Leak somewhere in top section- B190 Van

Luckydog · 10-15-2002, 06:14 PM

Howdy, I'm new here. I have a 96 B-190 van and have a leak somewhere in the top section in front. When it rains heavily the water comes in somewhere around the top section but I never see anything dripping on the inside or leaking inside the window edges. And the floor does not get wet. However, when I start driving after the rain, if I accelerate, or turn a corner sharply, about a cup or 2 of water comes out of either side of the area where the bed is attached to the cab, right next to the wall. It runs along the top of the wood frame which holds the sliding bed frame, and then drips over the edge onto the floor. The bed itself does not get wet. It seems like it is confined to either side of the bed somewhere where it is supported at the wall. As I said the cushion never gets wet, and I never see any water coming in from the vent over the bed. I'd like to try to trace it down as much as possible before I take it to have someone lese look at it. From everyone's experience, where would you begin looking for leaks, and how would you tell if they are there? Or is it simply a matter of getting out the caulk and hit every possible seam, opening and gasket? Thanks for any and all advice!

Luckydog

thenewkid64 · 10-15-2002, 06:41 PM

"preventive" caulking is not reccomended. It just creates a mess that you will eventually have to clean off.

If it were me I would park the unit with the nose up hill and get out the garden hose. With a sprayer on mist I would begin a systematic patten of spraying one section for 5-10 min. and then checking for water intrusion. Try to do the roof last. This way you can narrow it down to one opening or area and then go after it with the proper sealant.

Jim Clark · 10-16-2002, 08:39 PM

This may help, I posted it elsewhere. Sorry for the cross post.

Here is how I found leaks on several sail boats I have restored. The leaks were water coming in from deck fitting and leaking ports. BTW the leaks coming from below the wateline are easy to find as your level of motavation tends to go up real quick for those.

Seal all your openings as best you can. Make a cover to fit a hatch opening, in this case a window or such and attach a yard blower. Turn it on and soap down the boat/trailer. Bubbles will tell you where the leak is. You may have to vent some of the air, a vacume cleaner discharge may even work. Hope this helps.