Can't find leak in '77 24 footer

[ventport]

I have a leak in my 1977 24 foot Argosy that for the life of me I cannot find. The water runs inside on the top inside corner just above the pano window on the road side. I have calked and checked all the lights in the front, the TV antenna on top, the crank out roof vent, the "Argosy" letters in the front, and the gasket on the air conditioner is only 2 years old. Is it possible the water is getting past the inside swivel of the TV antenna? The outside is very well calked. The antenna was new 2 years ago. I have tried spraying water from a hose allover the top and cannot make it leak. Tried spraying from a ladder to be more like rain with no luck. With a 1/4" rain it will leak. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[robert claus]

Did you check around the front vent? I had the plastic frame crack. I had laid down a base of caulk, then did a generous caulking around the edge and over the screws when I installed it. A crack developed on the horizontal flange last fall, and I couldn't believe how much water could come through such a small crack. Of course, I then caulked all the way back to the horizontal flange of the vent, and that fixed that. A crack in an upper corner of the gasket for the back window resulted in a drip onto the bed. Fixed that. Now, I still get moisture inside my back storage door, and I'm chasing that. Water may be indispensable for life, but sometimes it isn't your friend. Good luck!

[HiJoeSilver]

So it's coming out from the trim above the pano window along the back side of the interior skin? By pano window do you mean vista view or the front window wing windows?
Vista views: Check the seal around the window itself, clean around the joint around the window and give it some new sealant.
Wing window leaking where the wing window and center window meet, clean all the old sealant on outside along tops of windows and reseal them with new trempro or sika flex. Give the spline that joins the wing and center windows a few taps downward with a piece of wood and hammer, when you clean then when you seal make sure you seal the opening at the top of that spline well. Had this leak it was coming in from the gap at the top of the spline. Had interior skins out which helped figure out the leak location, still a PITA. Also clean and sika flex seal the seams along the fwd center exterior segment.

Damn the leaks, or at least plug em up.

[HiJoeSilver]

Robert claus,
Now, I still get moisture inside my back storage door, and I'm chasing that.
Often the flat inside of the access door doesn't seal tight against the gasket that goes around the inner door lip. Try adding some thin weather strip (small D seal from VTS works well, or ribbed seal from big box) around the perimeter of the back of the door so when it closes it compresses the gaskets against each other. Joint should be at the bottom. Seals the gap.
The gap is hard to see unless you get inside the door and look out for light. The paper test isn't 100% accurate.
Had to double seal one of my windows this way, it was the only way to stop the leak. Works on the access doors as well.

[ventport]

Originally Posted by HiJoeSilver

So it's coming out from the trim above the pano window along the back side of the interior skin? By pano window do you mean vista view or the front window wing windows?
Vista views: Check the seal around the window itself, clean around the joint around the window and give it some new sealant.
Wing window leaking where the wing window and center window meet, clean all the old sealant on outside along tops of windows and reseal them with new trempro or sika flex. Give the spline that joins the wing and center windows a few taps downward with a piece of wood and hammer, when you clean then when you seal make sure you seal the opening at the top of that spline well. Had this leak it was coming in from the gap at the top of the spline. Had interior skins out which helped figure out the leak location, still a PITA. Also clean and sika flex seal the seams along the fwd center exterior segment.

Damn the leaks, or at least plug em up.

I mean the panoramic windows that used to be called wing windows when they were smaller. The water is coming in the trim above the window, like it is running down the inside of the inside skin and coming out just above the glass. My vent frame is aluminum, and well calked right up to the vertical part.

[AlbertaBound]

i would think it would be the pano window frame or the antenna. my antenna used to leak before i removed it even though it had a generous amount of caulking. my newest leak is the door frame which the water follows a wire down and water runs out under the pano window.

[TomKirk]

Water has a way of "traveling" great distances (indeed, from one end of the trailer to the other) before you notice the actual "leak."

Closely inspect roof vents for cracks. My center vent was cracked but water actually leaked on the bed (rear bedroom).

I had a crack in the outside entry light (@ right front corner)(clear lens) that couldn't been seen until I removed the lens to replace the bulb. It was a "water leak from hell" (if there is such a thing). Try as I might, I could never find it.

Double-check those "recent" repairs you mentioned. Just because they've been "repaired" doesn't necessarily make it so.

Tom

[NavyCorpsman]

Does it happen when the A/C has run for a while? Maybe plugged drain lines?

[ventport]

Originally Posted by NavyCorpsman

Does it happen when the A/C has run for a while? Maybe plugged drain lines?

AC drains on the roof now since I changed out the original one that died. The TV antenna is a Winegard Sensar. Is it possible for water to go down the rotating mechanism of the antenna? What seals the antenna rotating part?

[NavyCorpsman]

I have an Armstrong TRH25-4-1 A/C and just blew the main drain line with compressed air, and cleared some vegetation out of the j trap for the main drain on the condensation pan. That center drain appears to be situated one diameter lower than the side drain openings. Check the Butyl rubber dope around the A/C install. If yours has been a northern Argosy, the chances are good it could be cracked in places that are hard to see. The antenna crank is sealed with a rubber gasket and my 2 lead antenna wire was sealed with a rubber dope. Also check your roof vent openings in the area of the leak. More than one driving rain has put water into my front light cover. Hang in there, you will find it.

[Mixter]

My segmented endcaps were the cause of leaks both in front and in rear. The seam that meets the top corners of the window. It runs up diagonally from the corner of the window. I would have never thought that water could get in because it seems like the overlap is correct so that water drips down like its supposed to.

HOWEVER.... water was following the seam down to the window, then seeping in underneath the window frame. I drilled out the window, cleaned and re-bucked them back in with sealant gooped up around the frame and that did NOT fix it. I had to drill out the seam quite a ways up, and buck it back together wet with sealant.

Drove me nuts.