HELP: Windshield leaks

[Gregsch]

Wayne, I think I would be a little leary to keep that gasket. It looks pretty bad. By the time you clean everything and reseal it you will have a lot of time and effort invested. The last thing you would want to do is have to tear it all out and start over if it leaks. A new gasket should last another 30 years.

[MrJ]

Originally Posted by Gregsch

Wayne, You are right the clearance lights should clearly be part of this discussion. They are known to leak after 30+ years. They are sealed from the factory by using butyl sealant on the inside. I re-sealed mine when I had the headliner out. If you do the work from the outside only be sure to put butyl sealant on the hole for the wire and both screw holes. I see no sense in sealing the outside of the fixture to the skin. Take the fixture off and seal the penetrations.

I've taken a heat gun to the old sealant with a dull metal putty knife, that works pretty well. I've also used a propane torch. It will catch on fire a little, but you can easily get it off then.. My argosy's inside is stripped to the skin, so I can do that..

[WayneG]

Originally Posted by Gregsch

Wayne, I think I would be a little leary to keep that gasket. It looks pretty bad. By the time you clean everything and reseal it you will have a lot of time and effort invested. The last thing you would want to do is have to tear it all out and start over if it leaks. A new gasket should last another 30 years.

I think I am beginning to get to the limits of my ability. I wanted to reinstall the gasket strip so that I can put masking tape in the right location to protect the glass and metal before adding the sealant, but installing the strip, even with the tool is to much for my upper body strength and agility. Even with soap, it is a major task getting it back together with the original gasket.
(I am hitting 62 this year and I had some shoulder surgery in January and I just dont have the strength I use to)
I have the metal, glass and original gasket fairly clean, but I dont think I can apply the sealant and install the strip in reasonable time before the sealant dries on me.
SO
I am calling local glass places and so far they are all balking about doing RV glass. There is one national place "Mobile RV Glass" and I am waiting for a call back.
Does anyone have any suggestions for someone to finish my glass sealing?

[Smartstream]

Originally Posted by WayneG

I think I am beginning to get to the limits of my ability. I wanted to reinstall the gasket strip so that I can put masking tape in the right location to protect the glass and metal before adding the sealant, but installing the strip, even with the tool is to much for my upper body strength and agility. Even with soap, it is a major task getting it back together with the original gasket.
(I am hitting 62 this year and I had some shoulder surgery in January and I just dont have the strength I use to)
I have the metal, glass and original gasket fairly clean, but I dont think I can apply the sealant and install the strip in reasonable time before the sealant dries on me.
SO
I am calling local glass places and so far they are all balking about doing RV glass. There is one national place "Mobile RV Glass" and I am waiting for a call back.
Does anyone have any suggestions for someone to finish my glass sealing?

Find a truck repair shop or a local truck fleet and ask them who does their glass work.

[Gregsch]

Originally Posted by WayneG

I think I am beginning to get to the limits of my ability. I wanted to reinstall the gasket strip so that I can put masking tape in the right location to protect the glass and metal before adding the sealant, but installing the strip, even with the tool is to much for my upper body strength and agility. Even with soap, it is a major task getting it back together with the original gasket.
(I am hitting 62 this year and I had some shoulder surgery in January and I just dont have the strength I use to)
I have the metal, glass and original gasket fairly clean, but I dont think I can apply the sealant and install the strip in reasonable time before the sealant dries on me.
SO
I am calling local glass places and so far they are all balking about doing RV glass. There is one national place "Mobile RV Glass" and I am waiting for a call back.
Does anyone have any suggestions for someone to finish my glass sealing?

I admire a man who knows his limitations. I on the other hand, don't have a clue.

[WayneG]

I found one local shop through my motorhome mechanic but that shop has only done a few large vehicle windshields, so that may not be my best choice.
Yesterday Mobile RV Glass returned my call and told me that they do not get involved in windshield seal repairs, they only handle full replacements. They did give me the number of a local shop that they work with and it is likely they will be able to help me out.
I am debating if I should buy the new gasket for $315 for them to install. Of course doing that takes you to the next question if it is worth it to keep the fogged windshield or buy new ones. At $750 each, this starts to get expensive before figuring in the shops labor costs.

[MrJ]

[QUOTE=Gregsch;1724796]Okay, Got the windshield all sealed up this week.
Bought some new tools to get the

Awesome I'm going to try this now. Great pix! Thank you.

Question, where did you get the LED lights? Do you have a purchase info?

[WayneG]

Originally Posted by Gregsch

Remove the trim that goes all the way around the moho , from the floor across the top and back down the other side. Remove the visors. Remove the curtain track. remove all exposed pop rivets. When all the fasteners are free pry the headliner towards the back of the coach until it comes free from the track in the front along the windshield. I would figure 4 to 6 hours. Get one of those rollers from aerowood, you will be surprised how well they work. I bet you can remove 90-95%of that dent. I have some posts on the ABS repair in Count down to kick off.

My leak is back so I think it is time to pull the headliner and see where exactly it is coming from.
One concern I have is the cracks in the rear of the headliner. If I start flexing it, are the cracks going to get worse?

[martin300662]

Can I suggest you drill a small hole at the end of each crack before you start, this will stop them spreading and increase the chances of getting the end cap out in one piece.

[WayneG]

Thanks, I will give that a try.
I will also use some good quality duct tape going across all the cracks to help keep them from separating at the edge. I am wondering if I should glue a brace on top side before I reassemble it?

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by WayneG

Thanks, I will give that a try.
I will also use some good quality duct tape going across all the cracks to help keep them from separating at the edge. I am wondering if I should glue a brace on top side before I reassemble it?

You won't be able to access the top of the cap until it's removed. The cap is fastened to a rib which will prevent you from doing so.

Once you have the cap removed I would suggest smearing a really thick coat of ABS slurry on the top side of the crack possibly reinforcing the slurry with a layer of fiberglass. Ernie has been doing similar stuff on Peanut as he repairs various sections of the banana wraps.

Brad

[Isuzusweet]

Suggestion number 2; have two or more people to help you get it out. Yes, it can be done with one person, but it's a lot less strain with more people and less risk of more damage.

Also it doesn't look like you have a spot lamp , but if you do the base on my was leaking badly and the water would come out onto my left elbow by the driver side window. Also be aware that due to massive amounts of LSD being used by the marker lamp person I found an extra set of holes that weren't sealed when I took my corner marker lamps off to clean and seal them.

Cheers
Tony

[WayneG]

Originally Posted by Isuzusweet

Also be aware that due to massive amounts of LSD being used by the marker lamp person I found an extra set of holes that weren't sealed when I took my corner marker lamps off to clean and seal them.
Tony

No Spot light on mine, but in forensic investigations on my 84, I have seen places where this same worker could not get holes in the correct location. It is great to employ the handicapped, but they need to draw the line somewhere

[lyleapgmc]

Originally Posted by bkahler

You won't be able to access the top of the cap until it's removed. The cap is fastened to a rib which will prevent you from doing so.

Once you have the cap removed I would suggest smearing a really thick coat of ABS slurry on the top side of the crack possibly reinforcing the slurry with a layer of fiberglass. Ernie has been doing similar stuff on Peanut as he repairs various sections of the banana wraps.

Brad

If that cap is truly ABS do not attempt to repair or reinforce it with anything but ABS cement. Many have tried epoxy with miserable results. Epoxy will not adhere to ABS.

The urethane sealants are the preferred material for windows and windshields. This is what is used in cars where the windshield is considered part of the structure. Silicone based sealants are a definite no-no.

[WayneG]

I will have to see what actually sticks to the headliner material after I get it out. If I get desperate I may just use a aluminum rib and rivet it to the plastic.
I started by removing map lights, curtain rail and visors, all came out easy. I drilled the holes just beyond the end of the cracks and I will still put duct tape on them to avoid further separation.
The tan plastic trim over the metal strip between the headliner and the rest of the roof just shatters so I will need to find a source to replace that.
Since that metal strip goes all the way to the floor I am thinking of cutting it just below the overhead compartments to avoid a bigger mess taking it all out.

[WayneG]

Originally Posted by lyleapgmc

Silicone based sealants are a definite no-no.

The PO tried to 'fix' the cracks with some sort of silicone but it only covered the crack, it provided no support.
As I mentioned, If I cant find a good adhesive match to adhere to the plastic, a few rivets on a metal brace out of sight should help some

[martin300662]

Using ABS granules dissolved in MEK to form a slurry does work on the caps, but makes a mess and so should only be applied on the back side after the cap is removed. Bracing the slurry with some glass fiber mesh also helps. When ASNE redid Bella they removed the tail light bar and the cap (after butchering the one in the donor MH to find out how to removed it) and I took it away and did the repairs. I was a little miffed as I strengthened the cracks expecting ASNE to fill them before re-painting and they didn't, saying they could not get a filler that would stick, means Bella's cap cracks are still visible even though they are 'repaired'.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by martin300662

Using ABS granules dissolved in MEK to form a slurry does work on the caps, but makes a mess and so should only be applied on the back side after the cap is removed. Bracing the slurry with some glass fiber mesh also helps. When ASNE redid Bella they removed the tail light bar and the cap (after butchering the one in the donor MH to find out how to removed it) and I took it away and did the repairs. I was a little miffed as I strengthened the cracks expecting ASNE to fill them before re-painting and they didn't, saying they could not get a filler that would stick, means Bella's cap cracks are still visible even though they are 'repaired'.

Martin, Ernie's gotten pretty good at filling the left over cracks with more ABS slurry and then sanding them down smooth. It seems that all the repairs I've seen on other rigs always start looking bad after awhile due to the bondo or whatever product used starts to peal away from the ABS. I think Ernie's method is probably the best option.

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Martin, Ernie's gotten pretty good at filling the left over cracks with more ABS slurry and then sanding them down smooth. It seems that all the repairs I've seen on other rigs always start looking bad after awhile due to the bondo or whatever product used starts to peal away from the ABS. I think Ernie's method is probably the best option.

Agreed Brad. The issue is the inner surface of the cap is textured so it maybe a case of using Ernie's technique to fill the cracks (I more bridged the gaps on the reverse side), sand smooth then get the texture back in the paint application.

[WayneG]

I am beginning to get the impression that the engineers who designed this beast did not give a damn about it ever being worked on
I took the trim off of the rear of the headliner and found that the headliner is under the interior skin, thus preventing a easier dropping of the headliner.
It will be fairly warm today and I hope the headliner will flex enough to not make more cracks when prying it from the front support.
Also, is there a source for the plastic cover that goes over the trim?