2016 Minnie Winnie 22R Roof leak at nose cap above running lights

[bcoldpro]

I am the 2nd owner of a 2016 Minnie Winnie 22R. I have an ongoing issue with a roof leak at the nose cap area, specifically at the metal strip that runs the width of the roof above the running lights. Water collects somewhere in the nose cap area and flows into the upper bunk when the RV is in motion.

I cleaned and recaulked the entire length of the metal strip at both the top side and under side. That seemed to work well for about 1 year. I built a scaffold so I could work and an elevated level.

Now that metal strip appears to be leaking again( I imagine that strip secures the top side of the roof material to the lower section at the running lights?)

Here's are my questions: Has anyone removed the metal strip secured to the roof above the running lights to inspect what is below? (I imagine there is a gap between the upper roof panel and the lower nose panel?)

Has anyone found a method of sealing the roof area beneath the metal strip I mention here and then reinstalling the metal strip?

I'm thinking of pulling the metal securing strip, laying a piece of Eternabond across the full width of the gap I'm guessing I might find, and then resecuring the metal strip with new screws.

(Still all kinds of questions about what wood is below and thickness)

Being the 2nd owner, Winnebago tells me the roof Warranty applies to only the original owner. No other roof leaks. I did have the perimeter of the roof recaulked 2 years ago as a preventative effort.

New to this forum so not sure yet how to post photos.

 

[Eagle5]

Water collects somewhere in the nose cap area and flows into the upper bunk when the RV is in motion.

Hi bcoldpro,
Could it be that the leak is from one of the five clearance lights? Since it doesn't leak unless you are underway, I sort of doubt it was ever coming from the top seal on the nose cap. The goal of the nose cap was to eliminate those kinds of leaks; hopefully.
Here is the sealant guide for your 2016 Minnie Winnie 22R
Eagle5
How to add photos to a post

P.S. Do you have the nose cap pictured below?

 

[bcoldpro]

The nose cap you show in the photo is/was an optional item from what I understand. My 2016 Minnie Winnie 22R DOES NOT have that cap. When I use the term 'nose cap" it means the area from the top of the roof line to the downward curve above the front upper bunk. Thank you so much for your response.

 

[Eagle5]

OK - Yes: I see the strip is on the descending slope of the nose area, so I get how that could leak when underway. Still, I have also heard of the clearance lights leaking, so maybe check those first?
Thanks, Eagle5

 

[bcoldpro]

It is when I am underway that the water that has leaked into the nose area that has collected somewhere, enters into the upper bunk area thereby giving both the driver and passenger an unexpected shower to start the trip off just right.

The clearance lights have been caulked and recaulked. I bet my bottom dollar that water is flowing off the roof towards the nose and entering at the top of the metal strip and then collecting somewhere. And we are not talking about just a trickle of water, but a quart of water at times!

I go back to my original question about removing that metal strip just above the running lights and attempting a fix there.

 

[Morich]

You will find that fighting leaks is one of the big issues in RV ownership. It is a constant issue and it takes some real looking and thought, both on where as well as what and how!

If it has been a year, it may simply be time to do it again if the materials and methods are not correct.

One big issue on sealing is what is used and how well, as it is not always a clearcut answer on either. If you have existing sealers like silicone, be aware that it takes a really good cleaning job to remove the old and new will not stick if there is even a trace of the old.

But for your question? No, I have not dealt with that specific roof strip as RV are so different. My major roof sealing jobs were way back and involved metal roof materials!
But some of that may still apply!
If you have a leak at a seam and there are fasteners like screws, there is likely to have been wood underneath.
However WAS may be the key issue! There may have been wood there but you will not know if it is still there or just a handful of rot!
Several of my first RV were bought cheap because there were obvious roof problems and the sellers did not want to deal with it!
I have no experience with dealing with the bonded roof types but for the old metal, we peeled it back, built new wooden structure and glued it back together. That gave us new wood to run the screws in to hold.
It usually also involved replacing the interior ceiling as it had often crumbled due to the extended time things were left to rot.

My advise? Deal with it sooner rather than later as it is a progressive thing that will not get better with time!
The only way to find what is there is to begin taking it apart until you get to a point where you see good material! Where there is water, there is apt to be fungus and if that is left, it continues to degrade!

 

[Eagle5]

Hi bcoldpro,
I do not know how to get that strip out of the nose; sorry.
I would recommend that you always use the official Winnebago Sealants. If you use an incompatible sealant, it will not stick to the old sealant, and could help funnel even more water inside.
If it were me, I would get a price on purchasing a nose cap, and install that to fix the leak. The part number for Panel #63 is:
185769-02-XXX CAP ASM-ROOF, FRONT; FEATURE CODE: 31U
Eagle5

 

[chromeronzo]

WOW I just performed this rebuild (?), hopefully addressing all of the issues---removed the inside floor to my cabover, removed most all of the old, fungus ridden wood--which is some kind of tight-grain pine--and replaced it with some oak that I had milled to the proper thickness. What a mess!! Took a small fan and turned it on for 24/7 for 2 weeks, treated the entire area with bleach for a week, then used a product called Tim-Bro mixed with hydrogen peroxide, bleach, water... watch it fizz...sprayed that on and let set for another week...with intermitent sprayings...don't hang around, it is brutal. I'm not sure if I killed everything inside that compartment, but I should have. Rebuilt all the wood with new that I could... used FRP panels to replace the flooring, had all of the aluminum components powder coated as well as added some additional pieces.Let it rain...we'll see.


If you get a small laddar and set it up between the seats, you can access your work. Also, if you remove all of your foam pads and storage junk on the cabover flooring, take a putty knife and lift up the piece of interior panel that comes down and overlaps the inside shelf, you can visually see and feel the moisture...good luck!

 

[motts461]

I had a leak in the same area. My 2019 Minnie Winnie 31G leaked from a spot on the roof where the cap meets the roof. As you can see in the picture the Nuflex 311 did not cover the undercoat which I believe is butyl tape. I am mad at myself for not addressing this when I bought it new. I saw it while washing and waxing the roof but it came to me like that way and I thought, wrongly, that Winnebago's inspectors would have addressed it if it was a problem.

I drove to the factory and their remedy was a rebuilt cap area for $3600 and a rebuilt roof for $25,000. They resealed the cap roof joint with Nuflex and I drove home.

I haven't developed a plan to address the damage and I don't have a building to work in. Honestly I was in shock for a while and remodeling my kitchen. I guess I need to figure something out.

 

[bcoldpro]

Hi bcoldpro,
I do not know how to get that strip out of the nose; sorry.
I would recommend that you always use the official Winnebago Sealants. If you use an incompatible sealant, it will not stick to the old sealant, and could help funnel even more water inside.
If it were me, I would get a price on purchasing a nose cap, and install that to fix the leak. The part number for Panel #63 is:
185769-02-XXX CAP ASM-ROOF, FRONT; FEATURE CODE: 31U
Eagle5

Thank you for the link to the cap. Just for the fun of it I'll call Winnebego Parts to ask how much. Must be a bear to ship and install? I'll probably go that route if I keep my rig, coming on 5 years of ownership.

 

[bcoldpro]

I had a leak in the same area. My 2019 Minnie Winnie 31G leaked from a spot on the roof where the cap meets the roof. As you can see in the picture the Nuflex 311 did not cover the undercoat which I believe is butyl tape. I am mad at myself for not addressing this when I bought it new. I saw it while washing and waxing the roof but it came to me like that way and I thought, wrongly, that Winnebago's inspectors would have addressed it if it was a problem.

I drove to the factory and their remedy was a rebuilt cap area for $3600 and a rebuilt roof for $25,000. They resealed the cap roof joint with Nuflex and I drove home.

I haven't developed a plan to address the damage and I don't have a building to work in. Honestly I was in shock for a while and remodeling my kitchen. I guess I need to figure something out.

Wow, the photo is showing some creative patch job! I lay awake some nights trying to figure out how to address the roof leak myself! (I am bound and determined to slay this beast!) A few months ago I set up my scaffold once again so I could get right up to the area you show in the photo. I pulled the plastic insert at the top of the metal rail, I found one end of the rail had a single screw of a shorter length and the metal rail had lifted up a bit allowing water to seep in primarily over the passenger side it appeared. The other end of the rail had 2 screws separated by maybe an inch and of a longer length. Must have been an office party that day and someone just wanted to close out the day. Very disappointed in quality control. I recaulked the entire length including the mounting screw heads and replaced the vinyl insert strip with new. (I added stainless steel screws x2 at both ends of the rail) Last big rain it leaked again but in a much lesser amount. Next step is to add either 2" or 4" Eternabond style sealing tape from Winnebego that is color coordinated. Working out how I am going to apply, overlapping with 2" or laying down 4" butted up agains the seam and then 2" as a cap on both. Wish me luck!

 

[bcoldpro]

I had a leak in the same area. My 2019 Minnie Winnie 31G leaked from a spot on the roof where the cap meets the roof. As you can see in the picture the Nuflex 311 did not cover the undercoat which I believe is butyl tape. I am mad at myself for not addressing this when I bought it new. I saw it while washing and waxing the roof but it came to me like that way and I thought, wrongly, that Winnebago's inspectors would have addressed it if it was a problem.

I drove to the factory and their remedy was a rebuilt cap area for $3600 and a rebuilt roof for $25,000. They resealed the cap roof joint with Nuflex and I drove home.

I haven't developed a plan to address the damage and I don't have a building to work in. Honestly I was in shock for a while and remodeling my kitchen. I guess I need to figure something out.

Did it leak again after the Neflex was applied?

 

[motts461]

I believe the leak has stopped. We just came back from a winter Florida trip and didn't see any water inside. The next part of the project is to address any damage. The only visible damage is on the panel coming down at about 45 degrees from the roof. It is pulled away or delaminated on the passenger side. I want to look behind this to see what else is damaged and check for mold but don't want to destroy the panel if I can help it. I am hoping to have a friend of a relative who worked on RV's look at it before proceeding.

 

[bcoldpro]

You have the nose cap as shown as Motts461? And it still leaked?

 

[motts461]

Yes, I have the nose cap. You still have a seam at the roof that has to be sealed.

 

[bcoldpro]

So the overlay solid 1 piece nose cap didn't do the job? Are you the original owner? If so, did you see if the roof warranty applies? Yours and my Minnie Winnie certainly can't be the only 2 rigs with a nose cap leak.

 

[motts461]

I am the original owner. I was told at the factory when they resealed it that the warranty didn't apply. The warranty requires yearly sealant inspection. As I stated above I take some responsibility for not addressing it early on and I wasn't up for the fight. As far as the cap, it does a good job of protection but it has to be sealed.

 

[bcoldpro]

That response from Winnebago is not pleasant to hear.

 

[bcoldpro]

I believe the leak has stopped. We just came back from a winter Florida trip and didn't see any water inside. The next part of the project is to address any damage. The only visible damage is on the panel coming down at about 45 degrees from the roof. It is pulled away or delaminated on the passenger side. I want to look behind this to see what else is damaged and check for mold but don't want to destroy the panel if I can help it. I am hoping to have a friend of a relative who worked on RV's look at it before proceeding.

View attachment 918164

Mine looks nowhere that bad. Lucky so far in that respect