We have had a pesky leak for some time, and by removing and resealing everything on the roof, except the A/C, by process of elimination, the A/C was leaking somwhere.
Looking at the repair manual, there are 6 bolts securing the unit to the roof, and then a bigger raised area where the unit enters the inside of the Westy. Based on the bigger hole area being a raised/lipped area, and that no water appears where the A/C enters the Westy (cabinet above bathroom door), and that I met another Westy owner who removed the A/C to find a leak and determined it was from a bolt hole, I am assuming my leak is from one or more bolts holes that hold the A/C unit to the roof.
So, I went to tackle this project today. The two bolts in the front were simple to access, remove, clean up, and re-seal. This can be done out the top hatch.
The four additional ones require a ladder. So I went up one side and saw where I presumed to be the two bolts on that side. There was a ton of caulk, and assumed I would find the bolts when I started to "dig". Well, I dug, removed all the caulk I could, and hit the silver roof, and determined there were no bolts installed (I didn't even find the holes at first, but with some more digging, they appeared). Someone just laid in there with a ton of caulk, and hoped for the best. And from my experience, filling a hole with caulk, will always eventually leak. Never-mind that the A/C unit was not secured properly.
On the other side of the van, one hole was secured with a bolt, but the other was empty also.
Crazy to say the least. Gotta love the Airstream mechanic that ran out of bolts and assumed no one would ever know. Luckily it appears nothing bad happened with only 3 out of 6 bolts installed.
So, got new bolts (M8), resealed, attached all 4 bolts, and I am optimistic our leak will disappear now.
Anyone else take apart the A/C to find numerous missing bolts holding the unit down?
Looking at the repair manual, there are 6 bolts securing the unit to the roof, and then a bigger raised area where the unit enters the inside of the Westy. Based on the bigger hole area being a raised/lipped area, and that no water appears where the A/C enters the Westy (cabinet above bathroom door), and that I met another Westy owner who removed the A/C to find a leak and determined it was from a bolt hole, I am assuming my leak is from one or more bolts holes that hold the A/C unit to the roof.
So, I went to tackle this project today. The two bolts in the front were simple to access, remove, clean up, and re-seal. This can be done out the top hatch.
The four additional ones require a ladder. So I went up one side and saw where I presumed to be the two bolts on that side. There was a ton of caulk, and assumed I would find the bolts when I started to "dig". Well, I dug, removed all the caulk I could, and hit the silver roof, and determined there were no bolts installed (I didn't even find the holes at first, but with some more digging, they appeared). Someone just laid in there with a ton of caulk, and hoped for the best. And from my experience, filling a hole with caulk, will always eventually leak. Never-mind that the A/C unit was not secured properly.
On the other side of the van, one hole was secured with a bolt, but the other was empty also.
Crazy to say the least. Gotta love the Airstream mechanic that ran out of bolts and assumed no one would ever know. Luckily it appears nothing bad happened with only 3 out of 6 bolts installed.
So, got new bolts (M8), resealed, attached all 4 bolts, and I am optimistic our leak will disappear now.
Anyone else take apart the A/C to find numerous missing bolts holding the unit down?