over cab water leak

[lmarks]

recently bought a 1980 rear bath clipper,and  have a water leak showing up as a puddle in the corner of the f/g shell at port/left side of berth over cab.rig is parked facing downhill, and tilted a couple degrees to port as well, so leak could be originating from right side and travelling left...skylight does not seem to be the source -no sign of water or wetness there.front and side windows would be the obvious suspects--gaskets ,caulking etc.--or the top to side connection under the ali extrusion.thought i would ask if anyone had experience with same or similar problem- and solution--in the past.thanks for any help--lm

[tomfridley]

larry, my '77 clipper had a similar leak in the bunk above the cab.
the leak was entering through a rusted-out screw behind the screw cover moulding that encircles the entire coach about 1 foot from the top.
i bought a roll of new moulding through the ACOC parts order form, and cleaned out all the muck that had accumulated over the years, then sealed and replaced any rusted screws.
the new moulding was easy to install, and have had no problem since the repair.
i was very happy this moulding is still available.
good luck on your project, and let me know how it went.

quote:Originally posted by larry marks:
recently bought a 1980 rear bath clipper,and  have a water leak showing up as a puddle in the corner of the f/g shell at port/left side of berth over cab.rig is parked facing downhill, and tilted a couple degrees to port as well, so leak could be originating from right side and travelling left...skylight does not seem to be the source -no sign of water or wetness there.front and side windows would be the obvious suspects--gaskets ,caulking etc.--or the top to side connection under the ali extrusion.thought i would ask if anyone had experience with same or similar problem- and solution--in the past.thanks for any help--lm

[mollerus]

I had a similar problem leak behind the side door ultimately leading to dry rot and separation of the lower part of the fiberglass body panel joint under the aluminum trim strip in the corner behind the door.  Similar to Tom Fridley's experience, the leak came from two rusted and disintegrated screws under the aluminum trim covering the region where the side and back panel was overlapped by the top panel.   I had to replace considerable wood framing and part of the floor under the water heater.  Incredibly these screws looked like 1 ½ inch non coated dry wall screws and at least 50% of the screws I exposed were severely rusted.  I removed all the rusted screws, filled the holes with short pieces 1/16 dowels glued in with polyurethane glue. I  replaced them with stainless steel screws with the upper shank and head coated with 3-M 4200 caulk.  I plan to replace every screw in all the panel joints in a similar fashion this summer as a preventative step.  All this said, I would also be suspect of the side and front windows as the silicone sealant used some 25 years ago has far exceeded its 10 year warranty.  I would strong suggest that you try different parking angles to stop the leak and/or cover the forward part of the top with a large plastic tarp that hangs down to below the front and side window levels for the rest of the winter rains.  Believe me water stains are an annoyance but dry rot it is a major problem and is best to be avoided.  Bob Mollerus

[Conrad]

I had a window seal leak in the rear bath.  I have removed all of the windows, cleaned the flanges, and re-caulked.  Only the rear window leaked but when I removed it, it was apparent that the sealant had failed.  It was what I call, the dum-dum clay type sealant.  Sold in rolls with a paper backing.  The backing is removed and the clay strip is affixed to whatever is being sealed.  Each  window that I removed had the same.  I also noticed that the windows were not centered in their opennings.

I used a polyurethane caulking to seal the windows (brown) I put enough around the window flange so that some would extrude when the window was clamped in nice and tight.  This extruded part can be cut off easily after it dries. I also used spacers to  center the window fore and aft, top and bottom in  order to have uniform coverage. Heck, I did one while we were on a camp out.  Stainless screws, battery drill, caulking, putty knife, wood wedging material (I used cedar shake), It was a breeze.

[junebob]

Larry #264=LEAKS--Besides the good tips already posted, you might consider removing ,checking and possably resealing and/or  replacing your coach running lights all around.In spite of the American Clippers generally superior construction. The Holee cutting, sealing, and installation of these lights were generally sloppily done.The replacement "Truck Light"[sealed beam] units available from Clip Jr. Are far superior and mount and seal properly,And generally use the same screw holes.Also the sealants available now are far superior.This effort yields two-fold.    No leaks, And Clearance lights that always work.Bob Chaney