Guest synthman Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 new to forum.any way to restore old,dry, somewhat cracked rubber weatherstripping??short of replacing, that is.it is 1968 MERCEDES-BENZ 250 SE Sedan. 103,000 milesSURELY, IN THIS CHEMICAL AGE THERE IS SOMETHING OUT THERE THATWILL MAKE THIS RUBBER SOFT AGAIN AND FILL UP LITTLE CRACKS.IS THERE??I have read about using glycerin and also about LESTOIL. DO THEY WORK?Does anyone have some before and after pictures??Maybe someone has there own formula for something that will work!!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bofusmosby Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Sorry, I don't have any answers for you on this. I wanted to make a post so I could be notified when other posts were made. I too would like to know if there is anything out there to correct this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kingoftheroad Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I know of product to make the seals look like new but, I don't know of any products for repairing old damaged weather seals. I replaced all my worn, cracked, ripped weather stripping. New seals aren't overly expensive and not hard to R&R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest billybird Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I've heard of people rubbing them good with Vasoline. I've always wondered if baby oil would work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 True rubber can be soaked in Automatic transmission fluid and it will soften it up to almost like new, It doesn't fill cracks though. I have some parts soaking in a vat of it right now. I'm not sure how it would work on seals that are like soft seal (foam type rubber) Never tried it on it. Being it's very porous might soften it but will probably leach out forever. It takes atleast a month to work thoug hand the parts would have to be off the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bkazmer Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 replace the seals. The rubber has lost plasticizing oil and has had the backbone oxidized - no amount of liquid will fix that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Walling Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 If you wish to reuse a windshield gasket, soak it in gasoline for a little while and it will get felxible enough to put back in. Warning!!! do not soak it too long. It will turn into a oversized spongy, loose snake and just about as easy to handle ! :eek: :eek: :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1957buickjim Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 All of those will work, but bkazmer is right, once the plasticizer is out, there is no way to get the rubber back to original condition. Roger, soaking it in gas will make it flexible, but after the volatiles in the gas evaporate from the rubber, it will go back to being rock hard and brittle again. Unfortunately the only way to do it is to R&R the parts, which can be more difficult on the lesser known models. You can also try to mold your own parts making a silicone mold from a good / decent part and using a cold pour urethane material with a shore D rubber like consistency when set. I have done this and it works quite well. It is a bit challenging making the molds though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curti Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I have been marginally successful with NOS rubber parts that are hard and out of shape by putting them in a plastic bag with DOT-5 brake fluid. The old rubber that has been exposed to the elements for years is like a steak on the grill. It will never be raw again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bkazmer Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 when you soak it ina solvent that is compatible, you are swelling the rubber and it is flexible again (temporarily). It is not restored to have elastomeric behavior! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest u571 Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 There is a german product i've used with good results called GUMMIPFLEGE pronounced goomy-flayga I believe...ok you can stop laughing now:) I bought it from a bmw parts company but i know you can google it and find it.This product seems to soften and hydrate the rubber and is a great for rubber maintanance .I dont know if your rubber is too far gone but I do recommend it to my fellow auto enthusiasts over any domestically made products I have tried. On another note cracked rubber is cracked rubber and there aint no miracle cure for that!Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sunexim Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) There is a german product i've used with good results called GUMMIPFLEGE pronounced goomy-flayga I believe...ok you can stop laughing now:) I bought it from a bmw parts company but i know you can google it and find it.This product seems to soften and hydrate the rubber and is a great for rubber maintanance .I dont know if your rubber is too far gone but I do recommend it to my fellow auto enthusiasts over any domestically made products I have tried. On another note cracked rubber is cracked rubber and there aint no miracle cure for that!MarkNice Information you share with us. Thanks for sharing this information with us . Edited January 23, 2014 by Sunexim (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5219 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Eastwood has something in their catalogue that claims to be useful for this. I have no experience with it. Has anyone tried it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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