Sunroof wind noise - rubber gasket? (Page 1/1)
John W. Tilford NOV 27, 10:08 PM
I've tried the castor oil rub for the old rectangular rubber sunroof gasket, no help. Tried the bending tighter the forward "hinge/ hooks", no help. Tried home made "shims" under the latch, no help. Tried bending the latch itself (fearful of metal fatigue), no help. Tried putting round shoe laces under the gasket to push it up, no help. Tried replacing the old rubber gasket, no help.

BUT replaced the old gasket with a bought but never used one I'd stored in a summer hot (100˚+) & winter cold (15˚) environment (loft in our garage) for at least ten years. There were always other 1988 Fiero GT things to work on which were more important. The never used gasket had actually faded to grey. Seemed to fit well, but now I suspect it's just too old and soft, i.e., not stiff/springie enough to firmly push up against the closed glass.

Thoughts? Buy a new gasket?

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John W. Tilford

[This message has been edited by John W. Tilford (edited 11-27-2023).]

Mike in Sydney NOV 27, 11:08 PM

quote
Originally posted by John W. Tilford:

Tried putting round shoe laces under the gasket to push it up, no help.




Try using thin rubber vacuum hose, thin wall, small diameter silicone tubing or small diameter aquarium tubing. The round section pushes existing gasket up against the glass. You may have to play wit the diameter but using this method I was able to get rid of a leak and some nasty wind noise in my CLK.
John W. Tilford NOV 28, 09:34 AM
I tried the thin wall, small diameter tubing as well. Might have helped a little but not much. Tried a few "long flexible things one can jam into the fold of the gasket" of different diameters, such as the round shoe laces mentioned above. Good to know that was a viable approach which I evidently did not pursue far enough.

I'm still tempted to buy a new gasket, hoping it will push against the glass harder than the aged one I have now. Even if it is only an improvement and not a fix, I could then start over with the thin wall, small diameter tubing, etc.

Thank you for your reply/information.

[This message has been edited by John W. Tilford (edited 11-28-2023).]

Vintage-Nut NOV 28, 11:02 AM
For Your Information Only....

sunroof gasket install by jeremymarsh
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/...040223-2-036809.html

[EDIT]
Obviously, GM 20528472 and the 1986-1988 Weatherstrip 20564860 were discontinued....

The Fiero Store offers an aftermarket weatherstrip which I think you knew...
TFS Part #50156

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Original Owner of a Silver '88 GT
Under 'Production Refurbishment' @ 136k Miles

[This message has been edited by Vintage-Nut (edited 11-28-2023).]

IMSA GT NOV 28, 12:39 PM
Honestly, there has never been a fix for this. As soon as the factory gasket gets a little old, the wind noise or leaks start to happen. No one makes the exact fit gasket anymore so even the Fierostore gasket won't repair the issue and if it does, it will fail again within a few years.

The only REAL way to resolve this is to have a manufacturer make a weatherstrip that is slightly taller than the factory gasket yet has the ability to be "squashed" when closed and then rebound to it's original shape once the sunroof is opened.

If you want to try this, it may work for you. This is 1/8" thick by 1" wide closed cell neoprene on a roll. You can try to install this just right on top of the factory gasket to see if it makes a better seal. At least if it works, you know what has to be done for a permanent fix.
https://www.amazon.com/Neop...01194017&sr=8-8&th=1

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 11-28-2023).]

Frenchrafe NOV 29, 06:13 AM
Yeah, this is a pain to fix!
Even when I put a new gasket (and the stainless steel rails), the wind noise was still there.
I eventually just glued a second gasket of rectangular section foam (used to draft proof domestic windows) all the way round next to the original gasket.
It's not that pretty when the sunroof is off, but it works.
And anyway, in north-west France, I don't take the sunroof off all that much!
Cheers,
Rafe

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"Turbo Slug" - '87 Fiero GT. 3800 turbo. - The fastest Fiero in France! @turboslugfiero
https://youtu.be/hUzOAeyWLfM

John W. Tilford NOV 29, 11:03 AM
Vintage Nut, JMSA GT, and Frenchrafe:

Thank you and agree on all points.

I did notice another option here in our little office at home: about six feet behind where I'm sitting there is a SONY noise canceling headset. Battery powered. Has a jack to plug into a music source. Box says "95% effective." Wind noise? What wind noise?

I'll probably try the "Slather Vaseline all over the gasket and reinstall. Put some in the tracks, too." method next spring on a sunny day. See if that helps seal and slightly expand the gasket. Of course, that also means I'll have to really clean off the surface Vaseline before phase 2): sticking on the weather-proofing, padded tape .

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John W. Tilford