Rear Hatch Window Leak

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Mr Mayor
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Location: Jerzey. North. It sux.

Postby Mr Mayor » Thu May 22, 2008 5:36 am

I see a pattern here guys...... And this "leak" has happened to me, so I looked into it.

It turns out the water lays on the rubber seal, then you flip open the rear window, which changes where the water was just laying, then upon closing it, it simply moves toward the hinge...

After owning an auto glass shop for many years, there are 3 inevitable things....

All GM's will eventually leak.
Fiat X-19 has the strongest windshield in the frikkin world
and almsot every hatchback/rear window has no place to disperse water unless u dry the window in/out/open and closed.

MGJ


Npath
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Location: Vancouver, Canada

Re: Rear Hatch Window Leak

Postby Npath » Sat May 24, 2008 9:21 pm

SilverGhost wrote:Anybody ever notice the rear hatch window leaking water? I washed mine today, and happened to open the hatch window. I noticed several streaks on the inside where water had run down the glass. It wasn't wet from washing it, but apparently had occured during previous rains. I noticed the same thing shortly after buying the truck in January, but didn't think much about it and just cleaned it off. Seeing it again, today, concerns me. Probably needs a new gasket, but just wondered if anyone else has seen this happen.
Had that a couple of times, but that was it and it rains 1/4 of the year, here. If it continues and the stealerships won't do anything, then I suggest adding tape to the glass where the rubber meets. I'm sure it needs a bit more compression and the tape should do the trick. I'd use duct tape without the threads.

Other suggestion, if you wanna spend money, visit a auto glass shop and get a replacement seal.

I forgot to mention this but, has anyone noticed corrosion on the 2 nuts that fasten the lift handle to the rear window?

What I've done is taken off the 2 nuts and removed the lift handle. Got a dremel and wheel buffed the male threads on the handle and applied never seize to them. You MUST also add silicone to the handle that makes contact with the glass. A light bead will do as it'll squeeze out when reinstall the the handle.

After days of rain, I can see the water stains going down the sides of the handle... job done!

I thought Nissan would do a better job with something this small.

Gray
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Re: Rear Hatch Window Leak

Postby Gray » Sun May 25, 2008 10:30 am

Npath wrote:
SilverGhost wrote:... has anyone noticed corrosion on the 2 nuts that fasten the lift handle to the rear window?

What I've done is taken off the 2 nuts and removed the lift handle. Got a dremel and wheel buffed the male threads on the handle and applied never seize to them. You MUST also add silicone to the handle that makes contact with the glass. A light bead will do as it'll squeeze out when reinstall the the handle.

After days of rain, I can see the water stains going down the sides of the handle... job done!
Welcome to the forum NPath. No corrosion on these yet but that's a good tip on corrosion proofing the latch nuts, thanks. I think I'll silicone some rubber nut covers over those as well.

Adding a thin shim to the upper window hinges should apply a bit more pressure at the top of the window gasket to get rid of the leaks as well, but I'll check with the dealership first and see if Nissan is supplying an improved gasket or latch bases or something else to fix the problem.

.

Npath
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Re: Rear Hatch Window Leak

Postby Npath » Sun May 25, 2008 7:16 pm

Welcome to the forum NPath. No corrosion on these yet but that's a good tip on corrosion proofing the latch nuts, thanks. I think I'll silicone some rubber nut covers over those as well.

Adding a thin shim to the upper window hinges should apply a bit more pressure at the top of the window gasket to get rid of the leaks as well, but I'll check with the dealership first and see if Nissan is supplying an improved gasket or latch bases or something else to fix the problem.

.[/quote]

Thanks for the welcome. I'm also on 3 other Nissan Forums.

Adding thin shims to the upper window... I'll assume you mean between the glass and hinge. That would be a better idea! LOL

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00void
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Location: Holmdel NJ

Postby 00void » Wed May 28, 2008 10:17 pm

word... count me in for the leaky rear hatch.

i noticed this the day after i took her home as it rained the night i got it. when i went to take pics the next day i noticed the water on the inside of the rear hatch, very much to my dismay. i may have mentioned it in a prior posting on here.

anyway, it's definitely a P.I.T.A. and i plan on mentioning it next time i have an oil change. weird thing is, it hasn't happened when i've gotten my truck washed, only in a rain storm.

to mtbpath:
the water (at least in my case) is coming in around the hinges and where the third brake light is. just those three points.

to LittleStevie:
my dealership doesn't do any warranty work on saturday which means i too would have to leave the truck there during the week. i don't have the time and i doubt they would give a loaner. i have to look into it

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professorPath
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my rear hatch window leaks, too

Postby professorPath » Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:24 am

I know this is an old thread, but I suspect more people have this problem.

I bought my Path new last November. The rear hatch window has leaked since I got it. I'm planning to take it to the stealership soon to see what they say.

I already had the sunroof screen adjusted for a rattle. It was quiet for about 3 months after, but is now rattling again.

Otherwise, I'm happy with it. I also have a 2005 Xterra.

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leadpig
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Re: my rear hatch window leaks, too

Postby leadpig » Fri Mar 07, 2014 1:14 pm

professorPath wrote:I know this is an old thread, but I suspect more people have this problem.

I bought my Path new last November. The rear hatch window has leaked since I got it. I'm planning to take it to the stealership soon to see what they say.

I already had the sunroof screen adjusted for a rattle. It was quiet for about 3 months after, but is now rattling again.

Otherwise, I'm happy with it. I also have a 2005 Xterra.
I'm on my third. This last one seems to be doing OK, but then it hardly ever rains out here so tough to tell.

Rogue9
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Postby Rogue9 » Wed Mar 12, 2014 10:44 pm

my 2 cents...
I live in rainy Vancouver, Canada.
my first seal leaked and I had it replaced within 2 years. (Don't remember exactly when)
I'm on my 2nd now and it seems to be OK.

dagall
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Postby dagall » Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:46 am

My Hinges on the window have completely failed. I attribute this to the pressure placed on the hinges by the struts. The screw stripped out of both hinges. Perhaps this could be the cause of the water lead as well. I haven't replaced the hinges yet, they are like $45 each. I just took the struts off and I don't use the glass.

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leadpig
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Postby leadpig » Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:35 pm

dagall wrote: I just took the struts off and I don't use the glass.
That would kill me, I use the glass more than the tailgate! One of the most useful features I find and something I lament the loss of on so many newer model vehicles. :(

dagall
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Postby dagall » Fri Apr 11, 2014 5:23 am

I started to repair it the other day, but just ran out of time. I am put some JB Weld in the screw holes to see if they will hold. I will get back to it this weekend. I hate not using the glass also.

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Swerve
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Postby Swerve » Sat Dec 07, 2019 11:37 am

Rogue9 wrote:my 2 cents...
I live in rainy Vancouver, Canada.
my first seal leaked and I had it replaced within 2 years. (Don't remember exactly when)
I'm on my 2nd now and it seems to be OK.
Hi Neighbour, how's your seal holding up? I just got an 11 with this problem and cleaned and conditioned the seal, but that didn’t stop the slow leak. I’ve thought about shimming the hinge so the glass is tighter to the seal but checked with the dealer about a replacement seal and they said they have revised the part numbers for this seal 4 times so I’m hoping they’re design improvements and ordered one up for 55 CAD.

My slow seeping in leaks.. mostly right at the hinges.
Image

Image

EDIT: this was another leak in the tailgate area: Rusty nuts that hold the glass handle, with the leak, rust starts with the bolt outside and works it’s way in to the nuts.
Image

And that slow leak has run down inside the tailgate and pooled onto the tailgate gasket, and then flowed back into the trunk. Super slow as nothing has been saturated nor any odors developed in the past few weeks I’ve had it sitting out in the rain.
Image

Image

But some rust has developed behind the tailgate gasket. Not sure what I can do to stop this from rusting further.
Image

The replacement window seal is holding up so far. All is now dry within the tailgate and on the tailgate gasket so there are no more drips falling from above.

EDIT: the window gasket was the major leak and 1 of 3 leaks in the tailgate. 2 other minor leaks were in the tailgate window glass handle, and in the tailgate handle itself where 1 bolt’s gasket failed:
viewtopic.php?t=19832
Last edited by Swerve on Sun Mar 29, 2020 10:57 am, edited 4 times in total.

NoCode
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Postby NoCode » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:56 am

The nuts/bolts on my hatch handle rusted as well. But it wasn’t the hatch seal leaking it was the handle leaking. The bolts were rusted so bad that one broke and had to be cut to get the handle off. Put a new handle on with a bead of silicone and it’s been dry ever since. Apparently whatever gasket material that comes from the factory doesn’t last very long.

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Swerve
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Postby Swerve » Wed Mar 25, 2020 10:02 am

NoCode wrote:The nuts/bolts on my hatch handle rusted as well. But it wasn’t the hatch seal leaking it was the handle leaking. The bolts were rusted so bad that one broke and had to be cut to get the handle off. Put a new handle on with a bead of silicone and it’s been dry ever since. Apparently whatever gasket material that comes from the factory doesn’t last very long.
Agreed. I got to removing my handle to clean up the rust off and broke a bolt too. I agree that the foam washers these come with aren’t up to par to seal out the water long term and likely the cause of the rust on 1 bolt and nut in my case. Looking more closely it seems the foam washer on one side wasn’t flat enough during the install. In any case, when replacing these handles, some silicone above the openings is a must. My dealer has these handles in stock so that’s a sign they are failing often enough.

Image
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Last edited by Swerve on Sun Mar 29, 2020 10:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

NoCode
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Postby NoCode » Wed Mar 25, 2020 11:01 am

Swerve wrote:
NoCode wrote:The nuts/bolts on my hatch handle rusted as well. But it wasn’t the hatch seal leaking it was the handle leaking. The bolts were rusted so bad that one broke and had to be cut to get the handle off. Put a new handle on with a bead of silicone and it’s been dry ever since. Apparently whatever gasket material that comes from the factory doesn’t last very long.
Agreed. I got to removing my handle to clean up the rust off and broke a bolt too. I agree that the foam washers these come with aren’t up to par to seal out the water long term and likely the cause of the rust on 1 bolt and nut in my case. Looking more closely it seems the foam washer on one side wasn’t flat enough during the install. In any case, when replacing these handles, some silicone above the openings is a must. My dealer has these handles in stock so that’s a sign they are failing often enough.
Don't go to the dealer to get that handle, got mine from Amazon (or maybe ebay). In any case it was a fraction of the cost of the dealer. And it was official OEM Nissan product.


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