Odd door sealing issues

[Minuit]

This is the '91. Will upload pics to explain what I'm talking about tomorrow.

 

The driver side has for a pretty long time had some door seal issues. I have tried a number of door seals (new pre-97, new 97+, used 97+) with no fix. Right now, the door seals are original but still pliable 97+ seals. I would very strongly prefer to go back to the older, smaller door seal.

 

The main issue is that the top of the door doesn't compress the seal as much as it probably should. When inside if I just barely squeeze the seal, I can see daylight and if driving there will be air coming in through the seal. Some slight wind noise can be heard coming from the top of the door at all times. To get it to seal at all I have to use the 97+ seals, the original style aren't even close to sealing along the top. My first thought was that the top of the door was bent outward, but if anything relative to the cab the door is too far in at the top. Other than that, the door lines up with both the cab and fender extremely well. As to the wind noise, all other door weatherstripping is recently installed NOS parts. The wind noise is definitely coming from the very top where the door squishes the seal.

 

To me, it looks like the door seal is positioned too high to meet the door in the fattest part of the seal. I'll upload pics tomorrow, but the top of the door frame barely touches the "bottom" of the rounded seal. 

 

The secondary problem is that the driver side door is EXTREMELY difficult to close. Some people I've tried this with can't get the door to fully latch at all no matter how hard they try to slam the door. When the door is opened it springs open by itself. This has been a problem since I first installed new aftermarket 97+ seals a few years ago. The striker is in its original position and the door lines up with it correctly.

 

The hinges are slightly sagged, which has been temporarily compensated for by removing a shim from the top door hinge. This changed nothing about how difficult the doors are to close but did help the door to line up with the striker again without dragging on it.

[Eagle]

When the service manager at the dealership where I bought my original '88 Cherokee was the friend on whose stock car my brother and I crewed, I used to hang around the shop a lot. You didn't hear this from me, but they used to address issues like that by opening the window,, opening the door partially, then sliding a 2x4 down through the opening and bending the top of the door inward.

[Jeep Driver]

5 minutes ago, Eagle said:

When the service manager at the dealership where I bought my original '88 Cherokee was the friend on whose stock car my brother and I crewed, I used to hang around the shop a lot. You didn't hear this from me, but they used to address issues like that by opening the window,, opening the door partially, then sliding a 2x4 down through the opening and bending the top of the door inward.

Precisely. 

[cruiser54]

Yes we did. I was one of those Service Managers......

[HOrnbrod]

Nothing wrong with that if it works. Mine leaked in the same area when I first got it - the original was just flattened. I replaced the door seal with a NOS thicker style and no more leaks, although the door was hard to close for the first year or so.....

[Eagle]

3 minutes ago, HOrnbrod said:

Nothing wrong with that if it works. Mine leaked in the same area when I first got it - the original was just flattened. I replaced the door seal with a NOS thicker style and no more leaks, although the door was hard to close for the first year or so.....

 

The OP has conflicting issues. Bending the top of the window frame inward a bit will help with the weather and wind seal, but it won't make the door easier to close.

[Keyav8r]

I put WJ door seals in my 91.  They fit pretty well but are 2” - 3” longer overall than XJ/MJ seals so you have to trim them at the bottom joint.  It was initially a little harder to close the doors but I don’t notice it anymore.  

My driver side door had sagged pretty badly so I added a thicker shim (1/8”) at the bottom and it lines up and closes on the striker much easier.  

I noticed some daylight, where the seal takes an S above the striker, while looking through the gap on the passenger side.  Used a long strip of paper at several points around the door (open door, put paper strip across the seal, close door, pull on paper - no drag/no seal) to determine where it was and wasn’t sealing.  Added some thin, narrow weatherstrip with adhesive on both sides between the “lip” of the seal and the part that attaches to the doof frame.  Haven’t road tested it yet but I can’t see any daylight through the gap and have drag on the paper strip where I didn’t before.

[Minuit]

I 2x4'ed the door frame a little bit this morning, then replaced the 97+ door seal with an original style one I had sitting around. After bending in the door frame it compresses the seal much better than before but still not what I'd call great. The door is still tough to close but easier than with the 97+ door seal.

 

The top of the door frame to me now looks WAY too far inside relative to the cab, but whatever makes it seal I guess. I've never seen what that gap should look like, but it just looks wrong to me.

[ParadiseMJ]

Check/adjust the striker a bit.