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Old 10-01-2018, 09:40 AM   #1
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leaks and more leaks...coming in back door...

well i'm in year 4 or 5 of working on my 1987 e-250 to bring it back to life....

some days you win..some days you lose and SOMETIMES IT RAINS!!!...

anyway, i've check as many threads as i could find on this topic but could not find anything exactly like the problem i'm having....

soooo.....i went through the process of grinding out the rusted out gutters....then using epoxy filler to smooth them out....all will eventually be painted....

anyway....when there is a good rain the water seems to come off the penthouse top and all pool in the gutters and then immediately overflow in the area between the gutter and the doors....

i assume the door seals/gaskets must not be any good anymore because the water then seeps right along the door and drips down into the back of the van.....

perhaps i just need new seals? or maybe there is another way to keep the water from pooling here....

attached are a few pictures and if anyone has any advice for me then i'd obviously me most appreciative!!...

thanks so much - choochee
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Old 10-01-2018, 10:00 AM   #2
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I call that coke bottling when the water runs off the gutter then works back into the door frame. I have fished surgical tubing inside the door seal gaskets before on other vehicles to restore the seal and stop wind noise. This makes them a bit more stiffer, water tight and works great if you do not want to buy new ones.
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Old 10-01-2018, 10:38 AM   #3
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door gaskets

wow... tks for the quick response and introducing me to the "coke bottling" terminology...

i DO NOT want to have to invest in new gaskets!

how does one fish the surgical tube through the gasket?

i assume they need to be removed from the door?

what about applying some aftermarket gaskets/sealers just to the inside of the current ones and seeing if that stiffens/seals them?

again THANK YOU
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Old 10-01-2018, 11:54 AM   #4
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Here is link to a YouTube video of the process I basically did, hope this helps.
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Old 10-01-2018, 12:43 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bellpilot View Post
Here is link to a YouTube video of the process I basically did, hope this helps.
Did this on all my Excursion doors years ago. Definitely seals better and also helps reduce dust intrusion. You may have to slam the doors a bit harder because of the increased seal stiffness.

BTW, try not to let the tubing touch the ground as you insert it because it will pick up dirt and debris. At least it did for me (used silicone tubing which is a bit more sticky).


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Old 10-01-2018, 12:45 PM   #6
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This is a really common problem on Econolines. Mine has some old water damage to the rear cabinets from it, and on the passenger E150 I had in college I had to keep luggage away from that area.

Surgical tubing is a good idea, one I’ve used on other vehicles. Syl-Glide or similar rubber lubricant helps a lot with getting it threaded in. On my current van the previous owner used some adhesive foam weatherstripping and that seems to work well too.

The way these vans have one door that latches to another door aggravates the problem - after a while they don’t latch as tightly and you can only do so much with the latch adjustments.
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Old 10-01-2018, 07:02 PM   #7
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What a unbelievably simple & effective solution - Bellpilot, Thanks for sharing that video!
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Old 10-07-2018, 12:41 PM   #8
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FWIW my the back doors gasketing is not quite the same as the video- the doors have internal corner material filling the gasket channel, so feeding it thru would be interrupted. One could cut into the gasket in the non corner sections and add if that is where the problem is. Additionally, one could use https://www.freshwatersystems.com/pr...13250797142059 which might be an overkill and is slightly stiffer (if wanted). Silicone does not degrade in high temps...Great idea for the doors Bellpilot!
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Old 10-07-2018, 04:02 PM   #9
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Chochee:
have you checked the windows? these vans are notorious for the windows coming loose.
check the bolts holding them in place. I had a similar problem on my 99 e350 and found the nuts loose after removing the plastic trim. worth a try...
best wishes,

Dave
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