Author Topic: Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks  (Read 2329 times)

Paul Haaf

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Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks
« on: September 28, 2021, 11:17:58 AM »
Our new to us 2006 Beaver Monterey has a leaking windshield. We first noticed it driving during a hard down pour and water pooled on both lower corners. It now seems to have gotten worse as I found a wet mat on the drivers side and some drips inside the Drivers side Electrical bay. This has happened while parked.

There is a 3/4" gap on the seal where the seam meets, drivers side halfway up the pillar, I am guessing the seal was previously replaced, it also does not match the original paint lines.

I also have found water getting in the wet bay, the light cover fills with water after a heavy rain. I just resealed the refrigerator cover and furnace exhaust, where I found some obvious signs of damage. The roof seals look tight, but I will probably redo them all to be sure.

Wondering about the strip above the bay doors, do those tend to leak? Caulk looks good.

No signs of leaks inside the coach, so far!

Any advice on sealing this would be appreciated!
2006 Monterey-Ventura-IV 36'
CAT C9 400HP - Allison 3000

2014 Cadillac SRX
Demco Air Force One

Stan Simpson

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Re: Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2021, 01:46:14 PM »
Not an expert, but the most common problem is the seal around the marker lights, the 5 orange/yellow ones on the top of the front cap. Also, so you know, clear Lexel (available at Lowes) is the sealer of choice, for those marker lights, and around the seam in the windshield.
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Paul Haaf

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Re: Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2021, 07:49:48 PM »
I will look for Lexel today.
Thank you.
2006 Monterey-Ventura-IV 36'
CAT C9 400HP - Allison 3000

2014 Cadillac SRX
Demco Air Force One

Keith Moffett

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Re: Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2021, 01:22:56 AM »
There are several places that fit your symptoms.  Any one or more can be the culprit. 
I am with Stan in that the first place to check are those marker lights.  Any hardware store has plastic tools for removing that old silicon.  Use a bit of thinner on a rag to remove the remaining residue then a bit of cleaner to remove the thinner residue (dish soap or something).  Apply the clear Lexel generously. 
The windshield gasket may have shrunk or just work hardened.  A dab of Lexel will help there too.  Might put that on your list for repair down the road.
A couple other places are the roof or the slanted seam trim above the driver window or the entry door.  Again Lexel is your friend.
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Joel Ashley

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Re: Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks
« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2021, 01:51:30 AM »
Our gasket/brow cracked badly almost from the get-go.  My electrical bay (streetside forwardmost) would get an inch of water in it while just parked here by the house.  When I complained to my BCS service advisor, ca. 2008-9, he doubted that the water could come from the cracks in the windshield gasket.  In theory, the gasket is designed so water can’t get by it.   Hmmm… okay.  But I got tired of going out after every Oregon rainstorm and sopping out that bay, esp. given it’s the central 12v distribution center.  The white melamine backer board was swelling and cracking around rusting screws.  The water level was pushing the bottom of the Smartwheel module and other susceptible connectors.

As Stan and Keith mentioned, the most guilty culprit noted here by members are the clearance lights on the upper cap.  You could try Lexel around them if they look failed, but if they’re old it’s more likely they have nano-cracking of the orange plastic lens.  It’s best to replace them all, perhaps choosing less troublesome LEDs in lieu of original incandescents while you’re at it.

I got a tube of Lexel and literally filled the cracks in that rubber windshield brow/gasket, and used a wet finger to spread and level it as best I could.  The gasket had puckered a bit down the driver’s post, so I carefully levered it back into place with a flat blade screwdriver and Lexeled suspicious areas.  The leaks stopped.  The bay has been dry for many years, and I only touched up the Lexel windshield job a bit if annual inspection revealed potential issue.

Probably the best fix is a new gasket professionally installed by RV Glass Solutions.  A factory windshield installation problem caused ours to crack months after we purchased the coach.  The Harrisburg Monaco tech said it was a common glitch, with our model at least.  There is a right way and a wrong way… in 2006 one-piece windshields were a new, relatively untested idea.  As long as my Lexel treatment works, I’ll get along without replacing the gasket. 

You can find Lexel in the caulking tube sections of Ace and Lowe’s.  Squeeze tubes in white and clear are available usually on display hooks, and Lowe’s at least had gun-size versions.  The clear squeeze tubes are handier for smaller jobs on coach or house, and the product works like but is better overall than silicone.  Take extra steps to reseal tubes;  if unused for sometime the Lexel thickens in the air in the nozzle, and it can be a bugger to dig that out next time to a flowable workable product.  Don’t wait too long to use the wet finger smear as it sets up quickly, becoming too rubbery to work.

The fold-over bay door mounts seem to keep water out.  But for suspicious spots above, a smear of clear Lexel is easy mitigation.  Done carefully and minimally, such reseals are unnoticeable.

You have a furnace (exhaust)?  I thought HydroHot was standard, but will have to check the brochure… it must’ve been an option.

Joel

Addendum:  the brochure does indeed list HydroHot as an option???
« Last Edit: September 29, 2021, 07:31:49 AM by Joel Ashley »
Joel and Lee Rae Ashley
Clackamas, Oregon
36.9 ft. 2006 Monterey Ventura IV, aka"Monty Rae"
C9 400HP Cat

Bill Lampkin

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Re: Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2021, 02:21:38 AM »
water leaks are a source of great consternation to me. I had BCS fix my "windshield" leak a couple of years ago. There method was; new Bargeman 59 clearance lights bedded in a sea of clear (almost) lexel. Followed by some kind of black sealant applied to the gap in the windshield gasket. I don't know which fix fixed my leak. Anyway, the back of the clearance light is flat and sits in a bowl shaped recess in the front cap. The bowl  is filled with Lexel then the clearance light is bedded in. Wouldn't a better solution be a closed cell foam donut that the clearance light wires would fit thru, then a small bead of Lexel around the edge of the clearance light. The screws would compress the donut against the cap to eliminate leaks from this hole in the cap. The two screws that attach the light to the cap would have to be bedded in with butyl tape or Lexel to prevent them from being a source of the leaks. We got some rain here on the Oregon coast the last two days, and a new, much smaller leak has emerged, dripping the occasional drop from the trim around the drivers visor shade onto the dash.
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Stan Simpson

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Re: Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks
« Reply #6 on: September 29, 2021, 06:39:51 PM »
For easy LED upgrades to your clearance/marker lights in orange or red..these are plug and play. A new cover with an LED array inside of it. It plugs in to the same slot the halogen bulb goes in.

Comes in two colors:

https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=47-59-010

https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=47-59-012
Stan Simpson & Becky Glover & Moe the cat
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C9 400 Cat
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Joel Ashley

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Re: Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks
« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2021, 10:47:26 PM »
An application of Hydrosilex Recharge or RV ceramic coating to new plastic marker light covers can help ward off the drying and nano-cracking caused by sun exposure.  It has good anti-ultraviolet aspects that last longer than any in a wax.  HydroSilex can also be used on the rest of the Coach in lieu of regular waxing, but previous waxes must be removed or have been aged/worn off, and the coach thoroughly cleaned so the ceramic will stick to the clear coat/paint.  I use a foam cannon on my pressure washer to soap a rig quick and easy, followed by a wool wash mitt or window washing pad.  Rinse with water run through an On the Go portable softener to mitigate spotting.  Then the HydroSilex just wipes on and wipes off easily.

Sorry, got a bit off the leak topic.  But water that beads up high on ceramic will roll off before seeping in.

https://www.hydrosilex.com/products/hydrosilex-camper-rv-ceramic-coating

https://www.hydrosilex.com/products/hydrosilex-recharge-1

-Joel
Joel and Lee Rae Ashley
Clackamas, Oregon
36.9 ft. 2006 Monterey Ventura IV, aka"Monty Rae"
C9 400HP Cat

Norm Vernon

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Re: Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2021, 10:12:58 AM »
Just a side note my 2004 Marquis marker lights where truck lite "18" originals and now come in a LED - they were the only thing that would fit the recessed mount in the top cap front and rear - and I spent a lot of time trying to find ones that had more actual LEDs in the light to no avail. I used the foam backing to seal against the back of the light and once in place Proflex around the outside of the lens to totally seal the light.
« Last Edit: October 04, 2021, 10:00:28 PM by Norm Vernon »
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Paul Haaf

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Re: Windshield and Wet Bay Leaks
« Reply #9 on: October 20, 2021, 03:28:40 PM »
I finally got around to properly investigating this and believe I have resolved the issue, a decent rain last weekend and it stayed dry inside the coach.

The marker lights were actually all well sealed, this was likely done once before. The Seal on the windshields had small cracks in the caulk on the top of the rubber gutter.
I thoroughly removed and cleaned up the old sealant and reapplied a product from a Napa Truck Supply outlet. They recommended 3M Windo-weld Super Fast Urethane Caulk

This is an industrial strength produce and as long as you protect yourself and the vehicle it applied very nicely and seems to have an excellent seal. It is really intended for setting the windshield in the vehicle body, so a bit overkill for just sealing.

The wet bay leak looks good too, after fully sealing the refrigerator access panel and the furnace vent, that area also was dry on a fairly light rain.
2006 Monterey-Ventura-IV 36'
CAT C9 400HP - Allison 3000

2014 Cadillac SRX
Demco Air Force One