Front dr scraping rubber seal. All Explorers?
Question:
I don’t know if this has been brought up before but it’s the first time I noticed it. On my 99 Explorer the 2 front doors scrape the rubber seal that’s put there to reduce wind noise. I thought it was my hinges squeeking until recently when I decided to oil it. I went to Ford service and they sent me to Ford auto body repair to see if there was any type of "adjustment". The guy at the Ford auto body repair looked at it and we went over to some older Explorers (95-98) and opened the doors on them. We noticed that they all do it. On the older models you could see the paint from the doors had come off onto the rubber. He said that eventually the paint on my door will rub off onto the rubber too. My Explorer is black so I probably won’t notice the paint coming off too bad. The guy said that it’s probably normal and I should probably get some touch up paint ahead of time. I’m just curious if anyone has found a way around this problem. If anything just to get rid of the squeeking/scraping noise when I open the doors. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks
Response:
Don, I have noticed the same on my ‘99 Mercury Mountaineer. I been meaning to get to the dealer and have it checked… Now I wonder. When I used to have a GMC Jimmy, I noticed that GM used a thick (and I guess nylon) tape over those paint areas and on the rear doors – just behind the front doors. I asked the parts department if I could buy a roll of it, and they said it was something the dealers ordered in a big roll, and was too expensive to sell to customers, but they gave me a piece when I needed it. I’d hate to have to take a Ford product to a GMC dealer and beg for some tape… LOL.. Maybe someone else knows what that tape is, and where we could get some. It worked rather well. Mike G. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >I don’t know if this has been brought up before but it’s the first time I >noticed it. On my 99 Explorer the 2 front doors scrape the rubber seal >that’s put there to reduce wind noise. I thought it was my hinges squeeking >until recently when I decided to oil it. >I went to Ford service and they sent me to Ford auto body repair to see if >there was any type of "adjustment". The guy at the Ford auto body repair >looked at it and we went over to some older Explorers (95-98) and opened the >doors on them. We noticed that they all do it. On the older models you >could see the paint from the doors had come off onto the rubber. He said >that eventually the paint on my door will rub off onto the rubber too. My >Explorer is black so I probably won’t notice the paint coming off too bad. >The guy said that it’s probably normal and I should probably get some touch >up paint ahead of time. >I’m just curious if anyone has found a way around this problem. If anything >just to get rid of the squeeking/scraping noise when I open the doors. >Any input would be appreciated. >Thanks>
Response:
I just noticed my 99 XLT doing this. The drivers side rubs but isn’t a problem. The passenger side however, actually pulls the seal out of its proper position. I think lubrication would stop that. I’d better do that before it ruins the seal. Tom – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I don’t know if this has been brought up before but it’s the first time I > noticed it. On my 99 Explorer the 2 front doors scrape the rubber seal > that’s put there to reduce wind noise. I thought it was my hinges squeeking > until recently when I decided to oil it. > I went to Ford service and they sent me to Ford auto body repair to see if > there was any type of "adjustment". The guy at the Ford auto body repair > looked at it and we went over to some older Explorers (95-98) and opened the > doors on them. We noticed that they all do it. On the older models you > could see the paint from the doors had come off onto the rubber. He said > that eventually the paint on my door will rub off onto the rubber too. My > Explorer is black so I probably won’t notice the paint coming off too bad. > The guy said that it’s probably normal and I should probably get some touch > up paint ahead of time. > I’m just curious if anyone has found a way around this problem. If anything > just to get rid of the squeeking/scraping noise when I open the doors. > Any input would be appreciated. > Thanks
