Air conditioner installation woes

Kiltym

Active member
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?
 

OldWest

2004 T1N Westfalia
The raised lipped area can apparently be taken off the roof, as TNeuer removed for a nice smooth roof with solar panels. Grozier had posted on his removal of the air conditioner and you could see the raised lipped area in his photos. So, if the lip could be removed, there is the possibility of a leak at the joint (although unlikely).

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27332&highlight=Air+conditioner

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=446907&postcount=14

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56567

You probably already checked all the other posts on leaks, including the little circular vent one over the kitchen cupboard.

Insofar as missing bolts, you assume it was Airstream (I'd guess that too).

Well, it may or may not be Westfalia's fault as Airstream took apart lots of stuff when Airstream added stuff, and Airstream also did many fixes during the 2005 or so fix-it campaign.

If you have an earlier Westy which came with the sleeker, lower profile and lower BTUs air conditioner, Airstream removed and replaced with the slightly taller and more powerful air conditioner during the 2005 or so campaign. I think there was one owner who opted to keep the original sleeker air conditioner (both versions by Kerstner).

Later Westies came with the more powerful air conditioner.

I have noticed missing bolts, screws, wood pin rather than a metal pin, etc., here and there but hard to know who dunnit. If in an area where Airstream may have fiddled around, I'll tend to assume it was Airstream as their work was generally sloppy.

P.S. This 2005 or so campaign was probably quite expensive as Airstream techs flew around the country to fix things. The parts boxes were huge, and included the new air conditioner, the black side and rear door shrouds, large awning window, shade/screen, etc. Not all the parts were used, and were either sent back to the Airstream Service Center or left at the dealer.
 
Last edited:

OldWest

2004 T1N Westfalia
Don't forget to check the threads on how to make sure the air conditioner cover doesn't fly away.
 

Top Bottom