Billharpo has a windshield problem

[Billharpo]

Anybody had problems with windshields popping out on NRV Tradewinds?

WINDSHIELD ISSUE: it keeps popping out of the gasket (and whistling like a locomotive) or cracking the glass when sealant is used to fix the popped out area. 2000 National RV Tradewinds, 2 piece windshield with figure 8 gasket, center locking bead on gasket.
Its been a recurring problem for 6 years now. Sound familiar to anybody?


Bill and Debbie H

[kenyonman]

I have heard that if you drop the rear jacks before the front are down and set you can pop out the windshield. Not sure if this will help, but it's a shot.

[Jim Stewart]

I had a Newmar Mountainaire that cracked a windshield. It was mounted the same way you describe, it had the figure 8 gasket with one side against the cut-out for the front cap and the other against the glass or center piece support for the two piece windshield. The cut-out for the windshield in the front cap had a few rough points, when I leveled the MH it torqued the cut-out just enough that the windshield hit the rough spots and compressed and cracked one side of the windshield.

The fix on mine was to take out both sides of the windshield and look for rough surfaces along the edge of the cut-out on the front cap. If it is off, you should be able to see it. If you find any, grind them down smooth and reinstall both gasket and both sides of the windshield.


If I remember correctly the gasket was sealed to the front cap, but the windshield floated on the other side within the gasket. I was told that this was to provide some room for the windshield to move slightly with the torque the MH experiences when putting out slides or leveling.

You also may have the opposite problem, the cut-out may be too big requiring the windshield to be sealed to prevent wind noise, yet when sealed, will not allow it to flex. I did hear about this on one coach and the answer was to install a strip over the cut-out lip to bring the low spots in before sealing the gasket in place.

Don't know if this helps, hurts, confuses or confounds, it was just meant to give you some possibilities, I experienced. I hope you can visualize what I am describing.

[Billharpo]

Jim and Kenyonman, thanks for the advice. Especially yours, Jim. Thanks. Merry Christmas

[bldrbob]

I have replaced both sides and reset them many times. I finally gave up and taped the gaps to stop the whistle.I used black tape so it blends in and holds for a while .
BOB

[wa8yxm]

My Damon came with the optional self removing windshield too.

Happened to me twice

1st time the dealer called Guardian Glass near Detroit who came out and porta-powered it back in place, scratched what he scratched and said "Duhh.. It'll likely come out again" and guess what.. it did

Second time what is now Las Vegas RV Called Dave Simpson (Simpson Glass) in Las Vegas.. he took 3 days instead of 30 minutes and.. Guess what. It held.. but he did not like the result, pointed out the problem to me and I agreed, he and Wheelers took photos and e-mailed them to Damon and we set up a factory visit... Later we went to the G.L.A.S.S. FMCA rally and then on to Elkahart (some 30 miles away) where Damon had left the lights on for us (Well a power cord out anyway) we hooked up and the next morn penned the kitties. And went to town.

Damon also took 3 days.. Fixed the problem

Now.. Since your problem and mine might be different I won't go into details.. but the suggestion is a factory visit.

[bzenia]

Have you found an answer to your problem yet? We're having the same issue. with a 2000 Tradewinds.

[Theberrys]

My 1999 Tradewinds has a similar problem. I filled the gap with clear silicon sealer. But it wasn't until i replaced the glass TV with a much lighter weight LCD that it got better. The Tradewinds in general is notorious for windshield problems. Drive down a moderately bumpy road and watch the overhead compartments move. I can't prove it but the 60lb glass TV cantilevered like it is puts a lot of motion on the upper front cap. Some of the Tradewinds have the problem you speak of and some crack windshields on a regular basis.

Sorry to say a factory visit just isn't in the cards for us. National closed it's doors about 2 years ago.

Just MHO
Dick

[bzenia]

After taking our 2000 Tradewinds RV to 4 different places, we finally took it to Duncan RV Repair in Elkhart, IN. Friendly, knowledgeable people who knew how to fix it. Not inexpensive, but worth every penny!

[bigdog]

I have my '01 Tradewinds in the shop to have the gasket replaced,the right w/s has dropped and the left is popping out in the upper left corner.The glass guy who does almost all the local work on RV's says that this is normal and to stay away from situations where the rig can flex.. Sure thing,you oughta see how I have to park it in the yard. I'm in the process of redoing the pad from the TT to the MH and just put down 2 1/2 yds of gravel to level it so I don't have to do blocks.. Why didn't they build these things for anything else than driving down a straight freeway at 65 MPH..Hey, put the brakes on hard,change lanes in a hurry,drive on a curvy mountain road and it seems as if you'll pop a w/s...

[bldrbob]

That is why I gave up on keeping the windshield in place. When I back in off the road there is a small swale that causes the coach to flex. That makes the windshield slide back and forth a couple inches and pop out. I made a flexible patch to seal where the windshield is sticking out on the left and ran black tape down the right side to stop the wind whistle.
BOB

[bigdog]

I wonder if that's why Gorilla Tape is black??? It sure doesn't seem to want to come off of anything.. Kinda like Eterna tape..

[Hesaskip]

My 99 popped out after I had both sides replaced. The problem is the way it is installed. You need a real good installer that is familiar with doing MHs. The jack leg that did mine finally gave up. Took it back to the dealer and the people they use installed it. Didn't pop out anymore. That was several years back. Replaced them again last year after a bad turn in Flaming Gorge. The MH flexed and broke both of the glasses. A very good installation job this time by Quality Glass out of Mobile. They look they same now as did when we purchased it. All of that caulk some of them use is covering up what they do wrong. Thats why it pops out. Another reason is that in the 99, a support needs to be added on the corner, if it hasn't been done already. The service manager checked mine, it had already been reinforced, so it was a bad installation, which I already knew. The two guys doing the job were cursing the whole time. That told me they didn't know what they were doing. With the last two that were installed, about two years now, it took the installer most all of one day to complete the job. When he finished, I asked if I had to wait 4 hours. The answer was, it is not going to move now or 4 hours from now. It is there to stay.

[bldrbob]

A couple months in the Florida sun makes the gorilla let go leaving a lot of grey goo behind.Some goofoff and a large dose of patience pills cleans it up.
BOB