850 Windshield Molding Coming Off -- Noise On The Highway

850 Turbo1 · Post by **850 Turbo1** » 03 Feb 2010, 12:09

Hi Folks,

As of the past 6 months I've had some wind noise while driving on the highway( more than normal ). I knew the top molding was missing and I figured that that was the source of the extra wind noise. I called IPD to buy the part, as luck had it ,they didn't stock the mold(or mold cover...I'm not too sure). They recommended I go the stealer for it. The fellow on the phone happened to also be a Volvo owner(s70 to be exact). I explained the noises I was getting and the missing top windshield mold cover. He told me he was missing the same exact part...only he didn't have the noises.

I put off the purchase...(70 dollar mold..no thank you!!!)...I figured a junkyard would do just fine...especially for a mold.

Well guess what...now I'm especially glad I didn't buy it...it's the windshield bottom that has to be fixed(the one that I'm 90 % sure is causing me the highway wind noise). It's coming loose...and the base of the windshield is exposed...no longer being covered by the mold.

A picture is worth a thousand words...I took a few...so a few thousand words...haha...I was thinking of going to home depot...but maybe that's the wrong way to go about fixing this.

I was recently replacing the oil Return line gasket and O ring and happened to realize

Post by **cattledog** » 03 Feb 2010, 13:16

The molding doesn't seal the windshield, the windshield is glued in, however I suppose a piece of loose trim could make a noise. Use masking tape on small sections at a time covering them up and you'll find the source.

850 Turbo1 · Post by **850 Turbo1** » 03 Feb 2010, 13:22

Hi Cattledog,

You are right about it not sealing the windshield. I think the noise is coming from wind blowing between the mold and the windshield. I wanted to glue it back together but I'm not sure what to use or if that's the best way forward.

850 Turbo1 · Post by **850 Turbo1** » 03 Feb 2010, 18:28

Anyone

...?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 03 Feb 2010, 19:05

Sadly you are looking at going to a glass shop. You might try to gob some silicone sealer around the offending leak but it won't last. Ultimately the windshield needs to be removed and re-sealed if it is actually leaking.

...Lee

larryh · Post by **larryh** » 03 Feb 2010, 19:21

...perhaps from a hack windshield install?

pretty sure the moulding is supposed to be glued to the windshield before it is installed. The cowling slips into a slot in the windshield molding.

i would remove the wiper arms, then the cowling (the big plastic cover that you're touching in pic#3). seperate the moulding from the cowling and see if you can re-attach the moulding to the windshield with some silicone, I don't know if you can, the windshield may need to be out the car. If you can't get it on, then you might have to go to an auto glass place and have them pop it out and re-install it correctly.

once the moulding is attached to the windshield , just pop the cowling into it and bolt everything back up.

850 Turbo1 · Post by **850 Turbo1** » 03 Feb 2010, 22:13

My apologies Ozark Lee and Larryh...the camera I have is defiantly not the best...if it were better you would be able to see more clearly.

To be completely clear:

There is absolutely no leak into the car...not water and not even smoke ( a smoker pal recently blew in to it and no smoke entered the cabin). The mounding you see pictured(the one that is bad)...does not seal the window...it's more of a loose trim... With the highway wind(I am assuming)...causes some noise because wind blows between this loose trim and the windshield..

The black piece you see pictured just slides into the windshield...nothing fancy

I was thinking of gluing it back in...but didn't know what to use....

This seems like it's the original Volvo windshield that came with the car in 96...Though I can't confirm...lol

icelandic · Post by **icelandic** » 04 Feb 2010, 05:42

I had more or less the same in my 850. The top trim center became loose. An when repairing it I saw that the lower one was not totally in place. It was also loose. What I did was the following, and it was four years ago:

1- I bought a tube of a Dow Corning material that looks like silicone. However it is black and does not smell like vinegar, as silicone does. I can´t remember the name of the product but it is used exactly to caulk leaking windshields.

2- On the top trim, I pulled it out very carefully. Actually it has a T cross section and part of it stayed between the glass and the metal. It is built to be put in place together with the glass, so buing a new one may not help. What I did was to clean the slot between the glass and the metal very wel and very carefully. Then I cleane the trim piece I had removed.
Them I applied the black sealing compound to the slot between the glass and the metal and ran a rubber gloved finger onto it until it was smooth. I put some more and smoother again until the filled portion between glass and body were flush. Then I got to the back of the trim, and apllied some of this compound so as to form a thin layes over the entire back. It was a bit difficult because of the remaining pieces of broken plastic on the center, which were real sharp. I then put the trim back in place so as to glue it in position. Some excess material cme out on the sides as i prerred it down, and I cleaned it carefully. After I was satiefied with positioning and finish, I got a piece of tranparent adhesive tape about 2" wide and positioned it on top of the trim (on the center of the tape). After that i carefully got the sides of the tape to adhere completely to the glass and to the body, being carefull to keep the trim in the correct position. The tape was left in there for 24 hrs.
When I took it out, the whole thing looked like new. It is still perfect.

3-The lower one is lot easier. I took out the windshield arms and then removed the plastic cover over the windshield wiper mechanism and air admission. If I remember correctly it is held in place by four screws. There are two water drains molded in the plastic that go into two rubber hoses next to the firewall. There are metal clips arount these two hoses that have to be moved down over the rubber hose, so that the entire plastic part can be moved away. With the cover out, I just pulled out that trim, cleaned it very well, as wel as the lower pasr of the glass. I then applied a portion of the black compound inside the entire lenght of the sction that goes over the glass edge, and put it back in place. Again as I pressed it in position, some excess compound crept out. I cleaned it and put everything back in place. That was it.

As I said above the repair is now 4 years old, and looks perfect. No signs of having to be revisited.

Post by **phat78ta** » 04 Feb 2010, 20:10

being a 12 year veteran of the auto glass industry, I can tell you air noises are the hardest to find the cause of. I dread seeing a workorder that says "air noise". I would start by taping off the bottom of the w/s with some masking tape(easy to remove later) and then go for a drive. If the noise is gone, then you have it. Work your way around the w/s with the tape till you find the source if that's not it. The side mouldings are prone to air noises when the rubber deteriorates where the mouldings meet the w/s. Personally, I would spring for a new window. If it is the original w/s as you say, it's probably pitted up from road debris, and could use changing anyway. A glass shop will replace the top moulding with a new one, and the bottom will either be glued back to the w/s or replaced with new. If you decide to go that route, go with a glass shop that gives you a lifetime warranty against installation and part defects. I can give you the name of a branch of my company in Canada via pm if you want.
That will not solve it if the side mouldings are bad tho. those will have to be replaced if the air noise is coming from them, and they are not replaced as part of a routine w/s installation.

And please, for the sake of your car, DO NOT USE SILICONE!!!!!!!! The proper sealer is called URETHANE ADHESIVE. Silicone will eat away at metal in a low to no oxygen enviroment, such as under a w/s. When in doubt, leave it to the professionals!

Post by **cattledog** » 04 Feb 2010, 20:47

Special clips hold the trim moldings. They attach to the molding and lock in the gap between the glass and the A pillars and the top and bottom.