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Old 06-17-2013, 12:22 PM   #1
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Found another leak AND the source!

grrrr the joys of owning a motorhome!

Last week (and the weekend before) we took the motorhome out for a trip. We spent the weekend at Pocono Raceway for the NASCAR race weekend, and then spent a few days camping at Hickory Run State Park in PA. The downside to our week away ...rain, rain, rain and more hard rain.

We spent 1/2 of our drive to PA in hard rains, and then all but 2 out of 8 days were rain, rain, rain.

We got home on Wed of last week, only to be pounded by more rain at home.

In the past, this hasn't been a big issue. Yes we have discovered some leaks and it appears, have fixed them. Well today I went out to the motorhome and was confronted by a very strong mold smell.

It didn't take long to track down the area it was coming from - the wall next to the drivers seat. In the past we've had some mold/mildew here that we noticed during the 2 winters we spent in the motorhome. I attributed that to condensation on the inside walls, and as such, made sure to keep some damp-rids on the floor there, and to make sure I wiped down any condensation.

Today it was much worse. The carpeting, where it meets the wall, was damp today and the odor very strong. Great, so I head outside to look at the body side molding that covers that body --> chassis gap (under the drivers window). I've paid attention to this area before as the previous owner had re-siliconed this area in the past and there was some small visible rust signs. I too had siliconed this area in the past, but today decided it was time to take the molding off.

Yeah, that's a project that is going to require a new molding piece as the original is aluminum and I had to use some muscle to get it off. So I get the outer cap off, unscrew the rail and sure enough there is dampness and rust buildup behind it *BUT* even with all that, it does not appear that there's a noticeable leak there.

Grrrr I say, yes this piece did need to come off to clean up behind it, but now I have to find a replacement piece and still find the leak source.

Back inside I go and wedge myself up under the dash and I found it!!

I started pressing on the side panel where it meets the firewall and notice some softness. Not a LOT, but certainly some softness on the inside portion of the panel. I ran my hand farther up the panel and there it was -- the hole that was cut into the sidewall to run the electric mirror wires through was not sealed properly!!!

Back outside I go to take the mirror off and when I did I could see that the hole was not siliconed properly and has likely been leaking since the motorhome was new. The way the silicone had set, left a nice downward ramp for water to slide down into the wall and interior.

Well, at least I have found the source - now to:

- dry up and deodorize the interior
- fix the leaking source
- clean up the area behind the body side molding
- find and install replacement body side molding

So my advice to everyone ... get your tools, some appropriate sealer, and take your mirrors off. It only took 4 screws (well 3 since one was broken during the install!) to get the mirror off and check the entry hole for the wires.








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Old 06-17-2013, 03:45 PM   #2
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Phx, Arid~zona
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You tryin' to scare us 1311 owners.

Me thinks that living back east, where the rain freezes, it destroys more seals. Mine was warehouse stored and only had 15K on the clock. 109.2 right now at 3:40PM. The next time we get a good rain in Phx, I'm putting both slides out and watch TV.


BTW, I'm one of those "It can't happen to me" guys.



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