What do you use to seal glass leaks?

[Bonnewagon]

I fixed a bad windshield leak two years ago. I used BoatLife Lifecaulk marine caulk schmeared along the glass edge and channel and it has not leaked a bit. Now I am dealing with another leak but my marine store doesn't carry it anymore. I wondered what you guys used to seal glass leaks without removing and replacing the entire thing. Something I can just run along the edge and it will seal well. Some of the seam sealers I saw on a truck site say they seal glass too. I wonder if they would work.

 

[ELCAM]

20 year clear silicone caulk. So far so good.

​

 

[joesregalproject]

Mark, try Permatex 81730 flowable windshield and glass sealant. It is very thin and runny but it worked well on my Dodge truck I tried it as a last resort before having the windshield taken out and re-sealed. It is still holding with no leaks.

 

[69hurstolds]

​

West Marine​

12 West 37th Street
New York City, NY
10018
USA
https://www.westmarine.com/stores/new-york-ny-132
212-594-6065

West Marine
5000 Nesconset Hwy
Port Jefferson Station, NY
11776
USA
https://www.westmarine.com/stores/port-jefferson-sta-ny-157
631-331-9280

West Marine​

3955 Long Beach Road
Island Park, NY
11558
USA
https://www.westmarine.com/stores/island-park-ny-80
516-431-0399


And if you happen by the Hamptons...

Hampton Watercraft & Marine​

401 Montauk Highway
Westhampton Beach, NY
11978
USA
https://www.hamptonwatercraft.com/
631-288-2900

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Professional urethane windshield sealant in a handy squeze tube.

https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-parts/ford-windshield-urethane-kit-ta32

 

[Bonnewagon]

Clone: it says urethane but in the picture it is labeled silicone.[?] 69olds the last time I used West Marine two out of the three tubs were already hard. They don't rotate stock enough and the date code is hidden. They take it back no questions but the only WM stores are pretty far away from me to begin with. My Mom-N-Pop store [Freeport Marine] always had fresh stock on hand. Now they only carry the Teak version in large tubes. The last windshield I did used an entire 10.5 oz tube to do just the top and sides of the glass- not even the bottom. Joesregal I like that stuff- flowable is what I was looking for. The reviews are all good. One guy mentioned that he used the flowable stuff to seal the leaks- then topped it off with regular silicone to fill the rest of gap. Sounds like a plan.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Clone: it says urethane but in the picture it is labeled silicone.[?] 69olds the last time I used West Marine two out of the three tubs were already hard. They don't rotate stock enough and the date code is hidden. They take it back no questions but the only WM stores are pretty far away from me to begin with. My Mom-N-Pop store [Freeport Marine] always had fresh stock on hand. Now they only carry the Teak version in large tubes. The last windshield I did used an entire 10.5 oz tube to do just the top and sides of the glass- not even the bottom. Joesregal I like that stuff- flowable is what I was looking for. The reviews are all good. One guy mentioned that he used the flowable stuff to seal the leaks- then topped it off with regular silicone to fill the rest of gap. Sounds like a plan.

Dang, really have to be carefull of internet listings.

Urethane adhesive would still be the best stuff to seal windshield leaks. Windshields leaks are a sign of a faulty install, the adhesive could be failing and separating from from either the glass or metal resulting in increasing leaks. Other issue could be the winshield frame has developed rust pinholes allowing leaks.

 

[Bonnewagon]

I checked for rust- none. It looks like the seal where the glass is glued to the channel. I did the 'blow-hard' test. You take some soapy water and squirt it all along the seal. Then get inside with a shop-vac on 'blow' and point it at the glass. The leaks are revealed as lots of bubbles appear. I counted at least a dozen leaky spots mostly along the top.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

The soapy water test is quite effective which is how I found my header leaks. Another possible issue is that the installer simply didn't spread enough adhesive evenly and left gaps. Pretty common issue with replacement windshields. You can either buy a chaulk tube of urethane sealant or get a sausage foil pack which can be reclosed. You can just cut it and use a stick to manually apply the urethane or you can get a cheap Ebay sausage gun which usually comes with fine tips.

 

[spongbob]

Fir leaking installs I had taken poly urethane clearcoat with extra hardner and poured it into the leaking area crack it did stop the leak but who knows how long"...