Hatch gap with body

[Geoman]

On my '87 924s, there is a noticeable gap between the rubber seal on the hatch and the rubber seal on the body. You can see light coming through this gap in the picture. The hatch closely securely, you can't push it down anymore, and the release mechanism works as it should, so I'm assuming the hatch position is fine and one or both of the seals needs to be replaced.

I also imagine that the gap isn't a "feature" and that there should be tight seal. Anyone else experience this? Perhaps a new body weather seal is in order? Don't really see how you can replace the rubber seal on the hatch itself.

Thanks!

[djnolan]

The hatch can be moved to align better by adjusting the hinge position. However the hatches stretch over time and may not full align. The gap is not a good thing because exhaust gets sucked in to the cabin. You can add additional weather stripping if you can't get it to seal.

[Geoman]

Thanks Djnolan, I'll check the hinges to see how they adjust.

Cheers.

Reed

[IdahoDoug]

If no joy, buy some foam called camper tape to seal pickup caps n campers to the body. Its outdoor capable vs some other foam and super soft to seal well. Most bigbox hardware stores.

[djnolan]

Does anyone have a picture of a good sealing job? Here is what mine looks like...

[Ga 951]

Does the 924 have hatch pins? Have you tried to adjust the pins?

[Geoman]

Originally Posted by Ga 951

Does the 924 have hatch pins? Have you tried to adjust the pins?

Yes, it has the pins. I've adjusted those carefully so they latch securely but also release from the locks when I push the hatch opening button.

Thanks IdahoDoug for the tip.

I'm going to replace the weatherstripping seal on the body and see if that makes a difference.

[IdahoDoug]

You are welcome. Ive used razor cut thin strips to reduce minor air leaks even on brand new cars. Im the only one in the family cursed with dog hearing. Also beware I have read others here have maladjusted the rear hatch so it wont open until you simply crawl bac there and rip out trim to get to the mechanism. Read a few threads to be aware of it if you do further adjustment. Best

[djnolan]

In my picture notice the depression where the metal hatch bead is hitting the extra weather stripping instead of the original stripping?

If the hatch is misaligned or stretched/separated the metal rim of the hatch bead won't line up and contact/seal with the weather stripping at the rear of the hatch. This is probably what you have and to make a seal you may need to add more weather stripping.

Stretched/separated hatch is a common problem on the 944.

[Swennydawg]

Buy a can flexshot and save the cash on a seal.

[matt1415]

I just replaced my rear hatch seal today and I have this same issue now. With mine you can't see through it but I believe the thickness of the new gasket is the culprit. Hatch was a pain to close for the first time so I hope it's just a matter of wearing it in. If you replace your hatch seal with the URO parts one, I can tell you it's a hell of a lot thicker than OEM and might fix your problem.


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[djnolan]

If you can see a depression where the hatch bead makes contact with the seal then you probably have fixed the problem. Do you mind sharing where you found the URO seal and posting a pic?

[ecostellodo]

this is on my 83

[Geoman]

Got a new seal from only944.com and it was much nicer than what was there originally. Also picked up a new upper hatch seal. These did the trick. No more light showing through. Putting on a new upper hatch seal allowed me to remove the spoiler and give the glass underneath and the drain holes a good cleaning. There was a lot of accumulated nasties there. In the photo you can see light coming through one of the drain vents. If you remove the spoiler, be very gently and deliberate. The short bolts thread into thin metal inserts, which are glued(?) into the underside of the rubber spoiler. There is not much metal there, so be gentle. I had one insert that was broken and another that had seen better days.