Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

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MidLifeCrisis
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Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by MidLifeCrisis »

Just fitted new tailgate seal - and now the left lower corner of the tailgate looks like it is being forced open a little (<1cm) so it looks like it is not fully closed (but latch is holding it).
I can't work out what it is that I have done - I have tried to make sure that the seal is seated properly (even tapped it home with a block of wood and mallet) and it looks seated and true visually but something is stopping it closing squarely.

Anyone had anything similar and can point me in the right direction - I 'really' :shock: do not want to remove the whole seal and start again (especially as I'm not sure what I would be differently) 
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Jim San
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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by Jim San »

I twisted my tailgate once  -  after fitting new gas struts, I closed the gate to one side - I later noticed the other side sitting proud at the bottom.  I simply opened it again and gently reverse twisted it. 
Bizare, but it worked, ever since I have been careful to close by pushing down at the latch.
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TONYT25T25
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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by TONYT25T25 »

Are the rubber stoppers correctly positioned and haven't moved out a bit.
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MidLifeCrisis
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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by MidLifeCrisis »

Thanks for replies;

I’m not sure either of the rubber stops are actually making contact - they are both a bit perished?!

I’ll try the twist idea - when in doubt apply a bit of brute force!!

Cheers !!
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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by TONYT25T25 »

As an after thought do you have a curtain at the back that is pinched to one side, my camper has a water container to the rear which is contained within a removal partition, the curtain when retracted is pinched between this and the tailgate and although does not put any pressure on the lock does push the tail gate out slightly on that side.
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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by adrian1975 »

Take the seal back off and see what it fits like then,

I have a new seal on mine and it is shocking it holds the entire tailgate off, I have tried adjustments and tried a different seal, I think the aftermarket seals are to thick,

Mines watertight so I've left it

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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by 100leelee »

During the vans refurb I replaced the majority of the tailgate seal track.
Then tried fitting a new seal and found it fouling the tailgate at the side, thus holding it proud. It would still latch properly.
Bought a different profile seal from seals direct and now fits perfectly.

But if you haven’t modified the seal track, as has been suggested remove and see what the fit is like is a good start.

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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by izzybarnard »

Hi
I have a similar issue after replacing the seal with a new after market type.
Could you send details of the Seals Direct profile you've used and works ?
Been on their site and there's ~10 different seal profiles in the door and hatch seal section ?
Cheers

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MidLifeCrisis
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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by MidLifeCrisis »

Apologies - just seen that there have been more replies to this post; seal was from Brickwerks so assuming decent quality (as their stuff tends to be); I’ll try removing the seal and see what fit is like but pretty sure that it will be good as I don’t recall seeing the tailgate sitting weirdly before;
My working assumption has to be that seal is a bit thicker than old - I think if I was brave I could slacken off the hinges, move the top out a bit and therefore allow the bottom to pivot inwards - but I’m not that brave as I’d think I’d open a new can of leaky worms!!
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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by Cdm181070 »

Can 100leelee please say which seal was used on the tailgate from seals direct? I’m struggling with getting my tailgate to close flush with an aftermarket seal. Can you please post some pictures of it? Thanks

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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by Oldiebut goodie »

Unlikely as he hasn't been back for 3 years!
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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by shepster »

Cdm181070 wrote: 11 Feb 2024, 07:14 Can 100leelee please say which seal was used on the tailgate from seals direct? I’m struggling with getting my tailgate to close flush with an aftermarket seal. Can you please post some pictures of it? Thanks

Just get one from Brickwerks then you'll know it's going to fit.
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Re: Tailgate not sitting right after fitting new seal

Post by callyspoy »

Whilst i would normally agree, i did buy mine last year from Brickwerks and had exactly the same issue, the whole tailgate was stood off, even with hinge adjustments. The tailgate would only go onto the first latch, so fitted the original back on and got my tailgate lined back up nicely.

That was the "alternative" one on the site, so the slightly more expensive one may work better (although it does say that the alternative fits well on the website).

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