Windsheild Removal

August 20, 2004

well. ... i have this problem there is a small hole in my windsheild and i fear that as soon as it gets cold the whole thing will fall apart. i already have a replacement windsheild, however i dont know how to get the old one out... it is an old car.. and i cant afford to have it done professionally (im a student <_< , what can i say?) so i need to get it done myself and i probably need to have it done in about 3 weeks. it is a 84 toyota tercel... yeah.. that bad...

:help:

August 21, 2004

As long as the windshield isn't bonded in you should be able to change it yourself (you will actually need a friend to help). Getting an old non bonded screen out is easy. You just sit in the passenger seat, put your foot in the top corner and push. Have a friend outside to steady the screen and to make sure it doesn't fall onto the bodywork so damaging the paint....... to save me the time of writing the fitting procedure again take a look at this thread.... http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18260

Of course if the windshield is the type thats glued (bonded) in then you have no choice but to get it done by a pro. You can still do these yourself but I wouldn't recommend it.

Is it not possible to have the hole repaired? Here in the UK the windshield fitting companies can often repair small star holes (where a stone has been thrown up by another vehicle), They inject some sort of clear polyester resin into the hole, the result is a near invisible fix at a tiny fraction of the cost of a new windshield. There are even do it yourself kits appearing.

August 22, 2004

ahh.. yes this is an 8 inch hole with webbing all around... too big to fix... and some of the webbing goes out to the other side... itll probably fall apart when i do take it out.

thanks for the advice...

August 22, 2004

Do you have a new seal that goes around the windshield? Or are you planning to re-use the old one? If you have a new one you can take a craft knife and slice off the outer flange of the seal so that the glass will lift out, then just pull the remaining seal out, or do as I suggested and simply push the glass out with your feet (thats how we did it on the Isuzu vans when I worked on them).

August 23, 2004

yeah.. ok.. well i dont have a new seal.. and would prefer not to have to put a new one on...

the main concern is there is this piece that goes around the whole windshield (idk what it is called) and im sure that it has to come off before i can get the windsheild out.. how do i take it off?

August 23, 2004

OK. Where did you get your replacement glass from? If it came from a wreckers yard then there is every chance that it is the non bonded type. If thats so then you sometimes find that the manufacturer(toyota) design the screen seal with a piece of trim fitted into the seal. This can serve two functions, 1, it makes the seal look prettier (they are often bright chrome effect) and 2, it adds a little strength to the seal (not often). Some are one piece some are in pieces. Either way they usually just clip into the seal into a shaped rebate, so you simply need to unclip it. You may also find that you need to remove a plastic cover that goes between the windshield wipers so you'll have to take those off too.