'04 liftgate glass adjustment

[muzzymaniac]

OK, just had to do this. Hinges were $72 from Ford and they were in stock - Hmmmmm, I wonder why..... Total time was about an hour to fix EXCEPT my washers where rotten and cracked. The kit doesn't come with new washers so back to the dealer hoping they have them. The parts guy didn't even have to look the number up. Cost for two tiny washers - $8.50!!!!! Ouch! Went home and repair was easy as pie. As for breaking the glass, I don't really care if it broke - I have full glass with no deductible.

Welp, the real reason I posted this was about the washers. The part number, if you need it, is d7fz*6440610*a. I recommend you get the washers since they aren't just flat pieces. These are sleeved jobbers that fit through the glass and help a bit with alignment and I imagine they help protect the glass a bit from the bolt.

 

[jrford]

Went home and repair was easy as pie.

So how did you do it?
Did you leave the gas struts?
Main hatch open?

I'm thinking after reading the easiest would be open main hatch to support the glass, leave the glass shut and just do a hinge one at a time?

 

[rocco123]

Is there a specific torque listed for the bolts thru window?

 

[turblown]

Just a follow up for anyone doing this repair/replace, be sure that all four rubber bump stops for the hatch glass are in place. I was missing two, so I ordered them from the dealership. They come in a pack of four for about $10. Seems to make a difference in how the hatch glass closes and is supported.

 

[Aluminum]

My lift glass hinge broke, And the lift glass was all out of adjustment and wouldn't close right and raddled driving down the road. See if your hinges are broke and if they are its like $80 for a set of them

 

[mikeinri]

Just went through this a few weeks ago, hinge broke off with the window in my hand. Have a Ford dealer 10 minutes away, so I bought the kit there (at full price, of course, around $90 now).

Wish I had known about those washers, just picked those up today. Inexcusable that these are not in the Ford repair kit.

There's a great YouTube video on the repair. The way this guy does it, alignment isn't an issue, because the glass stays in place throughout the repair. I had no choice but to remove the glass fully due to the broken hinge, but was able to get it back together successfully by following the remainder of the video once all the old parts were removed.

http://youtu.be/l_qDKf8ewJA

One piece of advice: be very careful with the trim, I broke both of the sides. Cosmetic, but annoying.

Mike

 

[vidchin]

I have just replaced my 2004 explorer's hinges.

Both hinges broke in the middle of road trip :-(

One of the lift gate bumpers(small rubber cylinder) gone missing. I am not able to find the part number. I appreciate if someone can provide the part number.

This is a great forum. I have worked on my explorer and saved good money by reading through others experiences and posting. I greatly appreciate the forum and people who take time to post here.

thank you