]

The rubber doesn't seem to be seated wrong, it just seems to be smooshed. I don't know if the truck came that way and I just never noticed, or if it happened after I owned the truck, and again took a while for me to notice. But with two people, you can push on the glass and get it to go up into the rubber correctly. But leaving it that way for months doesn't seem to help it at all.

 

[budwich]

:-( Not sure if they are glued like a wind shield molding... probably. So then, it might be very difficult to pull out and "re-seat / check". So the next thing that I would try is get the vehicle inside somewhere so you can let it sit for a while. Get a piece of wood and "carve" it to be larger that the window track (ie. wedge) and insert it in the "running slot" somewhere along the troubled area (just a small area doesn't have to be for the full length). In essence, attempting to cause the molding to be widen. Leave it like that for a day.... maybe even carefully use a bit of light heating over it... like a hot water bottle. Then pull it out and see what the molding response is... does it return to its "old positon" or stay in the new "bulged" position. This may tell you if the molding can be "memorized" to a new "profile". I suspect not especially if this has been like this for a significant amount of time where normal heating / cooling has already caused a "full memory" of the molding.

One last thing that you can do. Is take the door panel off and check the window rails for adjustment. One might have loosen or broke and thus the window travel is not aligned properly. Has the window regulator ever been replaced?

 

[Blckshdw]

Sorry I didn't realize this earlier, but an option would be to buy some in-channel window vent visors. I've been running a full set for about 15 years now. When you roll up your window, they will keep the rubber seal on the outside, as well as guide the glass up into the channel where it's supposed to be. And of course give you the option to leave your windows cracked in the summer to let the heat out, but not get your interior soaked when it rains.

Only downsides are you will get a little bit of wind noise on the highway, and they effectively widen the A pillar, so you'll have to move your head a bit when looking to the sides as they increase your blind spots. But you can think of that like the list of complications for medications in those commercials

 

[Mooseman]

One thing I can say about mine, when driving in a heavy wind and I try to roll up the driver window, it cants to the outside and misses the top channel completely. If I close the other windows to cut the draft, it closes normally. Maybe yours did that at one time, you didn't notice and put a permanent fold in the weatherstripping.

Can you roll down the window and take come pics of the seal/weatherstripping? If it's permanently folded in, you could try a heat gun on low to soften it up and fold it back out or guide the window back into it. If not, you might have to replace it. It could also be an adjustment for the window track for the angle. Maybe it can be canted back in.