Sloped Roof Under Air Horns

[Johns5711]

I'm new to the forum and own a '92 30' LY with what appear to be perimeter seam roof leaks.

I've read several articles about success using Eternobond tape vs. DICOR self leveling sealants. I was intending to use both, DICOR to fill any depressions with the tape over the top. Does this work?

Also a question. The roof over the driver is depressed about 1-2" where the air horns are mounted resulting in a low pitch in the roof. It's lower than the outside rail which makes me wonder if it's the original design or a botched repair job.

The previous owner had done a poor job of fixing a leak over the drivers door at the start of the first cabinet. He hid it from view but it's returned with a vegence. Even in sunny California (now) in summer the condenser water pools in this area and can't drain off the roof. Does anyone else have this condition?

Also the roof material I've read accounts of it being EPDM rubber, fiberglass or metal. Which is correct. Considering the age if it's not leaking in the center should I leave it be or replace it as well?

The big answers I'm looking for are an answer on the roof depression and suggestion for the seam roofing materials

Thanks for help in advance
John

[DaveFL]

How were the air horn screws or bolts bedded? Depression not normal, later models have a f/g roof similar to the plastic sheets they sell at HD or Lowes for showers. I don't know when they started using it. sounds like it is time to take out the overhead on drivers side to check framing. PO on mine fixed by using longer screws at the junction of the front panel and the side over the door, found original 1 inch screws and some replacements were as long as 2.5 inches, trying to catch good wood.

[masseyfarm]

Are the air horns screwed into a cabinet and pulling the fg down?
If they are mounted in the fg forward of the main roof seam, there would be nothing underneath to anchor to there.
The eternabond should be put on the original roof. Clean, Clean, Clean again with a strong solvent to remove any previous caulk, and try to make it as level as possible. Then put on the eternabond, and then do the edges with the selfleveling caulk.
Dave

[Johns5711]

Thanks Dave and Massey. The air horns are mounted on the plywood roof and appear to be screwed into the wood framing. They are not mounted on the fibergass section of roof or to a cabinet. Should I remove the depression and build it back to normal roof height?

[masseyfarm]

I have no experience with any Airstream with a plywood roof.
Can you put some pictures up of the problem and you may get more support from other forum members.
Dave

[blkmagikca]

After several years of having different "techs" repair the roof seams, I decided to do the job myself. I stripped off the old seam tape and scraped out the lap sealant. I found that several rivets were either missing or loose - re-riveted them. The seams were then cleaned with mineral spirits and I put new lap sealant on them. The following day, after the lap sealant had had time to harden a bit, with the help of my son and a friend, I sealed on top of the seams with Eternabond tape, and used a roller and pressure to make sure that the chemical bonding was good. I had a bit of a problem on one corner (front right) which emerged a few months later. I cut away the tape there and reapplied lap sealant and did a better job of fitting the Eternabond tape on that corner. It has been fine since then.

Some of the people who had worked on the roof seams on my LY in the past did not make sure that rivets were still tight. This is critical, as it prevents the roof parts from working loose. In fact, I found that some of the rivets were actually missing and were just taped over.

Done properly, the roof should be problem-free for many years, especially with Eternabond. I used 2 37-foot rolls (they came with a lifetime guarantee).

[gloran]

I was wondering if the air horns are damaged, like they were were pushed down from driving under something. Or maybe newer horns installed.

[Johns5711]

Thanks for the input gloaran.

The air horns look to be an original factory installation and still work. I'll post a picture of the roof installation. The compressor however essentially shorts out the electrical system until fully charged. I can't start the engine for a period of 30-45 seconds upon iniitial start-up. I was thinking of trying to find a time delay relay to postpone the compressor running until the engine was running.