Class C Front Window Leak
Rickb_cool
The rubber gasket on the inside top edge of the front overcab window
has a small slow dripping leak when it rains and the rig is parked.
Seems to me that water is running down the front slope, pooling and
penetrating into the cab. No leak while driving in the rain (yet).
Everything looks as if it is in perfect condition and brand new from
the outside and the inside. This is intended to work without any
sealant around the frame, but ... .
How do I correct and seal this kind leak.
Rick
Frank Howell
I would use caulking to seal the outside edge of the rubber seal
and I would also seal the inside edge of the outside rubber seal.
I would use 100% transparent silicon, in a caulking gun, with the tip of the
caulking tube cut at a 45° angle and just enough of the tip cut to produce a
1/8 inch bead.
Frank Howell
"Rickb_cool" <rickb...@mail.com> wrote in message
news:27ef4c05.0311...@posting.google.com...
Ron
that kind of window installation and have them remove and then replace the
leaking window.
Your unit is too new to start the non-professional do-it-yourself maybe not
to work solutions.
--
Ron
Port Dover Ontario
"Rickb_cool" <rickb...@mail.com> wrote in message
news:27ef4c05.0311...@posting.google.com...
Chris Bryant
There are two seals on these windows- the glass to frame seal, and the
frame to body seal. Normally, it is the frame to body seal that leaks
(though not always).
The glass to frame seal is made on the underside of the the glass- the
rubber you see simply holds the glass in place and acts as trim- this can
be redone, but it is a bit of a PITA- you have to remove the glass, clean
the old sealant off, apply new (poly)urethane sealant, and reset the
glass. Unfortunately, if the original seal failed because of flexing,
likely the new seal will too, so you will probably have to pull the window
frame and reseal behind it as well.
The main problem is that most class "C"'s don't have much, if any
structure or framework across the front, so flexing is inevitable.
--
Chris Bryant
http://bryantrv.com
Lon VanOstran
writes:
>Your unit is too new to start the non-professional do-it-yourself maybe not
>to work solutions.
>
Horse pucky. Anybody can pull a window, and the man who loves is it more apt to
do a good job than the average service tech who is hurrying to get to his next
coffee break.
I've had every window but the windshields and the driver's door crank-up out of
our MH.
Lon
Lon VanOstran
<fpho...@sbcglobal.net> writes:
>Rick
>
>I would use caulking to seal the outside edge of the rubber seal
>and I would also seal the inside edge of the outside rubber seal.
>I would use 100% transparent silicon, in a caulking gun, with the tip of the
>caulking tube cut at a 45° angle and just enough of the tip cut to produce a
>1/8 inch bead.
I would pull the window, use a layer of butyl tape when reinstalling it, and
then caulk around it.
Lon
HDinNY
snipped
> I've had every window but the windshields and the driver's door crank-up out of
> our MH.
>
> Lon
How was the sealant Lon? Was it Butyl tape to begin with? If
it was, was it still pliable or had it started to harden?
HD in NY
Will Sill
concerning fixing a front window leak:
>I would pull the window, use a layer of butyl tape when reinstalling it, and
>then caulk around it.
And I would take a mightly close look at the clearance lights (which
many larger rigs have) to make sure the leak is under them rather than
around the window itself. OEM clearance lights are notorious for poor
installation and of course poor sealing.
Will Sill
Lon VanOstran
<er...@error.com> writes:
>> I've had every window but the windshields and the driver's door crank-up
>out of
>> our MH.
>>
>> Lon
>
>How was the sealant Lon? Was it Butyl tape to begin with? If
>it was, was it still pliable or had it started to harden?
>HD in NY
It was still very pliable, but had begun to shrink and there were a few places
where it was very close to leaking. I was worried about 3 spots on 3 windows,
because it had become recessed at critical spots on top of the windows. I was
right about all 3 spots being close to leaking, but I got there first.
Maybe I am anal about it, but I have seen a lot of delamination on other
people's coaches, and I don't want any. In 4 years, I'll do it again, and
replace all of the screws when I do. The job is just too easy to let it turn
into delamination out of laziness.
Lon
HDinNY
snipped
> It was still very pliable, but had begun to shrink and there were a few places
> where it was very close to leaking. I was worried about 3 spots on 3 windows,
> because it had become recessed at critical spots on top of the windows. I was
> right about all 3 spots being close to leaking, but I got there first.
>
> Maybe I am anal about it, but I have seen a lot of delamination on other
> people's coaches, and I don't want any. In 4 years, I'll do it again, and
> replace all of the screws when I do. The job is just too easy to let it turn
> into delamination out of laziness.
>
> Lon
Thanks Lon, good information. Have you given any thought to
the joint between the end caps and the fiberglass roof.
Aside from the windows which I believe we'll do next year,
that is the next place that looks like a good spot for leaks.
HD in NY
Ron
sounds of it.
--
Ron
Port Dover Ontario
news:20031107192952...@mb-m04.aol.com...
HDinNY
> You must like voiding warrantees just to say you did it yourself from the
> sounds of it.
I don't think that's what he meant. I have to agree I'd
rather do it myself than let some "tech" do his thing. I've
seen what they do with a leaky window. I had one on our
Award that leaked. The manual said to pull the windows
annually and recaulk. The dealer's "tech" ran around the
outside with sealer. I saw that and pulled the window,
recaulked and it never leaked again.
Unless you can guarantee the tech is going to do the job
right, you might better either stand there and watch them do
it or do it yourself. I wonder how many people posting here
have had "minor" window leaks taken care of by a dealer. I'd
like to know how many windows were removed and recaulked
versus how many had sealer put around the outside. Might
make an enlightening new thread.
HD in NY
Ron
as far as I am concerned. If I received a "half-assed job" under warranty
from a dealership there would be a lot of people hearing about it including
but not limited to the manufacturer.
If out of warranty, there are a lot of things on the RV that I would do but,
under warranty, that is a different story.
--
Ron
Port Dover Ontario
"HDinNY" <er...@error.com> wrote in message
news:g6arb.16859$Oo4....@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
Lon VanOstran
writes:
>You must like voiding warrantees just to say you did it yourself from the
>sounds of it.
Since most RVs come with a 12 month warranty, what warranty would I be voiding?
Where, in which warranty, does it say that maintainance must be performed by a
licensed professional?
Frankly, when I get a new car, if it needs tweeking to make it perfect, and if
there are no expensive parts involved, I do the work myself because I want it
done right.
When we got our MH, I had a list of a dozen or more fit and finish things that
I corrected myself because I wanted it done right.
I have never had any warranty voided because I have done my own mainainance.
If I ever do, we will find out in court if they can legally do that. (I already
know they can't)
Oh, and if you are talking about extended warranties, I'm not in the habit of
unnecessarily enriching sales droids by wasting money on such things.
Lon
Lon VanOstran
<er...@error.com> writes:
>Thanks Lon, good information. Have you given any thought to
>the joint between the end caps and the fiberglass roof.
>Aside from the windows which I believe we'll do next year,
>that is the next place that looks like a good spot for leaks.
>HD in NY
No thought at all, but I _have_ given it new caulk. I have removed about 80% of
the caulk on our MH, and replaced it. As soon as I get my arm back, I'll do the
rest. If you replace it early, it is nice and pliable, and pulls off in nice
long strings. If you wait until it is dry and brittle, I don't know how you
would get it off. Now, it comes away so clean that a little 3 M adhesive
remover cleans the residue off easily.
Since you mention the fiberglass roof, our first symptom of aging caulk was
along the sides, where the roof tucks under the drip edge. It was cracking in
places, so I removed that last fall and replaced it. Since then, I have been
pecking away at the rest of the MH, as ambition has struck.
Caulk and butyl tape are cheap, and my time is free. We love our MH, and what
could be more fun than fondling something/one that you love? <g>
Lon
HDinNY
snipped
> You were supposed to remove all the windows every year??!! Good lord.
Yeah, wouldn't that be a gas? I didn't follow that "plan", I
just did the caulking around the perimeter for the rest of
the windows. I did check the condition of the butyl though
and made sure it was still pliable.
On our HR Alumascape, the side wall is smooth aluminum and
shouldn't be as prone to leakage as say the corrugated stuff
used on some trailers. Plus I was glad it was aluminum
instead of fiberglass just because of how the panels are
made. Gluing a sheet on luan plywood isn't the best way to
build a wall. Delamination seems to be fairly common on
older units.
We almost bought an early Award trailer we found in Rome,
New York. It was the only Award I have ever seen with a
smooth aluminum side wall skin. IIRC, this one was an '86
model the guy was trying to sell as an '87. He had never
covered it and the interior showed no sign of leakage. This
was around '93 so it had seen some winters already. It
actually was nicer than the one we eventually bought.
HD in NY
Lon VanOstran
can...@sbcglobal.netnot writes:
>Tell me about wasted money, Lon,if calamity befalls and you have to
>replace the Cummins, which happened to my BIL. Without the extended
>warranty he purchased, he would have been out over $20K.
>
>Canoli
Even people who make stupid bets win from time to time. That doesn't make the
bet any smarter. I suspect that your BIL also buys lottery tickets.
Lon
Rickb_cool
I have thought about the possibility that it is the light over the
window that are leaking and decided to test that by taking a hose and
flooding the top of the window for a relatively long time or until the
window leaks. I will also test each light seperately by the same
technique, once the window is no longer leaking (if it leaked).
I had not thought of removing the window as I could not see how that
would be done and have not previously seen a window remoced or
installed. This sound like a good option which I will consider. Anyone
willing to comment on how this is done and where the butyl sealants
are available?
I also wrote Winnebago and here is their response this may give some
insight as to why dealers/service centers do what they do):
Richard,
Cap sealing the perimeter of the frame with clear silicone is the
suggested
method.
Service Administration
Winnebago Industries, Inc.
o...@winnebagoind.com
****************************************************************************
Name: Richard Boehme
Street: 54 Miller Hill Woods Court
City: Carmel
State: NY
Zip: 10512
Country: USA
Phone: 845-225-5264
E_MAIL: rfbo...@iname.com
RV Owner Yes: Yes
Brand: Itasca Spirit 22E
RV Owner No:
Plan to Purchase:
Submit: Submit Form
Comments:
Please help,
The from window in the cab-overhead has a small drip along the rubber
gasket
at the top side of the window. I expect that when parked water is
flowing
down the front slop onto the gasket and is penetrating into the coach.
Please inform me how I may fix this leak. If it ois simple enough I
would
prefer doing it myself as going to a service center for warranty work
will
take some time.
Thankyou
Rick Boehme
rickb...@mail.com (Rickb_cool) wrote in message news:<27ef4c05.0311...@posting.google.com>...