My 1977 Argosy has sprung a leak, Help!!

[Truebrit]

I have been doing some minor and repair to a 1977 Argosy that I purchased in the spring. It’s been through several rain storms since I have purchased it and found only one leak that we thought we had fixed at a local trailer repair place. However a big rainstorm just rolled in about an hour ago and I notice that the newly upgraded kitchen area had water on the counter. The old leak above the twin / dinette area had come back and a new line of slow leaking drops along the back of the bed on the left side of the trailer. The leaks seem to be coming from along the left side and coming in were the panels meet.

The trailer is not completely level right now due to the fact it is in my drive way.

I have not done any outside or body work so I don't think I caused this. All of my inside repairs have been to get the trailer ready for a 10 day trip that I will be taking with the wife and kids in 1 week.

Any suggestions / hints about common leak locations would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[jjustice]

Truebrit,

We have a '78 Argosy 27ft and it leaked when we got it. My wife and I rehabed the trailer. I chauked the whole trailer sevveral times and then had it painted. The Argosy does not leak now. jjustice

[nick6930]

I have a 79 28' Argosy stripped and polished. i had a hard time with leaks where the awning is connected to the trailer body. Just recualk the whole line and the screws up there. Also the windows tend to leak at the gasket area. I used silka caulking to take care of those issues.

Good Luck

[kennethowens]

Caulk, Caulk, and Caulk

Get a ladder and get on top of the trailer.
The old caulk may need to be removed...and
recaulked.

Find it and Caulk it.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Truebrit

I have been doing some minor and repair to a 1977 Argosy that I purchased in the spring. It’s been through several rain storms since I have purchased it and found only one leak that we thought we had fixed at a local trailer repair place. However a big rainstorm just rolled in about an hour ago and I notice that the newly upgraded kitchen area had water on the counter. The old leak above the twin / dinette area had come back and a new line of slow leaking drops along the back of the bed on the left side of the trailer. The leaks seem to be coming from along the left side and coming in were the panels meet.

The trailer is not completely level right now due to the fact it is in my drive way.

I have not done any outside or body work so I don't think I caused this. All of my inside repairs have been to get the trailer ready for a 10 day trip that I will be taking with the wife and kids in 1 week.

Any suggestions / hints about common leak locations would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Check the sewer vent pipe cover gaskets, as they only last 2 to 3 years.

Andy

[TG Twinkie]

I have a '74 and it was the AC unit that was leaking. The water would run down the metal trim pieces where the interior panels meet on each side of the AC like the gutter on a house. The only time it leaked was when the wind was blowing along with the rain.

[Splitrock]

My 1976 had 11 leaks from the front of the walk door to the front rib. It still has one and I can't fix it. It's a designed leak. It's the release lever slot for the entry step. When it rains hard that hole floods the belly pan.

The last side leak I found, I had to remove the inside skin and sit on a milking stool while it rained to find. It was the middle side seam corner that looked fine from the outside.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Splitrock

My 1976 had 11 leaks from the front of the walk door to the front rib. It still has one and I can't fix it. It's a designed leak. It's the release lever slot for the entry step. When it rains hard that hole floods the belly pan.

The last side leak I found, I had to remove the inside skin and sit on a milking stool while it rained to find. It was the middle side seam corner that looked fine from the outside.

When it comes to water leaks on an Airstream, looks can be very deceiving.

Andy

[Truebrit]

Thanks for the input everyone. I did find some places that could use a quick caulk for our trip but also I found that Andy Rogozinski idea was spot on. The vent cover was cracked and missing chunks on the very top that you could not see unless right on top of it. I assume that the rain then flowed down towards the front of the trailer, as it was on a slight incline, leaking out wherever it could along the way.

Thanks for all your quick suggestions everyone, you are all a great source of information.

M