E350 Door Seals - where to purchase?

[sakurama]

I’ve been poking around here learning what I can and thought I might ask my first question. My 99 E350 is in need of some door seals (non slider).

I thought for sure there would be a handful of vendors that would sell a complete kit but I’ve only found a single listing at AutoZone which refers you to call your local store and they were more confused than me about which parts I needed much less able to get me a kit.

Does anyone have some advice?

Thanks

[arctictraveller]

Hi and welcome. Try LMC Van parts

Truck Parts and Truck Accessories

[sakurama]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

Hi and welcome. Try LMC Van parts

Truck Parts and Truck Accessories

Wow, how have I not been able to find that. Thanks.

And I realized, right after I posted, that I hadn't done an intro post so I just went over and posted an intro.

Thanks again!

Gregor

[Wanderlust Bus]

Dang. I've used LMC Truck parts a bunch in the past. It's a shame they don't have anything showing for a 2013 E350.

[BroncoHauler]

If you want a tighter seal when you replace them, there's also a well known door seal mod documented on many Ford forums.

Door seal mod - Diesel Forum - TheDieselStop.com

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...mod-video.html

Essentially, before the seals are installed, you thread through some tubing into the continuous cavity (bulb) that runs along the seal. This adds considerable stiffness to the bulb seal and makes for a much better seal.


Herb

[Bbasso]

Iirc, Claude had the doors seals stuffed and it was much better...
Maybe it wasn't Claude, it's been a while since I saw that.

[JWA]

FWIW were I to need or replace door seals it would be nothing but OEM. Sure that's NOT cheap but having a few vans of the '99 & '00 era I know they're generally very long lasting. IF you're one to enjoy scrap yard expeditions you can find nearly-new seals for not much more than the cost of removing and re-installing them DIY.

Should you go the used way the small clips holding the seal to the door will need to be replaced---there is absolutely no way to remove and then reuse them. AuVeCo has a version that's far, far less expensive than the so-called OEM spec'd parts. I've used them to great effect; find 'em here: http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/sea...?Search=a19850.

Those clips are just AuVeCo #A19850 which can be found almost anywhere automotive supplies are sold. I use Clips & Fasteners because they've been a great vendor over the years.

Not sure about the LMC stuff but if its aftermarket I'd shy away from them myself. Assuming the door hinges are in good order and the doors themselves are properly fitting the opening nothing really replaces the high quality of OEM. OTOH if price is the main consideration perhaps the LMC stuff would work just fine.

Filling the seal cavity with tubing is great for an older seal but again if the doors are fitting correctly its tough to improve upon the factory seals. IMHO anyway.

A good "trick" to keep door seals working well is occasionally coat them with a wet-type silicone lubricant, something similar to 3m's 08877: https://www.amazon.com/3M-08877-Sili.../dp/B0002KKVKC Over time the door seals loose their flexibility which affects how they fit against the body; the silicone lubricant maintains that flexibility over a lot of years. Amazon's cost is a bit high, this same product or one very similar can be found for about $7 a full can with a little bit of shopping around.

If you live in a cold weather climate and have ever had a seal stick to the body making opening a door that first time after a cold spell difficult it will pretty much prevent that from happening ever again.

As you can see I don't go the "cheap" way but do find in the end its less expensive and pretty much trouble free over a longer time.

HTH

[ctb]

Great to see this...Thanks BHauler, Arctic and JWA for great info (AGAIN!!)...We have been noticing/smelling/finding the fine dust seeping inside on our backroad travels lately...the rear door area gets covered and drives us crazy...

[REF]

I ended up doing that door seal fix with the tubing a few years ago with my existing seals. I have since removed most of it and am most likely going to order all new seals. I believe the tubing I used was one of the ones mentioned, while the doors sealed better, I was finding that it was difficult to open and close the side barn doors and rear doors. I may have gotten too large a diameter tubing, I don't know, but it didn't really work for me on any door other than the front doors.

[JWA]

Originally Posted by ctb

Great to see this...Thanks BHauler, Arctic and JWA for great info (AGAIN!!)...We have been noticing/smelling/finding the fine dust seeping inside on our backroad travels lately...the rear door area gets covered and drives us crazy...

I'll reiterate effective rear and side door sealing is very dependent upon how the door fits against the body. On most E-Series its quite easy to close the rear doors with and extension cord leading outward behind the van. The door will close as designed and not bind, the cord itself not damaged which just shows how flexible the OEM seals are. (I do this when working inside my van and don't want to use the starting battery for radio or lighting.

Generally the rear doors don't seal well enough to keep fine dust out which makes the silicone lubricant application a good idea. Assuming the doors are properly adjusted the seals are adequate, could maybe benefit from the tubing installation but the downside is door opening/closing issues as REF mentions.

Sadly some aspects of our beloved E-Series leave a lot to be desired, we have to learn to live with them.