Door window repair 2004 Safari - advise needed

[Northerngirl]

Previous owner replaced the window glass in the door of my 2004 Safari 22' - pictures of it below. They indicated the original had broken and they replaced it.

They used some type of plastic and it is not fit tightly into the window frame. I can push on it from the outside and see gaps in the outside seal or I push on it from the inside and see gaps in the metal track it sits in. They used a silicone product to seal the outside around the frame, as well as the inside. Of course the silicone is already pealing off.

I am hoping to remove the whole window and take it to a glass shop to have it set in the frame correctly.

When I remove the inside retaining ring what is holding the window on the trailer - is it simple held on by sealant to the trailers body? Been searching through old posts and lots of talk of having to drill out rivets but I suspect those are in regards to an different or older style window.

Is the best way to break the seal to use a dental floss or some other product and slide it between the body and the window frame so as not to damage the clear coat on the trailer?

On the outside of the frame there appears to be two metal strips at the top and the bottom of the frame that appear to be removable & set into the frame - now heavily siliconed in place. Do these just pop off and what is their purpose? What normally holds them in place?

If am successful in removing the window and getting it fixed, is using butyl tape to set it back to the outside the way to go or is their another preferred method?

Thanks in advance for any help. Would like to correct before the trailer experiences its first very wet west coast winter.

[Tim A.]

Your window looks enough like the one in the door of our (now old) 19' Bambi that I think you can avoid removing the frame from the door. I have replaced the glass in the window in our door twice without problem.

The glass (plastic in your case) is held in the frame by the moderately soft plastic surround (visible on the outside) and that is locked in place by that stiff piece of plastic (or metal) at the bottom. Remove the stiff piece and you should be able to push the "glass" out from the inside of the door.

Work carefully to avoid damaging anything other than your plastic pane. Cut a cardboard pattern the size of the piece of glass you want and take that to the glass shop.

Tim

[Northerngirl]

Thanks Tim. Is there no rubber seal around the inside edge of the glass as well - that holds it tight in the frame? Thought perhaps it may be missing on mine or that the window is not thick enough.

How do I remove the stiff piece? - on mine its metal and there is one at the top of the frame and at the bottom.

[Tim A.]

I last changed the glass several years ago and don't remember all of the exact steps. My window also has the stiff pieces top and bottom, but I didn't recognize the top one in your photo. In any case, I pried them out, carefully, with an old screwdriver which has rounded corners and one or two 1 1/2 inch putty knives. The putty knives help hold things in a partly pried out position plus offer a surface to pry against.

Let me know if you can't figure it out and I will check on how things work with the window in our trailer's door.

Tim

[Northerngirl]

Originally Posted by Tim A.

My window also has the stiff pieces top and bottom, but I didn't recognize the top one in your photo.

Perhaps due to my photos loading side ways? not sure how that happened.

As the two stiff pieces (top & bottom) are not aligned well with the outside rubber and have been glued back into place with silicone if perhaps they have not been put back in place correctly and that may be why the window is not as tight in the frame as it should be