Rattling Rear Window

Me and my grandfather own '94 taurus wagons, and BOTH of our rear windows are very loose and rattle all the time, just by hitting bumps, does anyone know how/why this is going on? or how to fix it, i have come up with some thoughts like the hook that holds the glass down but i have had times where it will leak a little when snow is melting off the car (not rain, only with snow), any thoughts? (also i dont open that glass gate during the winter, i only open the lift door, but i dont want to seal the glass shut, i love driving around with it open with all the windows down (i know i know bad & probably illegal but hey it makes the air flow better ;) Anyways, i dont know if yall have heard of this before, any thoughts i would appreciate it!!

~Kenny

I don't know that I've ever worked on a Taurus wagon, but I'll assume it's similar to my Mercury Mountaineer. On that, there is a piece of what appears to be felt wrapped around the striker loop attached to the glass. I expect that if that piece of felt wears through, I'll have a rattle too.

I trust you've inspected the weatherstipping for gaps, tears, or damage. Assuming none were found, then you may have an adjustment issue with the latch that may also fix the rattle along with the water leak.

-Rod

I can say with confidence that this is a common problem since I know of three tauri wagons that have developed looseness at the two mounts. I don't think they rattle yet, but they all leak right at the mounts. Other things may attribute to the rattling as Rod pointed out. As my name implies I have three kids the same age (boys!?!), so I haven't had time to fully investigate the proper repair. I did try tightening the bolt, but was too afraid to go too tight, so I actually couldn't get it to turn. Which makes me conclude that the rubber, whatever cushioning material is no longer its proper thickness and needs to be replaced from dealer, hardware store, I don't know. On the cheap, you could try to shim it and silicone it.

I checked the seals and they are all the correct width and height, and the such, i dont want to try to tighten the glass for fear of cracking it, the gasket that is around the window costs something like 150 bucks from the dealer and i can live with the rattle for that price. Rod you were saying something about a felt wrap, what does it look like? and is it just wrapped around the clip?? i would love to try that but it seems risky if it falls off into the lift gate. thanks again guys!!

I guess I didn't make myself clear enough, though checking the rubber gasket that mates with the perimeter of the glass is a good idea. What I was referring to is the rubber or felt or whatever isolators that sandwich the glass with the mounting bolts and hinge assembly. If you are timid with this, you could at the very least start at the ford parts guy and see what holds it all together and what needs to be bought and replaced. Or have a body shop take a look at it.

The felt piece I was referring to is what appears to be a piece of black felt that is around the circumference of the "striker loop." On the Mountaineer, there is a steel rod that is folded in a "U." That "U" is what the latch in the liftgate grabs on to to hold the window closed or releases to let you open the window. The lower ~1 inch wide portion of the "U" is what has the black felt around it, so when the latch closes on the "U" it crushes the felt. The compression of the felt reduces vibration of the window.

-Rod

hmm seems like a quick cheap fix that ford came up with. Do you think i could just make up this felt part or is it something that you would reccomend getting from ford? I am just wondering if this is a specific part with specific material or if it is just general felt wrapped around there. Thanks a ton guys!!

It isn't just the standard fabric store felt, it has more of a prickly feel to it, less prone to tearing I'd say, but no reason you couldn't try a piece of adhesive backed felt cut to fit. If it fixes the rattle, then you could pursue the Ford part as a long-term solution, but if it has no effect, then probably no sense is spending the money for the OEM piece, assuming your Taurus had such a piece as OEM.

-Rod

I had to look at my two glass liftgates again to be sure of myself here. I clearly confirmed there is NO evidence of an insulator like material around the looped strike. I too have seen these on other vehicles, and when one of ours had started to rattle, I think my dad put a couple of wraps of electrical tape. It worked, but didn't last like OEM. When I looked at my two, I noticed that the latch jaws when latched (without the strike in it) had no play outwards, like opening, but would easily move inwards as I would expect. One observation is that the rubber foam gasket will loose some of its fullness over time.

In summary, I'd try some electrical tape on the loop strike and see if that helps (maybe find something better if it proves out), if not, then investigate if the latch is loose or can be adjusted inside the liftgate interior panel as Rod had previously suggested.