roof leaking near front cap attachment on right

[pr_dog]

My roof has been leaking on the right side front near or at the front cap seam on my 2010 373 Georgetown Motorhome since new. The rain water would pool inside along the bottom of the windshield and has rotted out the front portion of the dash board. I have sealed all the clearance lights and along the top of the cap joint as well along the top rail area and it is still leaking. The front corner of the roof on the right side is also flexing when pushed down near the cap seam. Could the roof be leaking in that area? The water runs down along the metal frame inside between the windshield and the passenger side window until it meets the dash board then soaks the sponge under the dash leather cover and runs down and along the windshield bottom edge. Has anyone else have the same problem and can't identify where the leak is? Please help because it is frustrating. Fraser River won't help and my dealer here in Nova Scotia, Canada Doesn't know what to do about it let alone fix the rotted out dash panel.

Bob

[Iggy]

It sounds like its been leaking awhile.
Yes it is probably the seam above the driver leaking.
You are suppose to inspect your roof regularly especially where the roof meets the front cap right and left.
Forest River will tell you the same. No you are out of any warranty and now you must check it yourself or your dealer.
This happens to many and inspection and sealing/repairs are needed regularly.


PS The dash is just a piece of plywood covered with the covering and easily is removed by a good RV mechanic.

[pr_dog]

I am the second owner and am aware of checking stuff on a regular basis. I still need to know if anyone has had the same problem and where and what is done to stop the leaking. I have resealed across the seam and leak is still there in the front right corner.

[bubbles]

When I first got my 378 there was a leak at the right front corner when the water would pool there. I got some black 6 inch wide eternabond tape and installed it in pieces as necessary to the right front roof corner. I went ahead and did the same to the left side just in case. I could not identify the exact reason for the leak but have not had a leak for over 3 years now. Have to look closely to see the tape being it is black to match my MH. Mine would leak onto the headliner where the defrost fans are located and eventually flow out their wiring hole. I did it myself as the dealer is useless for warranty work. I caught it before any water soak damage could occur.

[Cornelius]

I also have a 2010 Georgetown 373, and had a roof leak in the same area. In my case, the water pooled into the vinyl padded area under the front cabinets. It all happened during one very rainy day in Oregon last year while we were out. Upon returning, the vinyl padding was hanging down with a big bulge holding at least a gallon of water. I slit the vinyl to drain it into a bucket, and then removed it completely using a razor knife as it was hopelessly saturated. Despite this, mold still formed on the plywood, and I had to remove and rebuild the front cabinet.

The Dicor on the roof had dried out and cracked, although it was not apparent until I started removing it around the leak area. On the outside, the Dicor looked okay. It was fairly easy to spot the leak location on the roof, as there was a small trail of dirt where the water had flowed.

I removed all the Dicor where the front cap meets the roof and used Eternabond tape, along with some new Dicor at the edges of the tape. I found that the Eternabond adheres well to the smooth fiberglass cap, but not quite as well to the textured fiberglass roof. I used a second length of Eternabond tape across the roof to make the seal double wide for better attachment to the textured roof. Where the Eternabond rolls over the edge, there can be some wrinkles. Because of this, I applied Dicor along the edges of the Eternabond as an added measure.

It's not pretty, but we just has 20 inches of rain here at the Arkansas - Oklahoma border area this past week, and I had no leaks. Be sure to scrub the area thoroughly using acetone before applying the Eternabond and Dicor. Use a small roller to press the Eternabond tape to the roof so you get good adhesion. I also did the same across the rear cap to prevent leaks there.

[rlc0759]

Hey thanks for the info on the leak. Had much of the same problem but it little worse. The dash board cover was coming up while driving. When I checked the board on under the cover was water logged and was becoming dry rotted. Based on what was said and done to others it helped me get the leaked located and fixed with the tape. At first I was told the roof looked in very good shape but I got the tech to up on the roof and clean it good. That's when he found the area that was leaking near the right front corner. The tech then put tape and sealer all along the front cap. The MH is at the upholstery shop for the dash board.

Thanks for all the info and the pictures it helped convince the dealer to do what I wanted.

[Cornelius]

I'm glad that the photos were able to help. I was hesitant to post the photos because it was my first attempt using Eternabond tape, and I didn't think it looked very good. The stuff is a bit tricky to use and has a learning curve. When I next applied Eternabond across the rear cap seam to avoid future leaks, it came out much better looking than the front.

If I was doing it again, I would use the wider 6" Eternabond tape instead of two parallel overlapping widths of 4" tape. I would also be more careful where it curves over the edge of the roof to avoid the wrinkles so I would not need to use Dicor on the edges, although I would still use Dicor along the edge where the Eternabond meets the textured roof material.

I suppose the appearance is not a big deal, although I still wish it looked better. The important thing is that the leak is fixed.

[pr_dog]

Bubbles. How much of the corners did you cover with the eternabond tape. I covered about an 8 inch square in the right corner and the leak is still there. Should I have covered more of the area?

I don't see anywhere along the cap seam where it could be leaking in. I have been playing with this leak for a long time and am getting fed up with it. I asked my dealer if they have ever pressurized the inside and used detergent soap and water on the outside of the rig to find bubbles and they tell me that they have never done that. They won't even consider fixing my rotted dash.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by pr_dog

Bubbles. How much of the corners did you cover with the eternabond tape. I covered about an 8 inch square in the right corner and the leak is still there. Should I have covered more of the area?

I don't see anywhere along the cap seam where it could be leaking in. I have been playing with this leak for a long time and am getting fed up with it. I asked my dealer if they have ever pressurized the inside and used detergent soap and water on the outside of the rig to find bubbles and they tell me that they have never done that. They won't even consider fixing my rotted dash.

I used 6" black tape and the area covered would be about a 10" square. Because I used black I was able to apply the tape rolling over the side edge about 2 inches and it is hard to see it. I suspected a crack in the fiberglass roof but could not verify that so I applied enough tape to cover the corner area completely. I've had no leak issues for 3 years now and I've been in some very hard rains and still pooling in that area. Maybe I just got lucky.

[Jim G]

Also be sure it is not coming in around the windshield. I had a small pesky leak and tried sealing with silicone to no avail. Then I found out about a "liquid" silicon sealant that goes on very thin then hardens. It drips into very small cracks and leaks better than other sealants. I Got it an Advance Auto. Also, follow the advice of the pros, and if you are pretty sure your leak is at the cap, remove all of the old sealant, clean it up real good, and reseal with professional lap sealant.
It is a lot more trouble than patching, but much more reliable

[pr_dog]

Originally Posted by Jim G

Also be sure it is not coming in around the windshield. I had a small pesky leak and tried sealing with silicone to no avail. Then I found out about a "liquid" silicon sealant that goes on very thin then hardens. It drips into very small cracks and leaks better than other sealants. I Got it an Advance Auto. Also, follow the advice of the pros, and if you are pretty sure your leak is at the cap, remove all of the old sealant, clean it up real good, and reseal with professional lap sealant.
It is a lot more trouble than patching, but much more reliable

Around the windshield is the first place my dealer and myself thought the leak was but it wasn't. I had a auto glass company reseal the windshield and not fix it. I have used the stuff you said and also a black rubbery gasket maker all around the windshield rubber. Still a leak so I finally found a place on the upper corners of the cap to roof joint that was allowing water in and probably since the rig was made. I told Forest River that it was since made and they said "we seal it good". No repair suggested by them or my dealer. I sealed up both corners and no leak for a few days or until the next major rain storm. After dealing with it for over a year and sealing up areas I believed was leaking it still leaked. Desperate to fix it I used Eternabond tape in the corners and across the front over the sealent already there as recommended by other posts here. One place on the right along the side near the front had the sealant lifted a bit. Replaced it 2 days ago and am now waiting to see if it is still leaking after a good heavy rain. If it is good it will sure be a relief then I can fix the rotted out dash board.

Thanks for your reply. Bob ((pr_dog) prairie dog)

[Cornelius]

An update on the roof repair:

Yesterday after driving for three days, I went up on the roof to inspect things. I found that the Eternabond tape had lifted at the right corner where the leak occurred, and the left corner had shifted slightly. At highway speeds, there is very likely more turbulence at the front corners of the motorhome than in other areas of the roof.

It was very disappointing, as the Eternabond did so well during the pouring rains in the past few weeks while we were camped. Fortunately, this was discovered before any water damage occurred.

This morning I removed all the Eternabond at the front cap seam and scrubbed the area again with acetone. The front cap seam was then completely covered using six tubes of Dicor. The Eternabond tape on the rear cap seam was still good, as is another patch near the front where Forest River had cut a hole for satellite dish cables. The eternabond tape just can't seem to take the air turbulence at the front corners.

[csigirl]

We just got our 2010 Georgetown last fall, after taking it out of storage, and the first heavy rain discovered the very same leak you are describing, which would drip down the left side, water running into the area below the windshield. We just resealed the roof in that area on top and around any lighting on the upper front side above the windshield. No more water worked very well.

[alsimmon11]

I had a roof leak about two weeks ago. My leak is on the drivers side running from center to the wall where the side wall meets the roof above the window near the sofa. I checked the seams, but I was wondering if it could be coming from the area around the AC unit and running down. Anyone else had this problem. 2010 GTown 378XL.

[sherman12]

My vinyl headliner in the bedroom is soaked. I first posted about the yellowish stain coming through the white vinyl and how to remove it when I pulled out the two in-ceiling lights to find the foam under the vinyl wet. After tightening down my bedroom AC and sealing the driving light outside which are above the inside ceiling line I was hoping I found the source of water intrusion. Well just yesterday I found that my clothes rod in my bedroom closet fell during the our ride home from Cape Cod last week. Again, upon inspection the screw holes for the clothes rod were all wet. Once again I pulled down the ceiling lights and now the foam is loaded with water. I was ready to rip it down right then and there but my wife stopped me and said we are taking the rig up to Hamilton, Ont. Canada in two weeks and what will the rig look like. I went up on the roof as I have now done at least 6 to 8 times looking for areas that the water could be getting in. I can't find any obvious areas except along the driver side almost mid-ship the fiberglass roof is bubbled where it joins the RV long seam where the fiberglass is attached with what appears some kind of mounting strip with screws. I am wondering if the bubbles is water under the fiberglass and is the just a shoddy roof install from the get go. Don't really know what to do at this junction because I still haven' identified the exact intrusion point. I have thought about taking it somewhere for one of those fog and pressure things on the inside but I don't know how accurate they are and I'm leery of being told a song and dance by some RV shop, which I don't regard to highly. Also thinking of covering the entire length of the side roof seams, both sides with Eternabond Tape along with the front and rear caps. At this frustrating juncture I really don't know what I'm doing. As of now I feel like taking it somewhere, let them deal with it, bear the financial pain and sell the damn thing. I'm not a mechanic and unlike some more inclined I don't plod through these things at a "pebble in the basket" type pace with satisfaction of the challenge.