replacing door seals

[andydw]

I've just acquired some new door seals from Racing Green and have a few points I'd like a view on before I fit them, if anyone can help who has done this (I assume lots have):
- Is anything used to fix them in place or do they just push fit?
- where is the best place for the join? (I'm assuming bottom centre)
- Should I use anything to seal the join?
- any other tips or suggestions?

Cheers in advance

[spongy]

had my new seals for 5 months in a box,was my next to do job.......but twenty more came up

[gruffalo]

Just a push fit, takes 5-10 mins per side, just pull the old one off and push the new ones on.

I did not seal the join which is at the bottom and does not leak.

If it is a little tight to get on use a soft headed mallet to gently tap it into place.

[pmessling]

If you have to pull it off to adjust it, close up the bard bit again otherwise its a pain in the arse as it will come off. Keep your eyes out for leaks after in case you need to put some silicon on them, i changed mine when i first got mine and still leaked in places, got there in the end, totally dry now.

[andydw]

pmessling said:

If you have to pull it off to adjust it, close up the bard bit again otherwise its a pain in the arse as it will come off. Keep your eyes out for leaks after in case you need to put some silicon on them, i changed mine when i first got mine and still leaked in places, got there in the end, totally dry now.

Cheers. Can you expand on the use of silicon - I was under the impression that silicon sealant and rubber do not mix well?

[Tanguero]

I would strongly suggest not using silicone in the channel of the seal. It will prevent it from seating and gripping properly which will make it leak - necessitating being bodged up with more silicone to try to plug the leaks. Just press the clean dry seal firmly in place using a soft mallet and something round to help in the corners. Make sure the join is at the bottom, preferably where you won't catch it getting in and out of the car.

[pmessling]

What has been mentioned about the silicon is right, don't put it in the channel. I have put silicon on the lip around where the near horizontal part of the door goes as I found water was getting inside the channel of the seal and running down and getting the foot well wet, its trial and error i think as some people get away with it and some still leak a little.

[TVdinneR]

Tanguero said:

I would strongly suggest not using silicone in the channel of the seal. It will prevent it from seating and gripping properly which will make it leak - necessitating being bodged up with more silicone to try to plug the leaks. Just press the clean dry seal firmly in place using a soft mallet and something round to help in the corners. Make sure the join is at the bottom, preferably where you won't catch it getting in and out of the car.

Exactly how I did it a month or two ago.
2 reasons I replaced them - Firstly there was water getting in around the seals into the footwells and secondly, and this was probably the main cause of the leaks, the joins on both sides were exactly where my feet would hit them as I got in and out of the car and were no more sealing than fly in the air.
The join was originally about 6 inches back from the A-pillar and would get dislodged nearly every time I, and the previous owner I suspect, got in and out.
The join is still on the bottom but now about in line with the back of the seat.
Although the join is not sealed as such there was a 2-3 inch length of rubber which fitted snugly inside the seal to hold it together where the ends met - I just transferred them across from the old seals as they never came with the new ones.

[andydw]

Thanks for the comments so far. One further question: there are indents in my current seals at the bottom - I read from another thread that on a T350 they are there to let water run away rather than into the footwell. The replacement seals do not have these indents - are my current seals the wrong ones (there's quite a gap at the join point as well), or do I need to create this indent effect somehow?