glue for door gasket (gen 1 door)

[Mike G]

My gasket has come loose at one point on the door of my 2012 19'. The stuff it is supposed to adhere to is an off-white material and I'm concerned it might be a sort of foam (some glues eat foam). So I'm debating what adhesive to use, to bond a rubber gasket to this... whatever-it-is. Anyone know if it really is foam? TIA.

[Rockhead]

3M contact glue or 3 M double sided tape

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by Mike G

So I'm debating what adhesive to use, to bond a rubber gasket to this... whatever-it-is. Anyone know if it really is foam? TIA.

That "whatever-it-is" is probably pipe insulation cut & used to seal an air gap in the door. This is what Reace used to advise when one could see daylight through a crack around the seam of the door when closed.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by Rossue

That "whatever-it-is" is probably pipe insulation cut & used to seal an air gap in the door. This is what Reace used to advise when one could see daylight through a crack around the seam of the door when closed.

I went out just now to take a photo of it, and now that I look more closely I see that it's some weatherstrip foam. Maybe the previous owner added it at some point. The gasket was adhered to that foam (see the stuff to the left of my index finger).

Now that I know it's not styrofoam, I'm less worried about some glue dissolving it. I'm not sure if the weatherstrip material is OEM or not; maybe the previous owner put it there in a failed attempt to close the gap. I actually succeeded in closing the gap by adhering another rubber gasket to the existing gasket! Unfortunately a few days later the gasket stuck to the doorway just enough to pull it away from that weatherstrip foam; whatever adhesive was there had probably deteriorated enough so that it took only a slight suction to overcome the old bond.

[fudge_brownie]

I used adhesive from an auto supply store, made for door weatherstripping. It comes in black and clear, perhaps other colors. The black was not available when I did this four years ago. It has held up well except the clear has some minor yellowing.

[occer]

No matter what adhesive you use, proper cleaning of the area and getting any dirt and grim off will be the most important part. If the area is exposed to the elements then a water proof adhesive will be needed. If you use a silicone based product make sure you tape off everything and everywhere, silicone is almost impossible to remove.

Go to an RV stores like camping world and look at all the different product they sell to seal seams and vents. They are designed for exposure to water. There are a couple of the caulks that are made for vertical surfaces, and where you need to use the adhesive more is not better, a thin coat.

[Mike G]

Thanks, all. I found some E6000 in a drawer and it wasn't dried out yet so I decided to give it a try, after cleaning the surfaces with alcohol. We'll see how it holds.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Mike G

I'm not sure if the weatherstrip material is OEM or not; maybe the previous owner put it there in a failed attempt to close the gap.

It’s not OEM. The only gasket/seal on the original airplane style doors is the full perimeter black one seen in your photo. There is also one on the door itself if I recall correctly. Also black.