Driver side full door seal woes on 99 TJ

[dan5150]

It seems that replacement door seals are a common challenge, but after searching the forum, I haven't seen this specific issue mentioned.

I ordered replacement door seals (from Rock Auto. I think they are the fairchild ones) as the OE ones were failing.

On my '99, the bottom of the doors has a plastic "channel" that the seal fits into. Not the holes with the plastic clips that snap into.

On the passenger side, I simply removed the clips from the seal, and the grooves fit into the channel just fine. The new seal is installed and working fine.

On the drivers side, the channel on the door is coming loose. It looks like it was glued on? I figured that installing the new seal would just hold it in. Not the case. the new seal seems like it's 1/4" "too big" in that it has some slack in it. Therefore it hangs down on the bottom of the door, and it doesn't stay in the plastic channel.

I have read that others have challenges with replacement door seals even from different vendors.

Questions:

• Is there something wrong with my new door seal? (bad manufacturing making it too big)
• Can I / Should I remove and replace that plastic channel on the bottom of the door? (if so, anyone know what that part is? I can't find it listed anywhere)
• If not, what kind of glue is recommended to reattach that channel to the door?

 

[Daryl]

The later style with the clips is all I’ve seen sold in the aftermarket. I believe Mopar sent a paper template to drill holes for the early style doors when they discontinued the early style weatherstripping.

 

[Daryl]

More information here:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/door-weatherstrip-question.60140/

 

[dan5150]

Thanks! I have the full doors and the thread you posted mentioned half doors. I searched on the crown automotive site per the thread you linked and it looks like they don't have the fill door seals. :-(

If anyone has that that template to drill the holes so a new seal kit would fit, that would be great.

 

[Daryl]

Thanks! I have the full doors and the thread you posted mentioned half doors.

The concept is the same. I happen to have a late model full door I can measure later this week and give you the dimensions.

 

[Daryl]

@dan5150 The hole centers on the bottom of the door are 3.700 inches.

 

[txbemis69]

is it possible to rivet the strip to the door bottom and attach the door seal?

 

[jonny jeep]

When I replaced my door seals the drivers side kept dropping out of the channel. I found some narrow double sided adhesive tape. It is thin enough to fit in the channel and has very good adhesion. I lined the inside of the channel and then took my time making sure the weather seal was inserted properly. It's never came out of the channel since. I'm pretty sure that if my channel started coming off it would hold that on securely too.

 

[SSTJ]

Just to clarify, since I have an early 97 TJ. It sounds like these aftermarket seals can either slip into the channel or I can drill holes to use the clips. Correct? Just want to be sure it's not the case that only some seals will work with my channels, since my channels appear to be in good shape.

 

[jonny jeep]

Yes you can do either. As I said I did have the seal dropping out and used some narrow ultra thin trim tape to make it stay put.