Wanderlodge Gurus - The Member Funded Wanderlodge Forum

We finally got some much needed rain here in central TX yesterday. I
just happened to be out in our bird getting things ready for our
upcomming trip and I noticed a wet spot on the capret on top of the
dash just in front of the co-pilot's seat. After opening up some
panels in the front overhead cabinets and removing the speaker above
the entry door I think I got the area where water was coming in pretty
well narrowed down. I thought it was where the awning rail was screwed
down. After it stopped raining and had dried out, I used a water
bottle to wet the area around the awning rail...no water insde...then
I noticed the plastic/fiberglass cowling at the front end of the rails
that run the length of the roof looked cracked in a couple places and
like the cowling might be lifting up a little. I wet that area and
presto....there was water inside again. If I get a chance today I am
going to pull that cowling off and clean off the old silicone and
re-seal everything.
Would it be ok to use an exterior silicone adhesive caulk from home
depot or should I use something more specialized for up on the roof? I
think part of the cover is on the steel part of the roof and part is
over the fiberglass cap. Also, since the covers are starting to crack,
I am worried that when I screw them back down they might crack further
or break...any ideas other than washers to help distribute the force?
I'm sure it would be expensive to replace them as they are painted. I
thought about applying some resin or something around the cracks then
redrilling the holes. The cracks are only around the screw holes.
Sorry for the long post...Would appreciate any tips.

John C.
98 Wanderlodge LX

John: I would use NP-1 chemical based caulking. We caulk condo corridors with
NP-1. It is available at most Ace hardware stores and paint stores. You will
need Zylol to clean up. It it paintable and comes in several colors. If the
screw holes are countersunk I would use washers.
If you use this product do not expect to remove the cap without damage in the
future, particularly if you apply the caulk under the cap before installation.
I guarantee it will stop the leak.

Leroy Eckert
1990 WB-40
Niceville, FL
Smoke N Mirrors





----- Original Message -----
From: John
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 6:15 AM
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Water leak...


We finally got some much needed rain here in central TX yesterday. I
just happened to be out in our bird getting things ready for our
upcomming trip and I noticed a wet spot on the capret on top of the
dash just in front of the co-pilot's seat. After opening up some
panels in the front overhead cabinets and removing the speaker above
the entry door I think I got the area where water was coming in pretty
well narrowed down. I thought it was where the awning rail was screwed
down. After it stopped raining and had dried out, I used a water
bottle to wet the area around the awning rail...no water insde...then
I noticed the plastic/fiberglass cowling at the front end of the rails
that run the length of the roof looked cracked in a couple places and
like the cowling might be lifting up a little. I wet that area and
presto....there was water inside again. If I get a chance today I am
going to pull that cowling off and clean off the old silicone and
re-seal everything.
Would it be ok to use an exterior silicone adhesive caulk from home
depot or should I use something more specialized for up on the roof? I
think part of the cover is on the steel part of the roof and part is
over the fiberglass cap. Also, since the covers are starting to crack,
I am worried that when I screw them back down they might crack further
or break...any ideas other than washers to help distribute the force?
I'm sure it would be expensive to replace them as they are painted. I
thought about applying some resin or something around the cracks then
redrilling the holes. The cracks are only around the screw holes.
Sorry for the long post...Would appreciate any tips.

John C.
98 Wanderlodge LX





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi John,

On my '99 LXi,the cowling or shroud you are speaking of is just a
trim to aerodynamically end the front of the rail. There is no
ssealant needed between the bottom edge of the shroud and the roof.
The only sealing needed is for the mounting screws on the shroud and
for the end of the rail/brackets under the shroud. The water flows
freely under mine and does not leak into the coach. Your model may
be different but looking at the pictures on the Vintage Birds
History page, they appeay similar. Obviously your test shows that
yours does leak so I would suspect something under the shroud.
Anyone have further insight? Personally, I would choose a special
purpose sealant as I'm not a fan of silicone caulk. Again, someone
with more knowledge can hopefully add to this for you.

Rich D. '99LXi43' CT


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "John"
wrote:
>
> We finally got some much needed rain here in central TX yesterday.
I
> just happened to be out in our bird getting things ready for our
> upcomming trip and I noticed a wet spot on the capret on top of the
> dash just in front of the co-pilot's seat. After opening up some
> panels in the front overhead cabinets and removing the speaker
above
> the entry door I think I got the area where water was coming in
pretty
> well narrowed down. I thought it was where the awning rail was
screwed
> down. After it stopped raining and had dried out, I used a water
> bottle to wet the area around the awning rail...no water
insde...then
> I noticed the plastic/fiberglass cowling at the front end of the
rails
> that run the length of the roof looked cracked in a couple places
and
> like the cowling might be lifting up a little. I wet that area and
> presto....there was water inside again. If I get a chance today I
am
> going to pull that cowling off and clean off the old silicone and
> re-seal everything.
> Would it be ok to use an exterior silicone adhesive caulk from home
> depot or should I use something more specialized for up on the
roof? I
> think part of the cover is on the steel part of the roof and part
is
> over the fiberglass cap. Also, since the covers are starting to
crack,
> I am worried that when I screw them back down they might crack
further
> or break...any ideas other than washers to help distribute the
force?
> I'm sure it would be expensive to replace them as they are
painted. I
> thought about applying some resin or something around the cracks
then
> redrilling the holes. The cracks are only around the screw holes.
> Sorry for the long post...Would appreciate any tips.
>
> John C.
> 98 Wanderlodge LX
>

John I would seal the individual mounting holes with Urethane or Buytal. If
the mounting holes in the fiberglass cap have small radiating stress cracks
you could use a self-leveling sealant like Dicor 501 lap sealant or Sikoflex

On 17/10/06, g_man1146 wrote:
>
> Hi John,
>
> On my '99 LXi,the cowling or shroud you are speaking of is just a
> trim to aerodynamically end the front of the rail. There is no
> ssealant needed between the bottom edge of the shroud and the roof.
> The only sealing needed is for the mounting screws on the shroud and
> for the end of the rail/brackets under the shroud. The water flows
> freely under mine and does not leak into the coach. Your model may
> be different but looking at the pictures on the Vintage Birds
> History page, they appeay similar. Obviously your test shows that
> yours does leak so I would suspect something under the shroud.
> Anyone have further insight? Personally, I would choose a special
> purpose sealant as I'm not a fan of silicone caulk. Again, someone
> with more knowledge can hopefully add to this for you.
>
> Rich D. '99LXi43' CT
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com,
> "John"
> wrote:
> >
> > We finally got some much needed rain here in central TX yesterday.
> I
> > just happened to be out in our bird getting things ready for our
> > upcomming trip and I noticed a wet spot on the capret on top of the
> > dash just in front of the co-pilot's seat. After opening up some
> > panels in the front overhead cabinets and removing the speaker
> above
> > the entry door I think I got the area where water was coming in
> pretty
> > well narrowed down. I thought it was where the awning rail was
> screwed
> > down. After it stopped raining and had dried out, I used a water
> > bottle to wet the area around the awning rail...no water
> insde...then
> > I noticed the plastic/fiberglass cowling at the front end of the
> rails
> > that run the length of the roof looked cracked in a couple places
> and
> > like the cowling might be lifting up a little. I wet that area and
> > presto....there was water inside again. If I get a chance today I
> am
> > going to pull that cowling off and clean off the old silicone and
> > re-seal everything.
> > Would it be ok to use an exterior silicone adhesive caulk from home
> > depot or should I use something more specialized for up on the
> roof? I
> > think part of the cover is on the steel part of the roof and part
> is
> > over the fiberglass cap. Also, since the covers are starting to
> crack,
> > I am worried that when I screw them back down they might crack
> further
> > or break...any ideas other than washers to help distribute the
> force?
> > I'm sure it would be expensive to replace them as they are
> painted. I
> > thought about applying some resin or something around the cracks
> then
> > redrilling the holes. The cracks are only around the screw holes.
> > Sorry for the long post...Would appreciate any tips.
> >
> > John C.
> > 98 Wanderlodge LX
> >
>
>
>



--
Rob, Sue & Merlin Robinson
94 WLWB


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I dont know much about caulk but I was watching a neighbor work on
engines for John Force and he used Homedepot style clear silicon
sealent betwen the manifolds. If you chose a specility product keep
in mind RV sealants may cater to fiberglass SOB's and may not work on
our Steel SOB's. Some one posted that the side walls get up to
135Deg. in the sun, the roof may get hotter
GregoryO'Connor
94ptRomolandCa

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "g_man1146"
wrote:
>
> Hi John,
>
> On my '99 LXi,the cowling or shroud you are speaking of is just a
> trim to aerodynamically end the front of the rail. There is no
> ssealant needed between the bottom edge of the shroud and the roof.
> The only sealing needed is for the mounting screws on the shroud
and
> for the end of the rail/brackets under the shroud. The water flows
> freely under mine and does not leak into the coach. Your model may
> be different but looking at the pictures on the Vintage Birds
> History page, they appeay similar. Obviously your test shows that
> yours does leak so I would suspect something under the shroud.
> Anyone have further insight? Personally, I would choose a special
> purpose sealant as I'm not a fan of silicone caulk. Again, someone
> with more knowledge can hopefully add to this for you.
>
> Rich D. '99LXi43' CT
>
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "John"
> wrote:
> >
> > We finally got some much needed rain here in central TX
yesterday.
> I
> > just happened to be out in our bird getting things ready for our
> > upcomming trip and I noticed a wet spot on the capret on top of
the
> > dash just in front of the co-pilot's seat. After opening up some
> > panels in the front overhead cabinets and removing the speaker
> above
> > the entry door I think I got the area where water was coming in
> pretty
> > well narrowed down. I thought it was where the awning rail was
> screwed
> > down. After it stopped raining and had dried out, I used a water
> > bottle to wet the area around the awning rail...no water
> insde...then
> > I noticed the plastic/fiberglass cowling at the front end of the
> rails
> > that run the length of the roof looked cracked in a couple places
> and
> > like the cowling might be lifting up a little. I wet that area and
> > presto....there was water inside again. If I get a chance today I
> am
> > going to pull that cowling off and clean off the old silicone and
> > re-seal everything.
> > Would it be ok to use an exterior silicone adhesive caulk from
home
> > depot or should I use something more specialized for up on the
> roof? I
> > think part of the cover is on the steel part of the roof and part
> is
> > over the fiberglass cap. Also, since the covers are starting to
> crack,
> > I am worried that when I screw them back down they might crack
> further
> > or break...any ideas other than washers to help distribute the
> force?
> > I'm sure it would be expensive to replace them as they are
> painted. I
> > thought about applying some resin or something around the cracks
> then
> > redrilling the holes. The cracks are only around the screw holes.
> > Sorry for the long post...Would appreciate any tips.
> >
> > John C.
> > 98 Wanderlodge LX
> >
>

Hi Greg. Dicor 501 can be used on both fiberglass and metal surfaces. It is
primarily used to seal joints between rubber roofs and fiberglass/metal
surfaces.

On 17/10/06, Gregory OConnor wrote:
>
> I dont know much about caulk but I was watching a neighbor work on
> engines for John Force and he used Homedepot style clear silicon
> sealent betwen the manifolds. If you chose a specility product keep
> in mind RV sealants may cater to fiberglass SOB's and may not work on
> our Steel SOB's. Some one posted that the side walls get up to
> 135Deg. in the sun, the roof may get hotter
> GregoryO'Connor
> 94ptRomolandCa
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com,
> "g_man1146"
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi John,
> >
> > On my '99 LXi,the cowling or shroud you are speaking of is just a
> > trim to aerodynamically end the front of the rail. There is no
> > ssealant needed between the bottom edge of the shroud and the roof.
> > The only sealing needed is for the mounting screws on the shroud
> and
> > for the end of the rail/brackets under the shroud. The water flows
> > freely under mine and does not leak into the coach. Your model may
> > be different but looking at the pictures on the Vintage Birds
> > History page, they appeay similar. Obviously your test shows that
> > yours does leak so I would suspect something under the shroud.
> > Anyone have further insight? Personally, I would choose a special
> > purpose sealant as I'm not a fan of silicone caulk. Again, someone
> > with more knowledge can hopefully add to this for you.
> >
> > Rich D. '99LXi43' CT
> >
> >
> > --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com,
> "John"
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > We finally got some much needed rain here in central TX
> yesterday.
> > I
> > > just happened to be out in our bird getting things ready for our
> > > upcomming trip and I noticed a wet spot on the capret on top of
> the
> > > dash just in front of the co-pilot's seat. After opening up some
> > > panels in the front overhead cabinets and removing the speaker
> > above
> > > the entry door I think I got the area where water was coming in
> > pretty
> > > well narrowed down. I thought it was where the awning rail was
> > screwed
> > > down. After it stopped raining and had dried out, I used a water
> > > bottle to wet the area around the awning rail...no water
> > insde...then
> > > I noticed the plastic/fiberglass cowling at the front end of the
> > rails
> > > that run the length of the roof looked cracked in a couple places
> > and
> > > like the cowling might be lifting up a little. I wet that area and
> > > presto....there was water inside again. If I get a chance today I
> > am
> > > going to pull that cowling off and clean off the old silicone and
> > > re-seal everything.
> > > Would it be ok to use an exterior silicone adhesive caulk from
> home
> > > depot or should I use something more specialized for up on the
> > roof? I
> > > think part of the cover is on the steel part of the roof and part
> > is
> > > over the fiberglass cap. Also, since the covers are starting to
> > crack,
> > > I am worried that when I screw them back down they might crack
> > further
> > > or break...any ideas other than washers to help distribute the
> > force?
> > > I'm sure it would be expensive to replace them as they are
> > painted. I
> > > thought about applying some resin or something around the cracks
> > then
> > > redrilling the holes. The cracks are only around the screw holes.
> > > Sorry for the long post...Would appreciate any tips.
> > >
> > > John C.
> > > 98 Wanderlodge LX
> > >
> >
>
>
>



--
Rob, Sue & Merlin Robinson
94 WLWB


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Rob,

Where do you buy Buytal? I did some internet searches
an the best I can come up with is ebay.

Thanks,
David B
'02 LXi, Smokey
Va

Rob Robinson wrote:
> John I would seal the individual mounting holes with Urethane or Buytal. If
> the mounting holes in the fiberglass cap have small radiating stress cracks
> you could use a self-leveling sealant like Dicor 501 lap sealant or Sikoflex
>
>
>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

search on butyl sealant
some canajuns cantspel
Stephen 77fc35 have a great day rob





--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, David Brady wrote:
>
> Rob,
>
> Where do you buy Buytal? I did some internet searches
> an the best I can come up with is ebay.
>
> Thanks,
> David B
> '02 LXi, Smokey
> Va
>
> Rob Robinson wrote:
> > John I would seal the individual mounting holes with Urethane or
Buytal. If
> > the mounting holes in the fiberglass cap have small radiating
stress cracks
> > you could use a self-leveling sealant like Dicor 501 lap sealant
or Sikoflex
> >
> >
> >
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

for the fasteners you can use small wellnuts or closed rivnuts and
machine screws
Stephen 77fc35


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Rob Robinson"
wrote:
>
> Hi Greg. Dicor 501 can be used on both fiberglass and metal
surfaces. It is
> primarily used to seal joints between rubber roofs and fiberglass/metal
> surfaces.
>
> On 17/10/06, Gregory OConnor wrote:
> >
> > I dont know much about caulk but I was watching a neighbor work on
> > engines for John Force and he used Homedepot style clear silicon
> > sealent betwen the manifolds. If you chose a specility product keep
> > in mind RV sealants may cater to fiberglass SOB's and may not work on
> > our Steel SOB's. Some one posted that the side walls get up to
> > 135Deg. in the sun, the roof may get hotter
> > GregoryO'Connor
> > 94ptRomolandCa
> >
> > --- In
WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com,
> > "g_man1146"
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi John,
> > >
> > > On my '99 LXi,the cowling or shroud you are speaking of is just a
> > > trim to aerodynamically end the front of the rail. There is no
> > > ssealant needed between the bottom edge of the shroud and the roof.
> > > The only sealing needed is for the mounting screws on the shroud
> > and
> > > for the end of the rail/brackets under the shroud. The water flows
> > > freely under mine and does not leak into the coach. Your model may
> > > be different but looking at the pictures on the Vintage Birds
> > > History page, they appeay similar. Obviously your test shows that
> > > yours does leak so I would suspect something under the shroud.
> > > Anyone have further insight? Personally, I would choose a special
> > > purpose sealant as I'm not a fan of silicone caulk. Again, someone
> > > with more knowledge can hopefully add to this for you.
> > >
> > > Rich D. '99LXi43' CT
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In
WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com,
> > "John"
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > We finally got some much needed rain here in central TX
> > yesterday.
> > > I
> > > > just happened to be out in our bird getting things ready for our
> > > > upcomming trip and I noticed a wet spot on the capret on top of
> > the
> > > > dash just in front of the co-pilot's seat. After opening up some
> > > > panels in the front overhead cabinets and removing the speaker
> > > above
> > > > the entry door I think I got the area where water was coming in
> > > pretty
> > > > well narrowed down. I thought it was where the awning rail was
> > > screwed
> > > > down. After it stopped raining and had dried out, I used a water
> > > > bottle to wet the area around the awning rail...no water
> > > insde...then
> > > > I noticed the plastic/fiberglass cowling at the front end of the
> > > rails
> > > > that run the length of the roof looked cracked in a couple places
> > > and
> > > > like the cowling might be lifting up a little. I wet that area and
> > > > presto....there was water inside again. If I get a chance today I
> > > am
> > > > going to pull that cowling off and clean off the old silicone and
> > > > re-seal everything.
> > > > Would it be ok to use an exterior silicone adhesive caulk from
> > home
> > > > depot or should I use something more specialized for up on the
> > > roof? I
> > > > think part of the cover is on the steel part of the roof and part
> > > is
> > > > over the fiberglass cap. Also, since the covers are starting to
> > > crack,
> > > > I am worried that when I screw them back down they might crack
> > > further
> > > > or break...any ideas other than washers to help distribute the
> > > force?
> > > > I'm sure it would be expensive to replace them as they are
> > > painted. I
> > > > thought about applying some resin or something around the cracks
> > > then
> > > > redrilling the holes. The cracks are only around the screw holes.
> > > > Sorry for the long post...Would appreciate any tips.
> > > >
> > > > John C.
> > > > 98 Wanderlodge LX
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Rob, Sue & Merlin Robinson
> 94 WLWB
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

NEVER never use silicone on the exterior of a motorhome. Period!! It
will shrink and pull away. The factories use all different kinds of
sealants. The caulk de jour appears to be Sikaflex 221. Fleetwood and
Newmar both use this product. It is a polyurethane. I buy mine at a
body shop supply house.

Bruce
1988 FC35