Leaky Skin

PP · April 20, 2018, 04:43:50 PM

After coming down from the mountain where we mostly only had to deal with snow and very little rain and have since moved to the Pacific Coast where it has been non-stop rain, I discovered several leaks. After much cussing, hair pulling, and sealing spots that didn't need sealing, I discovered a couple of body panels that were leaking at the seams. Now I'm finding a little drip in one of the bays and I'm suspecting it's a seam directly above it. Unlike the other seams that leaked where there is paint, this seam is polished SS and I'm not sure how I can seal it without it being an obvious patch. And please don't suggest clear silicon, because we all know it yellows and won't stand up to a buffer with rouge. Aside from that, I'm all ears.
Thanks in advance,
Will

neoneddy · April 20, 2018, 06:21:40 PM

Clear silicone?

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chessie4905 · April 20, 2018, 07:31:33 PM

clear silicone. work it up into hairline crack where panels overlap. clean crack with lacquer thinner and toothbrush first.. black silicone would work also. at least you can see what you missed when removing any excess. tonight, I bought a tube of GE 100% silicone in black. has a 10 year warranty. New color. Got it at Lowes.

Ninjakitty · April 21, 2018, 12:34:24 PM

Clear urethane sealant. Don't use silicone. It'll leak again. Urethane will flex.

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richard5933 · April 21, 2018, 01:14:08 PM

Silicon will also create problems for any future paint work being done. Best to avoid anywhere paint is/will be involved.

bigred · April 21, 2018, 04:28:48 PM

The RV places used to stock somthing called Captain ---------- Crack Cure .This stuff was like water .Never used it but was told it worked great. Sorry CRS has set in and I can't remember the captains name

eagle19952 · April 21, 2018, 04:43:21 PM

Quote from: bigred on April 21, 2018, 04:28:48 PM
The RV places used to stock somthing called Captain ---------- Crack Cure .This stuff was like water .Never used it but was told it worked great. Sorry CRS has set in and I can't remember the captains name

Captain Trolley's Creeping Crack Cure is a multipurpose penetrating liquid sealant. Not sure it will seal a wide crack.

https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Tolleys-Creeping-Crack-Bottle/dp/B00JQ6XHWC

chessie4905 · April 21, 2018, 05:25:03 PM

That silicone will seal a shower that is constantly wet. He's sealing stainless steel. Probably not going to be painted any time soon.

kyle4501 · April 21, 2018, 06:49:45 PM

I've never had any luck with getting silicone to stay stuck to the stainless.

Mastic type of cord sealant has always worked so much better.

I would clean out the crack & pack the mastic cord into the joint, then clean off the excess.

YMMV

PP · April 22, 2018, 08:41:52 AM

The crack runs vertical where the body panels come together on the stainless part of the bus. It fluctuates from non-existent crack to maybe 1/32" or even less as you come down over the corrugated rolls of the stainless. I'm going to check out Ninja Kitty's urethane suggestion. Silicone is not an option. I wire brushed it and got it as clean as I can, but it's an awful small crack, just enough for water to find its way in. I suppose I could always jack the front of the bus up high enough that the water runs backwards past the crack, but then I'd need climbing gear just to get around inside.

Thanks for all the helpful comments,
Will

Dave5Cs · April 22, 2018, 08:43:42 PM

Will can you drill out the rivets and lay in silicon tape or Butel tape and then re rivet.

PP · April 23, 2018, 08:22:35 AM

Quote from: Dave5Cs on April 22, 2018, 08:43:42 PM
Will can use drill out the rivets and lay in silicon tape or Butel tape and then re rivet.

That's a tad extreme for me. I don't do well with rivets. But you're absolutely correct, that would be the professional way to fix it permanently. Thanks for the suggestion though. Maybe, if all else fails, I'll look into having a pro fix it because I can't allow water to keep seeping into the bay.
Will

chessie4905 · April 23, 2018, 11:39:23 AM

Pack it with a high viscosity non melting grease, thoroughly remove excess residue, and move on.

PP · April 28, 2018, 06:00:38 PM

Okay, after using a wire brush and cleaning it as thoroughly as humanly possible, I pressed in some black butyl rubber with my fingers and then wiped off all the excess. It looks just like the stuff that is probably used when the panels are originally assembled. Anyway, it rained really heavy last night and the bay is still dry. I took a pic, but I'm having a problem posting it and since it's not really bus porn

I gave up.
Will

Maybe I can get that blind monkey to figure out this picture thing.