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Old 04-07-2011, 12:29 PM   #1
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Windshield Leaks

Last night I noticed a drip (leak) coming from the drivers side windshield. It was in the center top. A very slow drip.

Any ideas what to look for? Calk?
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Old 04-07-2011, 01:07 PM   #2
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Look where the front cap joins the sidewall. The top cap, right at the end of the rain channel. If that radius seam is open at all, the reseal it. If the water is on the plastic inside, that is most likely where the leak is.
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Old 04-08-2011, 08:37 AM   #3
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More likely it is a long term leak at a clearance lamp above that area. The water runs down the inside of the fiberglass to the steel frame that the windshield glass is glues into. It sits there and rusts the metal until it makes its way between the metal and the glass. Pull the outer rubber away from the glass in that area. It just pops into a plastic piece that is attached to the metal frame with double-sided tape, and can be popped back in when you are finished. The rubber does nothing but act as a weather seal between the fiberglass and the glass ...it is not part of holding the glass in place like it is on many other brands. If you find rust (all too common, and I am sure you will!) you can try cleaning it up yourself, put a rust preventative on the metal, and then use windshield sealer silicone to seal it well. Be sure to get the "windshield sealer" stuff and not plain silicone ...the sealer is thinner and will flow into the leak better. You can get it in small tubes at walmart or auto part places. The more extreme repair is to have the glass removed and the metal frame restored and the glass reinstalled. It is very possible/almost likely they will break the glass trying to rmove it, though sometimes they don't.

If you do nothing to stop the rust, it will eventually crack the glass.

And of course, you also need to check/reseal the clearance lamps. I check/reseal mine as part of my annual maintenance.
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Old 04-08-2011, 09:04 AM   #4
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Great information.. Maybe next weekend..
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Old 04-08-2011, 02:54 PM   #5
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AFChap has it about right, except in my case the leak wasn't coming from the clearance lights and never had. My clearance lights are set into a moulded recess in the cap and the wires exit at the top of the recess, not much to seal. The water can also get to the frame, and will, just by getting behind the rubber trim at the top. I had a very manageable passenger side drip or two in a rain. I noticed rust running down from one of the clearance lights, so I popped the lens and saw a rusted mess of a steel bracket that is epoxied in place to which the lens is screwed. After getting 5 new brackets, I chipped the old ones out and epoxied the new ones in. Two days later (on vacation in FL) we had 3 inches of rain, and I had massive leaks from both windshields, about a gallon. I had the front TV removed at the time and I could see the back of the clearance lights, dry as a bone. After removing the inside windshield trim, I could see that it was definitely leaking between the frame and the seal. So I called a windshield guy. Meanwhile the next day we got another 4 inches of rain and another gallon of leakage. All I could think of is that my pounding to remove the epoxy opened up the rust in the frame.

The windshield guy does tons of MH's here in FL and said that he has seen the frames so rusted he would give no guarantee on leakage. He could only do so much without tearing into the frame. The side he replaced, which did have a crack, was rusted somewhat and clearly lost the seal in some rusted areas. He was able to wire brush the rust, apply rust preventative and said he got the new windshield resealed fine. He also ran a bead of urethane on the inside of the other side where I saw the leak. The next day after he finished, we had a heavy morning dew, running down the windshield. His side had no leaks, but the other side, even with inside extra caulk, still leaked, but not as bad.

So I pulled the outside rubber trim off the top of the glass on the leaking side, cleaned the loose snap moulding, the edge of the fiberglass cap, the rubber trim and the edge of the windshield with acetone and sealed the moulding to the cap and to the windshield with black automotive silicone sealer, not gasket maker. In my ususal belt and suspenders approach, I also used 3M automotive trim double side tape to stick the top of the rubber trim to the cap. Two days later another inch of rain and no more leaks. At least for now.
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Old 04-08-2011, 03:01 PM   #6
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Just found the same leak the other morning. Just morning dew, no rain! Gotta get up there and inspect things. It's stored indoors at home, so it rarely sees rain, but a leak is a leak. One more thing for the to do list...
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Old 04-09-2011, 01:08 PM   #7
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If, like the picture shows, the drip is coming from the plastic, check the cap to sidewall first. Generally, if it is the urethane between the frame and the windshield, the water runs down the windshield/
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Old 04-12-2011, 06:32 PM   #8
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Funny.. its raining today and no leaks !!

Another question.... Up on the roof.. where the roof meets the front cap.

I see there is calking up there, would it be better to use Dicor Lap Sealant ?

Like what is on the other vents, antenna up on the roof ?

Thanks
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Old 04-13-2011, 02:17 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bug512 View Post
Funny.. its raining today and no leaks !!

Another question.... Up on the roof.. where the roof meets the front cap.

I see there is calking up there, would it be better to use Dicor Lap Sealant ?

Like what is on the other vents, antenna up on the roof ?

Thanks
I'm gonna use eternabond tape on all the seams when it becomes necessary. i have already used eternabond to seal the satellite dish installation.

Roof Leak Repair Products & Sealing Tape | EternaBond
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Old 04-15-2011, 10:28 AM   #10
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Wouldnt it be nice if WINNEBAGO was listening here and fixed the problem !!!
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Old 04-15-2011, 09:29 PM   #11
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Winnebago has a known problem of the metal around the windshield rusting and causing the leak. I was very fortunate that mine was found under warranty and repaired. You need to take the molding off from the inside and look at where the windshield meets the metal and determine if it is rusted through.
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Old 04-16-2011, 06:55 AM   #12
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I pulled off some of the black trim around the windshield this week. The rust in the spots I looked at were not that bad.

It is supposed to rain a lot here today and I was going to remove the plastic trim inside to see where it drips.



I have everything I need to tackle the windshield leak in then next couple of weeks.

I read this older post and I am going to adopt PeteB post on his repair.

I am going to use Rust Reformer and EternaCaulk, then reinstall the windshield trim with 3M's VHB tape

PeteB if you are reading this .. thank you.
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Old 04-17-2011, 10:21 AM   #13
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I removed the clearance lights this morning and found the gaskets in poor condition.
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Old 04-17-2011, 02:50 PM   #14
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Next step was to remove the trim above the windshields.
Not as bad as what most people describe.
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Old 04-17-2011, 02:51 PM   #15
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And now a little priming the metal.
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Old 04-18-2011, 07:28 AM   #16
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I hope you are doing more than just priming the metal with rustoleum, you need to use a rust deactivator first, or will have done a lessor job than the factory did and you know how well that worked. I would power wire brush all of the rust to almost bare metal, apply a rust deactivator, then follow up with a quality bare metal chassis paint.
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Old 04-18-2011, 07:58 AM   #17
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I am using a rust reformer.

I was told by the local glass shop to apply two coats, then top coat it with paint, let dry then caulk.

I gave me a tube of Silkaflex 220+ Urethane to seal the top of the windshield.

He said he has resealed "several" windshields. He also stated most of the problem is that the sealant is not used sparing enough (from the factory) to reach the top of the glass. Since it is not applied to the top of the glass the water lays in the valley between the glass and metal frame. Well we know what happens then.. rust.

So new gaskets are on order for the clearance lights, so by next weekend I will be sealed up !!
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Old 04-18-2011, 11:02 AM   #18
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Glad to see you got it right! When I checked my clearance lights the steel brackets that the lights screwed into were so rusted I had to replace them.
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Old 04-20-2011, 07:02 PM   #19
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New gaskets came in today !

Wondering if I should use a little sealant where the gasket meets the motorhome ?
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Old 04-20-2011, 08:47 PM   #20
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I am not sure, but I usually clear silicon seal around the sides of the gasket making sure i get the side of the lens as well.
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