Joining together door seal ends

[Chefgage]

Hello all. When replacing the front door seals the seals come as one long piece. So after installing are you suppose to glue the ends together at the bottom of the door step. Or do you just butt them up against each other?

[Altransit]

My original seals were rusty and damaged at the (loose) ends, so I glued the new one together. Having done that, i later realised that somehow they fill up with water, (no idea how), and the loose end is necessary to let it drain
The door is a problem to shut with the new seal too

[dumper]

can’t remember what vehicle but I’ve seen on the bubble l part of the seal a pice of rubber pipe pushed in each end to connect the ends together it was a manufactured item from new.

[Chefgage]

can’t remember what vehicle but I’ve seen on the bubble l part of the seal a pice of rubber pipe pushed in each end to connect the ends together it was a manufactured item from new.

Yes my original one had a little piece of rubber tube that pushes into the other end. The new ones I got have not got this. Thinking about it now and from the reply above I think it's best to not glue them together. That way any water that gets in the seal can then drain out.

[Chefgage]

My original seals were rusty and damaged at the (loose) ends, so I glued the new one together. Having done that, i later realised that somehow they fill up with water, (no idea how), and the loose end is necessary to let it drain
The door is a problem to shut with the new seal too

Thanks. That makes sense about the water being able to drain away. I see what you mean about the door being a problem to shut. Got the seal nicely fitted then went to shut the door. It looked like it had gone out of alignment. Then I realised it was because the old seal was knackered and allowed the door to easily shut. It does shut now but you really do have to slam it!

[Altransit]

It does shut now but you really do have to slam it!

I got fed up with slamming it two or three time before it shut, and realised that it worked better if you clicked it onto the first latch, and then "body slammed it" in the lock area Even my little granddaughter has got the hang of it now

I thought it would improve with age, but over a year down the road, it's still a pain

[Chefgage]

It does shut now but you really do have to slam it!

I got fed up with slamming it two or three time before it shut, and realised that it worked better if you clicked it onto the first latch, and then "body slammed it" in the lock area Even my little granddaughter has got the hang of it now

I thought it would improve with age, but over a year down the road, it's still a pain

Seems a bit strange that then. The new seal is the exact same size as the old one. A van from new would not have that problem?

I have shut it a couple of times as you suggested but makes it a bit difficult if you are inside

Have to see how it progresses. Not much I can do about it though?

[Altransit]

Seems a bit strange that then. The new seal is the exact same size as the old one. A van from new would not have that problem?

I have shut it a couple of times as you suggested but makes it a bit difficult if you are inside

Have to see how it progresses. Not much I can do about it though?

It is strange, because I bought a genuine Ford door seal so that it would fit perfectly, and it has been a problem since day one. It's almost like the seal fills with air which can't get out fast enough when squashed, as you can hear it "exhaling" when you try and slam it
I have eased the door adjustment which makes it a little better, but shutting it from inside requires both hands on the puller

[Chefgage]

Seems a bit strange that then. The new seal is the exact same size as the old one. A van from new would not have that problem?

I have shut it a couple of times as you suggested but makes it a bit difficult if you are inside

Have to see how it progresses. Not much I can do about it though?

It is strange, because I bought a genuine Ford door seal so that it would fit perfectly, and it has been a problem since day one. It's almost like the seal fills with air which can't get out fast enough when squashed, as you can hear it "exhaling" when you try and slam it
I have eased the door adjustment which makes it a little better, but shutting it from inside requires both hands on the puller

Good point about the air not getting out. I will check the air holes on the new seal against the old seal. Maybe they are in a different place or not big enough.

[bortaf]

Seems a bit strange that then. The new seal is the exact same size as the old one. A van from new would not have that problem?

I have shut it a couple of times as you suggested but makes it a bit difficult if you are inside

Have to see how it progresses. Not much I can do about it though?

It is strange, because I bought a genuine Ford door seal so that it would fit perfectly, and it has been a problem since day one. It's almost like the seal fills with air which can't get out fast enough when squashed, as you can hear it "exhaling" when you try and slam it
I have eased the door adjustment which makes it a little better, but shutting it from inside requires both hands on the puller

I had my seal off the pass door recently and it has small holes in the D part every now and then to let the air out

[dumper]

As bortaf says I’ve seen seals with holes in the bubble to let air or water out but going back to the days of the mk 1&2 escort vans on the the body panel that the seal pushed on to we had bend them out with a body hammer to get them to seal and this was from new to stop water getting in you could maybe do the opposite and knock it in slightly to relieve the pressure on the door.

[Chefgage]

Seems a bit strange that then. The new seal is the exact same size as the old one. A van from new would not have that problem?

I have shut it a couple of times as you suggested but makes it a bit difficult if you are inside

Have to see how it progresses. Not much I can do about it though?

It is strange, because I bought a genuine Ford door seal so that it would fit perfectly, and it has been a problem since day one. It's almost like the seal fills with air which can't get out fast enough when squashed, as you can hear it "exhaling" when you try and slam it
I have eased the door adjustment which makes it a little better, but shutting it from inside requires both hands on the puller

I had my seal off the pass door recently and it has small holes in the D part every now and then to let the air out

Yes the new one has holes in it and is the same size (size as in it sticks out the same).
It's just that as you close the door you can feel resistance from the hinge part first as thats the bit that contacts the seal first.
Bit bizarre as to why it's happening. Don't really want to bend the metal tab of the frame so it sits further back. Need to have a good look at the weekend when I can see the van in the day time to see if any of the holes are pressed against the body stopping the air coming out.

I have the passenger door and sliding door to do but if it does the same, ie not shut properly I don't really want to be changing them

[bortaf]

Thats how most new seals react IME, the neoprene rubber on the old ones has gone soft and squishes easyer, the newer ones need a while to bed in, IE squish a bit, cold weather might be an issue, if it was warmer they's probably be softer and bed in quicker

[ray1965]

i bought new from the stealer for my mk6, in the 3 years they were on there before i sold it, the doors never shut or opened properly again, and as a result it broke 2 drivers side latch assys and both sides it pulled the rod out of adjustment so the door couldnt be opened from either side, i had to get in via the other door, undo what i could of the door card and rip the door card off to get access to the mechanism to undo the door, and it was so tight to undo, im suprised it didnt break the handle

on the up side, they did stop the draughts and wind noise

[Jim Archer]

Had to put holes in mine to make a bit more give.

Next issue is the upper flat seal thingie, keeps getting folded over in places ...

Jim