2019 mForester 2861DS Compartment Seal

sonofabeacher · 02-05-2023, 08:01 PM

Hi! I'm back to pick you brains again. I have a compartment door leaking water into the compartment. It must be rain water because it is under the main living room slide and if the slide is out no water gets in. It only leaks when the slide is closed. I'm assuming ( I know to assume is making and ass out of me and...) it must be the seal around the compartment door. I have looked and I see all different prices for the seal. I'm looking at one on Amazon (attached is a link). It is a little pricey but I don't mind spending a few extra bucks to be one and done with the leak. It is a 10 foot length so I would have left over if another compartment started to leak. Right now the compartment is useless. Is there any other seals out there that anyone has used that they would recommend? Thanks to all, Tim
https://www.amazon.com/Steele-Rubber...ps%2C83&sr=8-8

Duckogram · 02-05-2023, 09:55 PM

You may not need a new seal unless water is entering through the hinge side. First try for repair should be:
Inspect the seal. If it is torn it can be repaired with RTV.
If not, check the lip on the frame to insure it is not bent, folded, spindled or mutilated. Especially where the locks (thumb and key) secure. If not straight fix it. A couple of pieces of metal and a pair of vice grips or c-clamps will reform the lip.
If none of the above are necessary, pull the cam off the back of the locks and bend them in as necessary. A proper fit is when you have to apply a little pressure on the door to turn the lock.

**karykatz** · 02-06-2023, 08:05 AM

agree with Ducky. Please check seal above the baggage door

sonofabeacher · 02-06-2023, 06:14 PM

Thanks Ducky and Kary. I will do that and see if it can be snugged up some. As I remember the last time I looked I didn't see any rips or tears in the seal but I will look again to be sure. Thanks again.

Sunseeker16 · 02-06-2023, 06:54 PM

Also check where the compartment mounts to the inside wall. If it's leaking while sitting it isn't that.

JWallet · 02-07-2023, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duckogram

You may not need a new seal unless water is entering through the hinge side. First try for repair should be:

Inspect the seal. If it is torn it can be repaired with RTV.

If not, check the lip on the frame to insure it is not bent, folded, spindled or mutilated. Especially where the locks (thumb and key) secure. If not straight fix it. A couple of pieces of metal and a pair of vice grips or c-clamps will reform the lip.

If none of the above are necessary, pull the cam off the back of the locks and bend them in as necessary. A proper fit is when you have to apply a little pressure on the door to turn the lock.

Hmm…interesting because I have been fighting the compartment seal on the drivers side of my 3010ds now for a year or so. It’s the long compartment that only gets water intrusion when driving in the rain. Added so additional spray foam around the compartment on the underside…no luck…added gorilla tape around the inside lips of the compartment and additional weatherstripping over existing and lined the bottom of the compartment with a plastic lining. So far so good!

Sunseeker16 · 02-07-2023, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWallet

Hmm…interesting because I have been fighting the compartment seal on the drivers side of my 3010ds now for a year or so. It’s the long compartment that only gets water intrusion when driving in the rain. Added so additional spray foam around the compartment on the underside…no luck…added gorilla tape around the inside lips of the compartment and additional weatherstripping over existing and lined the bottom of the compartment with a plastic lining. So far so good!

I would go inside the compartment and caulk every edge that meets the inside wall. My 3010 Ds has drain plugs in the bottom of the compartments are those plugs installed? I don't care for spray foam or tape. Caulking I can put it where I want it.

JWallet · 02-07-2023, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunseeker16

I would go inside the compartment and caulk every edge that meets the inside wall. My 3010 Ds has drain plugs in the bottom of the compartments are those plugs installed? I don't care for spray foam or tape. Caulking I can put it where I want it.

Nope no drain plugs in that compartment…..back 2 on each side and the compartment with the water filter has a drain.

Twodogs112 · 02-07-2023, 10:47 PM

Iyar the same problem with our 2022 forrester 2861. Compartment leak under the dinette’s window leaked from day one of purchase. Dealer tried everything, adjust lock and tabs on the sides, silicone around the outside, new weather stripping. No fix . Finally, had to order a new door from factory. Just installed last week, after 6 months of trial and error. So far it seems good now. I suspect the door somehow got warped.
Check seals on the top of the compartment, if necessary, replace with new ones. The best supplier for these seals is steelerubber. Com, they are the best for all things rubber on a rv.
Also, check the slide for the master bedroom. Ours was sticking out almost 2” on the bottom before it broke. Common issue with 2861. The fix is to add additional screws ( ours got 6) to the metal rail that attaches to the north south metal beam that drives the slide. It’s under the bed. The factory only has one screw holding it in. See my previous post, also took 6 months to get this issue resolved. The slide screw broke and the slide almost fell out. Reply if you need any more information.
We love our 2861, can’t wait to take it out next weekend. Next up a few modifications. Good luck.

fobagbob · 02-08-2023, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twodogs112

Also, check the slide for the master bedroom. Ours was sticking out almost 2” on the bottom before it broke. Common issue with 2861. The fix is to add additional screws ( ours got 6) to the metal rail that attaches to the north south metal beam that drives the slide. It’s under the bed. The factory only has one screw holding it in. See my previous post, also took 6 months to get this issue resolved. The slide screw broke and the slide almost fell out. Reply if you need any more information.

I want to check this issue on my 2861, I looked at your previous posts but couldn't find any details, can you provide more info or pics of the additional screws.

Twodogs112 · 02-08-2023, 12:10 PM

The repair was handled by campers inn, west Jacksonville Florida. With assistance from kris at Forrest river warranty department. We had issues with the slide sticking out 1 1/2 “ from delivery. The pictures should that. Was told “ it was normal” . Months of back and forth with the dealer. Finally on our last outing, while putting the slide back in we heard a loud bang. Got the slide back in. Back to storage, checked the operation of the slide and it only went out on the bottom, no movement on the top. Informed dealer and fr warranty department the coach was in “ un useable condition “ . Up until this time we were told it’s normal. After much discussion and several weeks of waiting for parts to fix. Got a call from dealer that they had all the parts needed to fix!!! Took it in and z3 hours later successfully repaired the slide. A master tech told me that this problem has happened before .
I’ll get pictures posted soon of the fix. Just picked up the coach from the dealer after three weeks at their shop, and almost 3 months of waiting for the door and seals to come in. All appears good now.
Stay tuned , pics soon.

Twodogs112 · 02-14-2023, 03:59 PM

For those interested, the pictures are of the slide modification on the rear bedroom on our 2861. The pic shows the screws added to the slide mechanism. Factory had only a few(1?) holding this bar in place. The tech added 4 more screws( much heavier) to that bar. It’s located under the bed. I will also b posting under the earlier post regarding the problem with that slide gap and seal problem.

For all the 2861 owners , check these screws out. My original screws broke and the slide almost fell out of the coach!!!

Duckogram · 02-14-2023, 11:33 PM

Excellent Outcome but this should be in your slideout thread. This is sonofabeacher’s compartment seal thread.

**karykatz** · 02-16-2023, 11:03 AM

Twodogs

thank you for the post on the bedroom slide mech. I'm getting with my team right now to review.

sonofabeacher · 02-16-2023, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duckogram

You may not need a new seal unless water is entering through the hinge side. First try for repair should be:
Inspect the seal. If it is torn it can be repaired with RTV.
If not, check the lip on the frame to insure it is not bent, folded, spindled or mutilated. Especially where the locks (thumb and key) secure. If not straight fix it. A couple of pieces of metal and a pair of vice grips or c-clamps will reform the lip.
If none of the above are necessary, pull the cam off the back of the locks and bend them in as necessary. A proper fit is when you have to apply a little pressure on the door to turn the lock.

Hi again, I finally got around to checking the seal on the compartment. There is a small tear on the bottom. I will try the RV sealant and see if that helps. I also noticed some cracks in the chalking where the door frame is attached to the camper body. Could this be leaking???? I attached some pictures and hopefully they will help. I have a few more pictures if needed. Thanks again.

BehindBars · 02-16-2023, 08:30 PM

The split (seam) in the seal, being at the bottom, would seem to be a good thing. Any liquid that got past the seal might drain to the bottom, and have a place to escape outward rather than into the bin.

Duckogram · 02-16-2023, 08:41 PM

Water will absolutely permeate through a crack in the caulking. My technique to address that type of crack is to use a small plastic chisel to remove anything loose followed by a cleaning with isopropyl alcohol and when dry I used Lexel sealant. (not on the roof)

The bottom of the compartment door seal has a seam. You can fill that but it is really irrelevant under normal circumstances. i.e. pressure washing would be other than normal circumstances.

sonofabeacher · 02-17-2023, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duckogram

Water will absolutely permeate through a crack in the caulking. My technique to address that type of crack is to use a small plastic chisel to remove anything loose followed by a cleaning with isopropyl alcohol and when dry I used Lexel sealant. (not on the roof)

The bottom of the compartment door seal has a seam. You can fill that but it is really irrelevant under normal circumstances. i.e. pressure washing would be other than normal circumstances.

Thanks Ducky. My next step will be to maybe tape off the door just above the opening with some plastic and then run the hose on that area and see if it leaks. If need be I'll stand there for an hour. Since being retired I look for something to do.

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