Instructions for Replacing a Windshield

The windshield helps provide the overall structural integrity of most modern vehicles so proper installation of auto glass is essential for safety and reliability. Watertight urethane adhesive bonds the auto glass to the vehicle so they act together as a single unit to strengthen the auto body. The process of replacing a windshield is not difficult, and may be done at home with the appropriate tools and the proper procedure.

Instructions

1

Wear safety glasses and gloves at all times when working with auto glass. Cover the dashboard and seats in the passenger compartment with protective sheeting in case of broken glass. Remove the windshield wipers with a socket wrench, and the window moldings from around the windshield using a power drill screwdriver attachment. Also remove the hood cowl with a power screwdriver. The cowl is a rubber seal that acts a barrier against water getting into the vehicle behind the hood.

2

Cut any weather stripping with a windshield knife and pull it away from the glass. Lubricate the edge of the windshield, inside the vehicle and out, with lubrication aerosol. Cut away the urethane bead around the glass. The urethane bead is the original adhesive used to install the windshield. Insert the windshield knife between the auto body and the glass, and hold the knife so it remains in a vertical position while at the same time pulling toward you. Then go inside the vehicle and repeat, cutting the urethane bead with the windshield knife. If necessary, use a windshield pry to loosen the glass. Lift the glass out with a suction cup.

3

Prepare the new windshield for installation by cleaning the edges with acetone to remove any remaining dust or debris. Also clean the edge of the body panel where the glass comes into contact with the vehicle. This structure is called the flange. Apply primer to the edge of the glass and around the flange. Next, apply a new bead of urethane adhesive around the flange, a long continuous strip of adhesive that will spread and bond with the glass and the auto body. The amount of adhesive to apply is equal to the depth of the flange where the glass seats against the vehicle.

4

Set the glass over the urethane bead without delay. The urethane sets almost immediately. Lower the windshield in using a suction cup. Check for leaks around the windshield with water from a garden hose.

5

Replace the weather stripping around the exterior edge of the windshield if the vehicle had one. Insert the tab on the underside of the stripping into the gap between the glass and the vehicle, and remove the strip to expose the self-adhesive on the underside of the stripping. Reinstall the cowl, the windshield wipers and the moldings. Remove the plastic sheeting from the passenger compartment, clean the new windshield, and the vehicle is ready to drive.