Roof Leak in Factory Seam

We Recently bought a 2005 Pleasure-Way sprinter and experienced a substantial roof leak that all but defied locating it. After considerable sealing around vents etc. and having the AC gaskets replaced, we still had a leak. I finally found it in the factory seam.

Anyone had this problem and how did you fix it?

One of the members here had his roof sprayed with a bedliner type material that not only seals it completely but protects it from those nasty branches that scratch up the High tops. I am thinking about doing that to my van as I have the same seam leak. Until then, I just cleaned it out good and sealed it with 3M 4200, which worked great.

The paint looks damaged and the metal rusted. I'd sand back the paint maybe 4-5mm, taking off any rust in the process, then a dab on a light coat of an etching auto primer. Sherwin Williams 988 is pretty good - spray into a puddle elsewhere and use a small brush to apply to the metal - so no overspay. It has corrosion inhibiters. The 3m 4200 mentioned is also pretty good stuff as it will flow down into the crack a bit before setting, and it's bright white, so the repair will be less visible.

I had a small leak around one of the roof vents probably from sitting on the lot in the AZ sun last summer. Airstream recommends Sikaflex 221 which is a polyurethane sealant adhesive and has the benefit of being paintable unlike silicone. It's also on sale for $9/tube here

I have faced same problem,I applied polyurea coatings on the roofing for the leakage problem.

I have applied Ultimate linings polyurethane spray for leakage problem.It's result amazing.

Thank you everyone who posted about this and offered solutions. I realized that water staining at the bottom of the headliner in my 2006 passenger wagon near the center was caused by a similar leak in a roof seam. It has been temporarily addressed with a bead of caulk. While I was applying the bead, I noticed that a thin crack in the paint extended past the line of rust along the seam. So, if you have this problem and decide to repair it and not treat the entire seam, be sure to extend well past any obvious rusty area along the seam and look for a faint crack in the paint.

Capt. Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure! It wicks into thin cracks and seams and sets up. Just about invisible on the surface. I've used this around windows to keep tiny ants out. It's a boating product for sealing decks. You wet down the deck and let it almost dry. The damp lines are cracks and the Tolley's will displace the remaining water.

Thanks for all your info on this problem.
My 06 Pleasure Way is leaking in the same place. It will be fixed tomorrow.

In Bergerac, France last week, I had walked past an (admittedly aged) T1N that was parked so that I could see the entire roof. Every seam had caulking applied. Seems like a common problem. Body flex?

Jersey... I have a 06 PW as well. How about posting so pictures of the
repair. I have not been on the roof in awhile and now wondering where
and how close to look.

/mike/

Take a look at the way the seams are finished internally (if you don't have roof lining or insulation). They're just laid one against another. Except for a thin layer of paint the join isn't sealed at all internally. I think they rot from the inside out - moisture in the form of condensation creeps into the exposed internal joint gradually rusting it away.

The problem is that once you've got rust in a seam like it's really difficult to get rid of it. If it's bad the only way is to cut it out and replace the metal - not easy on a joint like that. Once the rot bubbles through externally you may never be rid of it unless serious remedial action is taken. On my old T1Ncan I was into an annual rust grinding / seam repair cycle to keep it at bay.

What's the solution? I plan to seal all my internal roof seams with a urethane sealant as soon as I get a spare few hours on a warm day. Either that or go for a full Line-X job in the loadspace (if I can convince myself it's not a bad idea / future panel repair / cable access etc.).

Was on mine the other day putting a sat dish on it

Saw things were good , used silicone caulk for the holes I drilled

Ruby said:

We Recently bought a 2005 Pleasure-Way sprinter and experienced a substantial roof leak that all but defied locating it. After considerable sealing around vents etc. and having the AC gaskets replaced, we still had a leak. I finally found it in the factory seam.

Anyone had this problem and how did you fix it?

Click to expand...

Had EXACTLY the same issues with my '05 Plateau TS.

At first , I had only noticed a few drips around the bathroom roof vent.

I was stuck in a huge thunderstorm and a deluge of rain was dumped . The water was pretty significant and the seam between the bathroom ceiling and the wall popped and water started running down the wall.

When I got back home I pulled the bathroom ceiling down and discovered that the backer board (it was 1/8" luan plywood) was BLACK and rotten. It totally disintegrated. The only thing holding it up was the vinyl headliner.

It looks as though the leak had been happening for a while as I had to completely gut the bathroom ceiling and rebuild it. I bought some marine vinyl that matched pretty close (not exact, but still looks like it is almost original) and cut a new piece of 1/8' plywood. The insulation was wet and I removed it as well. I replaced the insulation and the cieling and it looks great, can hardly tell.

I got lucky that the damage seems localized to the bathroom and didn't wreck the whole headliner.

Sorry I didn't take any photos.

Resealed all of the seams on the roof with silicone . Also, did all the screws and rivets on the vent covers as they tend to loosen and leak.

Since then there have been a few more robust storms and no issues.

There are multiple seams on the PW , looks like the factory installed the extra panels to reinforce some areas. Just my guess.

I urge you to check the roof seams every so often and especially the bathroom area. If you see some tiny drips, that may just be an indication of something much, much worse.

Pete

Silicone not the right caulking for that application use silflex or rv self leveling .

My body shop cut out the rusted metal and welded in new. Then they sealed all the seams. Mine was too far gone for the bed liner approach, but I bet that will work well.