deannak Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 I've found lots of dirt, silicone and rusty screws under the vinyl trim strips in the tracks along the edges of my roof. It doesn't look like that setup has been doing the job of keeping the water out properly. On another forum (can't remember exactly where) I read an account by a guy who filled in the tracks completely with lap sealant, and then covered the whole thing with Eternabond tape. It must be a bear if you need to remove it for something, but as long as it doesn't leak, I don't see why I'd ever want to remove it. If it makes my roof more leak proof, it seems like a good idea to me. I'm sure this is overkill, but is there a downside to doing it this way? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Very likely that it's leaking from the side of the trim strip not the insert in the middle. Best case scenario is to remove them and reseal the whole thing and reinstall with new screws and then new insert trim Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannak Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 Thanks, Linda! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 The water is getting deep here. Here's what I did 1. Remove trim inset, Remove the screws, easier said than done, most will be rusted almost in half. A small grinder will be a great help. just grind off the head of the screw. Then remove the trim itself. Be careful not to bend it out of shape, 2. Clean, clean, clean the joint. I used Pro Seal 34 to seal the joint, mask the caulk line for neatness. Butyl tape over the joint and edge. Reinstall the trim strip, I used self tapping stainless steel screws installed in new holes. Each screw got a dab of Dycor over it and so did the old holes. The Pro Seal is the actual seal agent 3. I laid out the new trim insert out on the roof for 3 months to "preshrink" it. I reinstalled it with a screw at each end. In 5 years no problems. If yours starts to show ANY leakage this the correct fix, any patch job is short term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunkaman Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 WME seems to have the solution. because of my experience with having to replace my entire roof i know that keeping water from finding its way into your MH is paramount. the repair shop that replaced my roof installed all new trim strips and on the flatter portions put like a gutter type of strip. fortunately i should have no issues. as WME stated he replaced the trim strip screws with stainless, i also replaced any exterior screw on the coach with stainless when i first got my warrior. maybe i was anal ..but for the small price i thought it would be a good thing to do. joe from dover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannak Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Hey WME, that sounds like a very professional job you did! I'm sure mine won't be up to those same standards, but I'm learning a lot as I go. Fortunately my rusty screws aren't in quite that bad shape. I haven't had any (so far) that I had to grind out. Thanks for all the info! Joe from Dover - I'm replacing all the screws on the roof with stainless. Haven't even thought about all the screws on the rest of the vehicle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilliam1 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Hey deanak, I've never had a leak but had to reseal my roof also after 35 yrs. everything original up there. I did what your doing by replacing all the rusted screws around all the trim with larger Stainless steel screws. I put Flex seal into each screw hole and on top of the new stainless screw heads. Installed new vinyl trim all around the rig. I then used Dicor lap sealant on the edges of the roof trim. WME does Exceptional work and completely removing the trim and re-sealing with butyl tape is the way to go but too scary for me lol:-)! I used hunkamans tip and also replaced all exterior screws with Stainless. Maybe anal but sure dresses up the exterior with shiny new screws! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunkaman Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 hi there, if you do replace all the screws with stainless, try and find an industrial hardware supply company to purchase your replacements. usually if you go to a lowes or home depot, you have to purchase blister packs and typically they are always in the wrong amount that you require and are expensive to buy. the place i went to was like an old time hardware store where you could buy a single screw or as many as needed. i believe i spent less than $20.00 for all the screws i replaced. most were just a few pennies each. the place i went to was not a chain store, but you may have luck at "fastenal" if you have one in your area. good luck. joe from dover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 My thought on using Stainless Steel fasteners? These were originally built with the probably cheapest fasteners available. The originals lasted 25-35 years. I'm not too optimistic that most of these Motorhomes will last another 25-35 years. Even less optimistic that I will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I agree on the not lasting forever but the cheapest 35 years ago was so much better than the cheapest today. I'd spend a little more if you even want it to last 10 years Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86rader Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 What are you guys talking about? sin- Sunrader owner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86rader Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 On 1/8/2017 at 9:11 AM, hunkaman said: hi there, if you do replace all the screws with stainless, try and find an industrial hardware supply company to purchase your replacements. usually if you go to a lowes or home depot, you have to purchase blister packs and typically they are always in the wrong amount that you require and are expensive to buy. the place i went to was like an old time hardware store where you could buy a single screw or as many as needed. i believe i spent less than $20.00 for all the screws i replaced. most were just a few pennies each. the place i went to was not a chain store, but you may have luck at "fastenal" if you have one in your area. good luck. joe from dover What ^^^^ said. The price difference is astounding. Also, selection is much better. You can generally find one of these places in industrial parks. They are not in strip malls, with the possible exception of fastenal/grainger. As an example, I recently needed some M5x20mm socket head cap screws. Individually bagged at big box stores for a buck or two a piece, box of 100 at industrial supply about 8 bucks. If you happen to be in central RI, actually, anywhere in RI as it is about 5 miles long, these guys are great. http://www.warwickfasteners.com/pfasteners/21.pdf Great service, knowledgeable staff. Kinda like the big boxes were.....25 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannak Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 I ordered stainless screws from Fastenere on Amazon. $10 for 100. Unfortunately, can't buy just the quantity I want this way. The old fashioned hardware store sounds kind of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joedriver Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Hi folks; I'm a ''fresh'' new owner of a Toyota RV 6 cyl. , and I'm searching for others in my area [ Parksville BC Canada] to learn from. I need all the help I can get ! Thanks J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.