BAC Forum
General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Dean Johnson on October 27, 2014, 08:03:33 PM
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Hello to all Monterey owners, and any others that have had this issue as well.
[I did a search for slide out leaks and there were a lot of hits but nothing this specific]
We have a 2005 Monterey Montclair IV floorplan where the storage compartments go out with the forward slide out on the driver side.
When it rains, even when parked, the storage compartment floor gets wet, sometimes soaked! I thought at first this might have been from driving in the rain and splashing up from the front wheel but it has happened even when just parked. I have looked everywhere I can think of and found no obvious leaks, and the sides of the compartment are dry as well as the top. I know how hard water leaks are to track down but has anyone had this problem with their slides?
I also have to pull in the passenger slide when it rains as the water seeps through the slide cover, accumulates on the top of the slide and there is a gap of about 1/8" between the top of the slide and the seal on the body so water can get into the storage compartment above the couch. We took this in to get fixed at Tork-Lift RV service in Kent but they obviously didn't correct it and they are no longer in business. [no surprise!]
I am thinking new slide covers might help this? Are they supposed to keep water off the top of the slide?
Any input is appreciated.
Thanks,
Dean
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We had an 01 Contessa that had a leak in the rear compartment in the forward dvr's side slide-out. I traced it down to a leak in the wiring that fed the compartment light. Water can collect on outside top of the compartment the slide is out and it rains. A very small leak can let a lot of water in as the water sits there after the rain and continues to leak.I tried silicon and Lexel but couldn't get a good seal so cleaned it off and coated top and wire port with Dicor. Problem solved.
Steve
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When we replaced the topper awning on the passenger front slide we put enterbond (spelling?) tape on the leading edges front to rear. On the passenger slide found the leak coming in on right box inside edge towards the door opening. Water coming thru the back side screw holes. Pulled the screws filled hole with caulk and put the screws back. Hope that is not to confusing.
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When Tim Bentley had a leak at the top of his slide, he added a piece of base molding (plastic covered) to the top of the slide at the innermost portion of the slide. He glued (I think with silicone) this in place and because he ran a bead of silicone (or glue) the entire length which would not allow water under it. This helped the seal have better contact and also made a ramp the water would not go over. I have done this also and have had no leaks on the upper portion of the slide. Good luck.
Roy
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You may need the slide mechanism checked by a more experienced tech, such as those found at one of the facilities in Bend, Dean. Your top seal gap doesn't sound right to me, and implies the slide has sagged or a fault of some sort in the seal itself. Roy's ideas related above should help mitigate the seal gap I've always deemed the toppers were more to keep tree and other debris or snow off the slide roof, not necessarily water. The seals should be doing that.
I've had a stubborn and aggravatingly inconsistent leak into our 12v electrical bay. Apparently it was coming from a gap above, along the windshield seal. Eventually on a very close inspection following rain, I noticed a wet spot on the gray foam typically used where wire looms penetrate walls, on the ceiling wire loom hole. You may want to take a super close survey of your empty slide bay surfaces immediately after a rainstorm for a hint of the leak source.
I've also had water get in the small "tool bay" near the curbside rear wheel well, and it was via an almost imperceptible gap in a lower corner, wetting only the bay floor carpet. Shining a flashlight outside along the metal bay box at night while another person views from inside can reveal light seeping through bad spots, as long as carpet liner doesn't hide them.
Though not positive, I think BCS in Bend has a sprinkling scaffold for testing for body leaks, so you might consider scheduling a trip there, and they probably have as much experience tracking down leaks as anyone.
Joel
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Dean,
We will be back to the PNW in about two weeks. I had a 5 year battle with slide leaks and did a lot of different things before I won! Some of the "fixes" were done by "pro's" under warranty. Three of them are my own desperate inventions. I'll show them to you if you want.
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Thanks Bill, that would be great. I would really like to get these solved. I know rain and cold are four-letter words but until we can start heading south for the winter, I have to deal with this! ;)
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Dean
Seems to me that if there is a gap between the top and the seal, there sholdnt be. Makes me wonder if the slide is out of adjustment.
Keith
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Keith,
I agree with you that if there if there is a gap the water will come in, but only on the side seals. The top of the slide is a big trough with about a 4 inch wall on that stays on the inside of the coach and another wall on the outside.
From the front or back, it looks sort of like this: [___________________] It is a big wide gutter, but it has several seams and rivets that leak if not well sealed. Any water on the slide tops should flow off the ends. But, depending on the wind, rain intensity and coach levelness, some water will get under the toppers pool on the flat metal slide roof. If there is a seam or rivet in that pool, you have a potential leak.
To stop the slide roofs from leaking, I had to get all three sealed where the factory failed to get it right. The inner corner is very difficult to reach. The rest is not so bad if you can figure out how to get the topper out of the way.
The vertical side seals are another story. The slide is supposed to smash a rubber strip enough to make it water tight. My experience was that depending on rain intensity, wind and levelness the large flat motorhome roof would collect water and it would have to flow somewhere. Sometimes it was toward a slide where the seal might have to deflect the equivalent of the flow coming out of a garden hose. One day at Ft. Flagler I stood outside for about an hour in heavy rain watching a significant stream of rain water flow off the roof and attack a seal. Some of it was getting inside and making the bedroom rug wet.
The slide had been "professionally" adjusted under warranty to stop the leaks. My solution was to install a gutter and some "deflectors" so that, no matter how hard it rains, the roof water is forced to flow somewhere other than a slide. If may still be less than a perfect seal, but now the only water that falls on the seal itself has to be just a raindrop itself! And, that is not enough to make for a noticeable leak. I no longer allow any streams coming from the roof to flow directly on to a slide seal.