leaks

[Dan Fitzgerald]

In May 2011 I purchased a 1998 425 Thunder with 30,000 miles-- in mint condition . I use it to snow ski every weekend. I have water leaks in both sides of the windshield and small leaks in both hanging closets next to the bed. There's also a leak in the driver's side electrical compartment which appears to be dripping from the top, rear corner.  Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Dan

[Bruce Benson]

Try sealing around the marker lights front and rear.  Use clear silicone.  You may need to pull them off, run a bead under them then re-install.  Also check that the lenses are not cracked.  Replace all that are cracked.  I think this is the most common cause for leaks above the windshield and in the rear closet.  It could be that the water is running from the markers down to the electrical bay.  Check the seal on the bay door and consider putting a stick-on water gutter under the front of the existing gutter to divert run off from the door.

Melting snow is perhaps the worst as far as leaks.  Go south and water ski.

[JimDyer]

While you're up there, examine the butt joint where the roof meets the sidewall. On my 98 Marquis there is a metal strip with a plastic insert which hides the screw head.  Mine were loose to the point that the water was running in and down the inside of the salon walls, then out at every convenient location where it could.

The solution....longer screws and a good carpenters caulk. I don't remember the brand, but I think I have a tube with me, so if you need to know, just ask.

[Gerald Farris]

Dan,
Assuming that it is the windshield leaking and not the area above it, a windshield leak is usually caused by improper installation of a new windshield, and can be corrected by any good auto glass shop. A good windshield sealer (usually urethane) is carefully applied between the glass and the rubber windshield gasket. If you do this yourself, extreme caution should be taken to prevent chipping the edge of the glass because a chipped edge will usually result in a crack running across the windshield. There is also a possibility of a leak between the gasket and the fiberglass cap that can be sealed in the same manner.

The leaks in the rear closet could be from several things. The first place to look is the clearance lights. The lens will crack from age and sun damage and leak water. If the clearance lights are OK, check the seam where the rear cap meets the roof panel and the seal where the ladder is bolted to the roof.

The leak in the electrical compartment (bay) should be easy to locate. You can put a bright light in the bay with the door closed on a dark night an look for light in the suspected areas. Another method is to take compressed air and a blow gun and blow at the suspected areas as someone else feels for air on the outside of the compartment. Either of these methods should locate the leak so that you can seal it with a good sealer like Lexel.

Gerald  

[Joel Ashley]

The rubber gasket around my one-piece windshield wasn't very old when deterioration at its top became evident.  This was after Monaco Harrisburg replaced the factory windshield that had cracked from a bad install.  There were a couple of gaps, one at the top and a pucker down the drivers side.  I easily managed to work the side gap back into place on the cap, but the rubber is shot in a long strip at the top, with a lot of cracking.  My electrical bay filled with water with heavy rains, and the windshield appeared to be the only obvious source.  There is a large loom of wires descending through the bay ceiling, and gray foam was used to fill the hole.  Last fall I finally found a fine drop of water on the foam plug, so that's the entry point, probably traveling down the drivers windshield post.

Last year Gerald brought a new silicone-like sealant to our attention, called Lexel.  I located some at an Ace Hardware store and used it to stuff some of the gaps and rubber cracks along the windshield top.  The water in the bay still shows up over time, but not as quickly.  Admittedly I didn't catch both sides of the windshield top, and the passenger side has some micro cracking in the rubber that I could have addressed.

I can highly recommend the Lexel as it is easier to use than silicone and apparently more effective, esp. in the application, adhesion, and curative depts.  A big thumbs up to Gerald for the heads up.  This spring we hope to get into Beaver Coach Sales for a more permanent windshield fix and bay leak check.

Joel

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

Another advantage to Lexel over silicone is it will stick to itself.  You do not have to remove all the old material before applying new.  I have been using Lexel instead of silicone for about 5 years.  Follow directions to save unused material in the tube.  Wrap with Saran wrap (not any old plastic wrap) the tip and down the tube.  It really helps keep it usable a long time.

Larry

[Joel Weiss]

I don't know if it is Lexel or not, but I found a sealant at O'Reilly's that is a "pourable/flowable silicone".  It is advertised as being able to "wick" into leaks and it also appears to have the ability to adhere to itself.  All I know is that it does perform as advertised.  After a lot of "investigating" I found the leak over one of my bedroom windows.  It was up on the roof/sidewall joint where I found evidence of a previous repair attempt using traditional silicone.  I stripped out the old silicone and used this flowable material which seemed to have much better adhesion to the original putty than did the old silicone.  It has stopped the leak (at least for the moment).  I still intend to remove the plastic strip to tighten the screws, but, for now we're dry.

[Richard And Babs Ames]

When the windshield was replaced in our motorhome the installer said not to use any silicone based sealants but a sealant designed for windshield seals. Check with a glass shop.

One other thing to think about in cold conditions you get a lot of condensation on the windshield as it is the only single pane window and the coldest surface exposed to moisture in the MH.

[Sean Donohue]

Would you recommend using either the Lexel or the pourable/flowable ssealant to re-seal a roof?

[Joel Weiss]

Would you recommend using either the Lexel or the pourable/flowable ssealant to re-seal a roof?

If I wanted to do an entire roof with the flowable stuff I might want to get it in a larger tube.  However, I did notice that Amazon sells the stuff and has a great price on a 12-pack.  http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81730-12PK-Flowable-Silicone-Windshield/dp/B001REZ8FK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330380982&sr=8-2

I can't vouch for the long-term performance of this sealant, but what impressed me was the fact that it flowed into cracks in the existing putty and appears to have made a tight seal to it.  We've had a lot of rain over the past several days and we're staying dry.

[Sean Donohue]

I wonder if it would make a great first step to sealing the roof... scrap off the old stuff, prime the area, use the Fexel or flowable stuff, then coat it with the regular roof sealant...

[Joel Ashley]

Richard, I'm not positive, as it's been awhile since I read the particulars on Lexel, but I had the idea it wasn't silicone based;  it has the appearance of silicone sealant, but behaves and performs better.  My windshield application is not intended as a permanent fix, and similarly I wouldn't presume it to be deemed by any expert a permanent roof sealant.

I've used a flowable sealant for decades, but its behavior, by necessity, is maximized only on the finest of crevices, and it can flow out of vertical ones to the degree it won't be effective.

Joel

[Keith Oliver]

Call this a personal bias.  Since buying my first fibreglass boat in 1977, I have never seen an application in which clear silicone worked.  What I have seen is the use of clear silicone where it served to hide the leak and make fixing it more difficult.
On my 98 Contessa, a PO had used clear silicone everywhere there was a joint.  When I started removing the silicone, it would invariably let go of the fibreglass and pull out in a long, dirty strip.  Most of the dirt was on the inside of any join.
I had to seal a window on this trip, as I had a dribble above the driver.  I was unable to find a marine store (in Palm Springs) so had to settle for what was available at Home depot.  They have lots of silicones there, and the labels suggest they would be appropriate.  I chose a polyurethane, by Dap, and I could even get it in a matching colour.  So far so good.
For sealing the clearance lights, I would hold out till I could get to a marine store and buy Sikaflex290 or 3M 4200.  They only come in white or black, but if you mask the area you can limit the width that would show.  I have never had a failure on my boat using either of those products.  There is nothing they won't stick to.