Unknown fluid leak in 2013 VIA

[Escapenrv]

I have a strange liquid leaking up on the carpet between the DS and PS seats. The wet spot is in the middle of the coach and next to the vinyl floor covering that runs back over the rest of the floor.
The fluid has no smell and is a bit pink in color. It has a slight feel of some oil based fluid but it is very thin. I have not found any wet areas under the coach or the engine areas. The floor level where the carpet is wet is well above the level of any engine fluid lines and I can see no lines in the center of the chassis in the area of the leak. The only liquid above the vinyl floor level is water for the house use but I can find no sign of any leaks.
Nothing leaking has been found in any cabinet or storage bay.
I have been parked for about 4 months and this just started. I had a mobile RV guy out but he was stumped too.
I would like to hear anyone's ideas or experience with such a leak.
Just to make life fun, I broke my leg about 2 weeks ago and had plates and screws put in last week so It will be several weeks before I can do much more trouble shooting.
Thanks for any help you may share....

Steve Garrett
2013 Via 25 Q, "Poncho"
2005 Jeep GC

 

[edgray]

I have a strange liquid leaking up on the carpet between the DS and PS seats. The wet spot is in the middle of the coach and next to the vinyl floor covering that runs back over the rest of the floor.
The fluid has no smell and is a bit pink in color. It has a slight feel of some oil based fluid but it is very thin. I have not found any wet areas under the coach or the engine areas. The floor level where the carpet is wet is well above the level of any engine fluid lines and I can see no lines in the center of the chassis in the area of the leak. The only liquid above the vinyl floor level is water for the house use but I can find no sign of any leaks.
Nothing leaking has been found in any cabinet or storage bay.
I have been parked for about 4 months and this just started. I had a mobile RV guy out but he was stumped too.
I would like to hear anyone's ideas or experience with such a leak.
Just to make life fun, I broke my leg about 2 weeks ago and had plates and screws put in last week so It will be several weeks before I can do much more trouble shooting.
Thanks for any help you may share....

Steve Garrett
2013 Via 25 Q, "Poncho"
2005 Jeep GC

Winterizing "antifreeze" is about the only pink fluid I can think of. Has yours recently warmed up from its winter nap?

 

[Escapenrv]

Thanks

Thanks Edgray but It has been a couple of years since I had to winterize. I found it is better to head south if I can.

I have a friend in the campground who said he will crawl under and see what he can find. I could not see anything when I was under there several weeks ago but maybe things have changed.
I thought I had see about everything that could go wrong on an RV but I have not learned everything yet.
Thanks for your interest...
Steve

 

[rckymtnbill]

Steve, just thinking out loud. From looking at my Via, the area in question must have the fluid coming from the roof or running along the floor or under the floor from the side or the back of the rv. The join for the cab roof and the cabin is almost directly over that area, buy you would think if it came from up there, you would at least see a drip or a pink stain. Since you have been parked for 4 months, I would check with a spirit level to see if the coach is perfectly level. If one side of front or back is higher, then that is the direction from where liquid "could" flow. Did anything get spilled near the front hole for the table in front of the carpet or did you mop the floor recently? Could the carpet be "wicking" up fluid from below? Did it rain recently? Could water come in the cab/roof join, drop to the carpet, and the carpet or pad is making it pink/oily? I'll keep thinking about this, but I am intrigued. Would love to know the eventual outcome?


Bill, 2013 Via 25T

 

[Escapenrv]

Thanks Bill

Bill, thanks for your interest. The wet area is the rear edge of the carpet. The part toward the rear of the coach. It seems to wick up from just under that edge and has stained the carpet in the center of the coach, forward to about 2-3 inches. It acts like there is a leak right under this area of carpet.
The spot does not seem to be affected by any weather event. Nothing has been spilled on the floor nor in the table leg holes.
We removed the tray from the storage area on the PS so we could see the carpet under there and if there were any roof leaks above, it should show itself in this area first and then maybe work under carpet/padding to the center of the RV where we see the stain. All was bone dry with no sign of any liquid leaks.
I have taken a large flashlight and looked all along the seams and wall edges to see if I could find any leak....nothing.
My current theory is that there is some engine fluid line that runs across the coach in that area and it had somehow developed a leak. But....I think I should be seeing fluid leaking under the coach. I am sitting on a clean concrete pad and there are no leaks to be seen.
I have a friend who is going to give everything a once over in a few days. I expect by looking in the engine area from above and below and checking fluid levels, he may spot the problem. He will also examine the area under the carpet spot to see what is there.
RVs are so much fun. Never a dull moment...I just wish my leg was good enough for me to work on the problem. Maybe in a few more weeks I'll be able to get under there myself.
Thanks for input and I will be posting what we find. See how optimistic I still am ?
Steve

 

[rckymtnbill]

Steve, I looked at the Via wiring diagrams and it shows that the satellite radio antenna from the roof terminates in a box in the middle of the floor exactly where your stain is located. Here is the link: http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/2013/13_wire_182136.pdf


I don't know if this helps, but it does look suspicious. Could it be a leak on the roof at the satellite radio antenna, then coming down the wire to the carpet? Long way to go for a leak but who knows.


Bill

 

[TeJay]

I'd start with the liquid. You said it has no smell and is pink. Well how does it taste??? You just have to put some on the tip of your tongue to taste sweet, antifreeze, and there is a taste to some winterizing fluids. Hydraulic fluid (automatic transmission, power steering, gear oil, jack oil etc) smell like hydraulic fluid. I can't remember how brake fluid tastes but it also has a distinct smell.
Some liquids have smells and color added to them for identification.

TeJay

 

[Escapenrv]

Bill and TJ

More good ideas, thanks to both of you.
Bill... I think the Sat Radio box is below the PS seat and not rear of the cab dropped floor. The coax leads should show some sign of a leak between the roof and floor level but I can see none. I hope to have a friend on the roof next week to see if there are any signs of leaks or A/C water running to strange places.
TJ... I had a friend come by last night and he has a long history in auto/truck repair. He thinks the spots are not related to any chassis fluids. He smelled, felt and tasted the spots and said that he was sure it was water based and almost pure water. I shut off the campground water last night left the on-board pump on all night and into today.
The pump did cycle about 5 times in 7 hours that we heard and maybe once an hour today. There must be a very slow leak on the high pressure side of the water pump and it will take awhile to trace all the places it might leak.
We will start to look into this area but my leg needs to heal some more before I can crawl around and look at many things.
I thought of raising the front wheels to see if the spot will change/move and perhaps that might give me some more clues.
Thanks for all the help and good ideas.....
Steve

 

[CFSUNRISE]

Just a thought..... could it be a water line which goes from one side of the coach to the other thru a slot in the sub floor that may have been punctured by a carpet staple. Just an idea as I don't know how your coach is constructed.

Good luck and hope your leg heals soon!

 

[Escapenrv]

CFSunrise.. That is a good thought and I have seen something like that in other coaches but my floor plan does not have any water forward of the bath room and the kitchen. My PEX water tubing runs through pipe chases on each side of the coach from the water inlet and tank at the rear, under the bed.
There may still be a path for a water leak to find its way up to the area where I have the spot. I'm going to have a lot of fun finding this one!!!
Steve