Help with water leak before all hair is gone..

[johnnydurok]

Comedian Ron White says "you can't fix stupid" so I am not repairable.

Water is leaking down the backside (front of m/h side) of the upper tv cabinet and appears to come from above the board/paneling that holds the front curtain.

I have been trying for months to solve a water leak. I have spent a lot of hours on the roof so far. But it still leaks. I could not find anything obvious after close inspections of the front cap and all the various hardware up there. I have removed and resealed virtually everything on the front end. I have replaced the front clearance lenses as the old ones were all cracked. (Thought that was it, but not to be.)

The seams on the sidewall for the front cap seem to be just fine. I cannot probe any openings. I have not replaced any sealant on the vertical walls. This would include the upper joints where the sidewalls meet the roof. It seems that the area where the water is coming from is higher than this area but it is close.

It would seem to me that the water has to be coming from the front 4-6 ft.. Any ideas as I wait today for 3-4" of rain and need to keep changing towels to keep the water off vital electrical stuff under the dash.

Johnny

[johnnydurok]

I used Sikaflex sealant around hardware and other areas after removing old caulking.

[REWahoo]

Johnny, I've been fighting a similar leak for months. Mine is in the bedroom on the driver's side, where the floor meets the wall just aft of the slide.

I recaulked (Dicor) everything on the roof of the coach. I recaulked every last vertical seam on the drivers side. All to no avail. It leaked whether the slide was in or out. To totally eliminate the possibility it was coming from from the slide gasket, I used waterproof tape to seal all the way around the closed slide and waited for a rain - it still leaked.

I bought two 50' rolls of Eternabond tape and carefully taped over all the seams on the roof, front to back, including the end caps and where the ladder and roof rack is mounted (taped over the new caulking). It still leaks.

[Luv2go]

Don't forget the air conditioner gasket. I had a leak that presented itself at the kitchen window on the old coach, it turned out to be the A/C gasket. The water traveled between the roof material (rubber in that coach) and the decking over to the side of the coach where the kitchen window was. Replacing the gasket fixed it.

Stewart

[johnnydurok]

I glanced at the A/C unit but thought the water would leak down into the ceiling if it was the problem and not travel to the front end of the coach.

Luvvy: Did your leak not go down but went sideways between the roof and decking? I guess I could envision the water getting to the side and then up the front.

Johnny

[Route 66]

The vast majority of water leaks in the front of Newmars (and maybe other brands) are the clearance lights.

Even thought they may look OK, reseal them.

Also check air horns, spot light, TV antenna, satellite dish mounting and dish cable entry if you have them.

[johnnydurok]

I am going to pick up an A/C gasket today and will install when it quits raining.

As I mentioned, I replaced the lenses but sounds like I should remove the bases and reseal as well.

Thanks all for the input and help.

Johnny

[GaryKD]

Hi Johnny and REWahoo,
In addition to the advice already given, to the to Eternabond site at Roof Leak Repair Products & Sealing Tape | EternaBond. They have two way Eternabond. This might be the perfect solution for clearance light and A/C gasket leaks. When I did my roof, a couple of years ago, I did not remove any old caulk. I just cleaned all the seams very good with a scrub brush and 303 cleaner. Every seam on my roof is sealed with an Eternabond product. I just put it right over the factory caulk, screws and metal seams. For me, nothing gets through Eternabond. If you've ever seen a Newmar roof before its' closed up, you'd know water has many ways to drive a coach owner crazy.

Go to the NKK International Rally, in August. During this rally they offer an extended plant tour. It covers areas of the build process that are not included on the regular tour.

[REWahoo]

Thanks for the info on the A/C as a possible source of my leak. Since I've taped and caulked everything else, I'm thinking my rear A/C gasket must be the culprit. It makes sense as it is positioned adjacent to and slightly uphill from the leak.

Once it stops raining I'm replacing it - and crossing my fingers.

[soricobob]

If that doesn't work, try parking the coach on a slant, then hosing different sections (one at a time...to test) you're sure to find the source.

["007"]

In both cases with possible AC leaks take off the AC cover and look for four bolt heads and tighten till snug. Do a criss-x tighten of bolts.
If your coach's are not that old maybe all you have to do. My 7 year old coach has not had a leak because I would check every fall before winter.
You will find some of the bolts loose because of all the vibration while traveling.
If you hear allot of squeaking from ceiling area maybe sign of some loose bolts.

[Luv2go]

Johnnydurok, yes, the water went sideways on a flat roof (it was SOB, not Newmar) about 8 feet diagonally from the A/C to above the window, then went down inside the wall until it hit the window frame.

GaryKD, When you Eternabonded your clearance lights, did you put in the double-sided Eternabond sort of like a gasket? My front clearance lights are on the painted front cap, and I'm sure I'd get some comments if it did not look good!

Stewart

[GaryKD]

Hi Stewart,
My clearance lights are not sealed with EternaBond. The two way EternaBond was not available the last time I did my clearance lights. However, the next time I do them, they will be done with the two way EternaBond. Different manufacturers use and mount their lights in many different ways. For my coach, I will use the two way and then carefully trim around the lights. The last step will be to put a small bead of caulk around each light.

[Norm4015]

I have helped several Newmar owners fix leaks by resealing the front clearence lights. Seems to be a weak point with Newmar motorhomes including one I owned. I found the only way to fix the leaking is to remove the light assemblies and remove all old caulking. Then use plenty of caulk to fill the perimeter of each hole and mash the clearance lights into the caulking and screw them down. Then caulk around the top and sides of the lights.