Door gasket replacement

Richard RV

Richard RV

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Jun 15, 2015
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I have never been fond of the door gasket. Scratch that - I hate it. It's a bad design (name a modern vehicle that has the gasket on the door and not the body), it doesn't compress very much and the purveyors of the OEM door gasket charge a pretty penny.

I've switched over to a much less expensive, smaller, much more compressible and better gap filling gasketing (aka weatherstripping) and installed it on the body.

Pulling the old hardened gasket, clean up to follow.
IMG_7369.webp
New weatherstripping profile
IMG_7373.webp
Suspending weatherstripping from above during installation.
IMG_7372.webp
New installation is much cleaner and it acts as a gutter leading the water away from the inside.
IMG_7374.webp

I've done this to 3 of my GMCs and highly recommend it.
 
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Great work! Sadly, my Birch screen door makes your approach a non-starter for me — yet another strike against it. After nearly 28 years, I still haven't been able to get it to fit properly. Our good friend Bob Burkett and I took a crack at it together, but we never got anywhere close to a solution. As many of you know, Bob has since passed away, so the mystery remains unsolved.
 
RJW said:
Can you share with us, a source for the materiel you used?
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There are a number of different versions with varying numbers of holes, and I've tried a couple of them. This one works well and is very compressible.

There's no interference with the Birch door on my Birchaven. The door frame lip that the Birch door plastic extrusion slips onto is inboard of the door seal. The Birch door stamped steel hinges close over the door seal, but that hasn't been an issue. The stuff is so cheap, ~1/10 of the OEM style seal, and so easy to apply that I consider it a consumable.
 
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Richard RV said:

There are a number of different versions with varying numbers of holes, and I've tried a couple of them. This one works well and is very compressible.

There's no interference with the Birch door on my Birchaven. The door frame lip that the Birch door plastic extrusion slips onto is inboard of the door seal. The Birch door stamped steel hinges close over the door seal, but that hasn't been an issue. The stuff is so cheap, ~1/10 of the OEM style seal, and so easy to apply that I consider it a consumable.
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I like it. I replaced mine when I first got the motorhome back in 2019 but wasn’t impressed with the seal.
 
GMC Cruse said:
Your picture appears to be this one ( 3 layer, 6 hole, 32.8 ft) in the Amazon link instead of the 4 hole one that it shows in your link.
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74_Coach said:
I like it. I replaced mine when I first got the motorhome back in 2019 but wasn’t impressed with the seal.
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I did the same the first go round and replaced with an OEM style seal - and did not like it. Kind of nuts to put the seal on a door where the manual has instructions for recurving the door!
 
GMC Cruse said:
OK, just trying to help Richard (RJW) get the right one. If he installs one, I' ll check his install out before deciding if I want to do mine.
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No worries. I don't think there is a "right one" as there are a number of profiles that will work. I like the ones that are narrower at the top as they don't get mushed over to the side as much when the door closes. More holes with their webs not aligned provides a softer cushion. That is one of my main complaints about the OEM weatherstripping - it doesn't compress much even when new.
 
RJW said:
Great work! Sadly, my Birch screen door makes your approach a non-starter for me — yet another strike against it. After nearly 28 years, I still haven't been able to get it to fit properly. Our good friend Bob Burkett and I took a crack at it together, but we never got anywhere close to a solution. As many of you know, Bob has since passed away, so the mystery remains unsolved.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised that Bob Burkett, the Birch door whisperer, and you couldn't tweak it to fit right. What in particular is not fitting/working right?
 
Richard RV said:
I have never been fond of the door gasket. Scratch that - I hate it. It's a bad design (name a modern vehicle that has the gasket on the door and not the body), it doesn't compress very much and the purveyors of the OEM door gasket charge a pretty penny.

I've switched over to a much less expensive, smaller, much more compressible and better gap filling gasketing (aka weatherstripping) and installed it on the body.

Pulling the old hardened gasket, clean up to follow.
View attachment 18229
New weatherstripping profile
View attachment 18230
Suspending weatherstripping from above during installation.
View attachment 18231
New installation is much cleaner and it acts as a gutter leading the water away from the inside.
View attachment 18232

I've done this to 3 of my GMCs and highly recommend it.
Click to expand...

Another task to add to the TO-DO list, thanks!
 
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THIS is why I sold my SOB and bought a GMC. Nowhere else would people be finding new and better door gaskets!
I also replaced my door gasket and am thoroughly unimpressed.

while you're at it, make sure your door striker sits flush so the door closes all the way.

This thread describes the striker plate issue:
Keith V

Post in thread 'Entry Door - Best option for easy closing.'

I just went through this and have a pretty good understanding of whats going on.
There are 2 big issues. I am sure this was a problem from the factory.
The magical solid pin is a non issue. I would bet Bill made them solid because the OEM design was too hard to reproduce.

Issue 1. The striker pin is too far inward, it needs to be moved outward, about 1/8 inch OR SO, test and adjust for your coach

Issue 2. The striker plate sticks out too far, It hits the door and prevents it from closing. Some people have cut the gasket away to help with this, but thats not necessary once the plate is...
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The door on my Glenbrook always closed wonderfully and never leaked a drop. I should've kept the coach for that fact alone!

I think I need to recurve the door on my Palm Beach. You need to slam it just a bit, and it seems to stick out at the top a little, and heavy rains will leave the door panel wet. 😒 Maybe if I tackle recurving the door it'll be a good time to try a different gasket.
 
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pvfjr said:
The door on my Glenbrook always closed wonderfully and never leaked a drop. I should've kept the coach for that fact alone!

I think I need to recurve the door on my Palm Beach. You need to slam it just a bit, and it seems to stick out at the top a little, and heavy rains will leave the door panel wet. 😒 Maybe if I tackle recurving the door it'll be a good time to try a different gasket.
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If you do that successfully, let me know; I may hire you! My door latches (it doesn't sound secure), but top and bottom stick out. I get water in the bottom of the window frame.
 
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Tybalt39 said:
If you do that successfully, let me know; I may hire you! My door latches (it doesn't sound secure), but top and bottom stick out. I get water in the bottom of the window frame.
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Many times when the gaps are at top and bottom of the door it's because the door didn't have the strap limiting how far it could open, the door would open almost 180°, the belt lines would interfere and...leverage => bent door tighter in the middle. Does yours have the strap?

The manual has GMC's method to pull the top and bottom of the door closer to the body using some wood blocks, bolts and a come along. It works.

Another method is to drill some holes into the sides of the door and use some anchor bolts, a 2x4 strong back and a bottle jack. The bottle jack method lets you choose where to bend the door along the arc.
 
Richard RV said:
Many times when the gaps are at top and bottom of the door it's because the door didn't have the strap limiting how far it could open, the door would open almost 180°, the belt lines would interfere and...leverage => bent door tighter in the middle. Does yours have the strap?

The manual has GMC's method to pull the top and bottom of the door closer to the body using some wood blocks, bolts and a come along. It works.

Another method is to drill some holes into the sides of the door and use some anchor bolts, a 2x4 strong back and a bottle jack. The bottle jack method lets you choose where to bend the door along the arc.
Click to expand...
I have seen/read the methods. I just don't trust my skill level to pull it off correctly on first try. I'd probably break the window.... 😖

And no, I have no strap.
 
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