Leaking Windshield Remedy

I searched the archives and did not see a thread covering this. I apologize if this is redundant because I am certain this is a common problem... I have a leak from the top of the drivers side windshield when I either wash the coach or experience a good rain. I know that sealing the rubber glass seal would eliminate this, but I do not want to use a product that may cause me grief down the road, such as a silicon-type sealer. What can I use that would not cause issues should I have to replace glass at some point?

Hi, Stork,  allow me to give you a couple of scenarios.

1. You may have a windshield that is totally mis-seated in the frame and requires some professional help.

2. You may have an interior problem, such as I had, and can be fixed from the inside.

Such as... My passenger side window leaked from the top and ran down the molding near the drivers console. It got so wet that my electronics under the console acted up due to the high humidity.

  My fix: I removed the plastic molding at the top (3 screws) and determined where the water was getting in. I found that the original caulk was missing in a couple of spots where the top of the windshield touched the framing.. Obviously a poor sealing job at the time of original installation.

  I purchased some black goo for that and squirted it into the missing areas. Looked good to me after I got finished...but, at the next rainstorm I only had mini-leaks instead of major leaks. Ok, what next?

  I decided to put another layer on to plug up the pinhole leaks (due to bubbles in the first attempt). This time I used DICOR and smeared a nice layer over the entire thing. I did that when everything had dried out. Lo and behold, the dripping stopped, almost, now I only had a mini-leak, Next time I applied another thin layer of DICOR, using my finger to force the DICOR into the pinholes. That worked.

  Just lately, we had a major downpour here in FL, and now I have a micro-leak, so small it was barely noticeable. (FYI, I placed a sheet of yellow Shamwow (sp) on the dash which will show up strongly in color change with a drop of water.

  It is necessary to have the upper molding removed so that you can trace the vertical flow of the drip, showing you where the drip originates

  My next step will be to apply another thin layer to hopefully catch the last micro-holes. If you don't have the same problem as mine, forget my beautiful dissertation above.  ;D

  Now, if you have a lot of money, go for the expensive way and have the windshield reseated.

Hope there will be a few other posts.

carson FL

FYI, I placed a sheet of yellow Shamwow (sp) on the dash which will show up strongly in color change with a drop of water.

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Carson, the word is chamois, sometimes pronounced 'shammy'.  Chamois is a type of porous, nonabrasive leather that is extremely soft, flexible, and absorbent.  Typically chamois leather is used to dry off surfaces after washing; this is due to the absorbency and softness of the leather, another attribute being that dirt and grime particles are drawn away from the surface being cleaned.

Kent ... simply sealing the outside rubber molding can help on many rigs, but is NOT likely to help on your 2003 Winnebago. The outer rubber molding is not the windshield seal. It does keep most water from getting behind it to the area where the glass is sealed, but even with all the outer rubber molding gone, your windshield should not leak! The glass is glued/sealed into the steel roll cage around the front compartment. The outer rubber molding is attached to that steel cage by a channel molding that is attached with double sided tape. Windshield leaks on 2003 and similar Winnebago rigs occur due to poor glass installation, and/or rust on the steel frame. Many of us have had leaks somewhere along the top of the windshield due to rust forming on the steel frame. The rust is most often the result of water trickling onto the frame from inside the front cap from leaking clearance lamps, etc. If you remove a clearance lamp and find rusty screws, that is your leak source. That is what I found on mine. I now check/reseal my clearance lamps about twice a year.

You can see the steel frame to inspect/repair it if you gently pull the rubber molding loose. (if the rubber channel is still attached to the frame the molding will easily go back in ...if not, you may need to re-attach the channel before putting the molding back into place).  If the frame is rusted, you need to clean it up as best you can and put some rust cure on it and then repaint it. With the outer rubber molding out of the wayk you can add windshield sealant between the glass and steel frame to close the leak where the water actually gets inside the coach. If/when the rust gets bad enough between the glass and the frame, it can/will crack the windshield starting in that area. 

rsalhus said:

Carson, the word is chamois, sometimes pronounced 'shammy'.  Chamois is a type of porous, nonabrasive leather that is extremely soft, flexible, and absorbent.  Typically chamois leather is used to dry off surfaces after washing; this is due to the absorbency and softness of the leather, another attribute being that dirt and grime particles are drawn away from the surface being cleaned.

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Actually the "ShamWOW" is a specific chamois product, that I've heard people absolutely rave about.  The infomercial makes it look pretty neat, but that's the power of advertising... I haven't tried one yet.  Sorry for the thread drift, now back to your leaking windshield discussion. 

Thank you for the responses.

Paul-Carson,  your responses are very helpful. This gives be a better perspective and an understanding of what I need to address.

Just for the record... Shamwow is an infomercial synthetic chamois product.

Thank you all!

We have a friend who was also having a leaky windshield in his Journey.  He went to Winnebago last November to find out the problem.  There were three other Journeys/Meridians there with leaky windshields.  He was told that to have a "permanent" fix for his, the windshields would have to be removed (with a 60% chance of breakage, at the owner's cost) and then the rusting and possibly holey steel frame that the windshield is glued to would have to be cut away and a new piece welded on to replace it.  Then the windshield would have to be reinstalled.  If I remember correctly, he told us the estimate, if both windshields break, was EXTREMELY expensive.  Since he was there we have personally talked to three other Meridians/Journeys owners who are also having leaky windshields.  One could only hope that Winnebago has addressed finding a solution so it doesn't happen to future units.

We are having a leaking problem now with our 2004 Meridian.  We will let the forum know more about the repair Winnebago proposes when we go there in May.  Until then, we will deal with changing out wet towels and having a leak.

if both windshields break, was EXTREMELY expensive

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Mine were $750 each ...I would absolutely bet on them being broken in the "removal" process.

Make life easy. If you don't want to go through the hassle and expense of dealing with windshield replacement for whatever reason (I am not advocating ignoring the root cause fix) and you just want to stop the water leak, here is a 100% solution.

Get some butyl rubber. Anyone not having this handy is missing out on what is probably the best emergency and long term sealant ever invented. It puts any silicon to shame.

There are many forms, some in a caulk type tube but most commonly you can find it in rope form at many auto parts stores. Marine supply stores have it too because it can be used under water to seal holes and leaks and needs absolutely no cure time.

Butyl rubber is non-permanent but can provide a permanent fix. I mean that you can remove it but you can also leave it in place for tens of years and it will not degrade. Pontiac used to use this material to seal windshields and even after 30 years the material remains pliable and can be reused as good as new.

Back to the fix. You get the rope form, try the thin rope style as opposed to the thick. If you get the thicker rope you are going to pull and twist it until thinner, about an 1/8" thick.

Butyl rubber will stick to nearly anything but oil. Before using it to do anything cut off a small piece and just play with it. Get used to its properties so you don't make a disaster of what should be something simple.

For your windshield: (you can do this in the rain if need be) It will be almost invisible to anyone looking at your coach.

Clean you windshield gasket with a mixture of water/alcohol 50-50. Wipe it dry. Also make sure that the immediate area of glass is clean (same cleaner) and also the coach frame/paint/whatever. Just get the dirt off. This should take about 5 minutes tops.

Put lengths of butyl rubber along the windshield gasket (the one outside that you can see and touch) on both the topside and underside with the underside being the side which touches your windshield.

What you have now are two ropes of butyl rubber traveling along the windshield gasket.

Now press the butyl rubber down a little and make sure that there is no gap between the butyl rubber and the windshield gasket. You do not need to make the butyl rubber flat, just enough to stick and seal any gap between the windshield gasket and the butyl rubber.

The above should take about 3-5 minutes to complete for half the height of the windshield side and about 1/4 the distance across the top.

You are done unless you want to go onto the next step.

Water WILL NOT leak past this seal no matter how hard it rains. You can fire a high pressure water hose at your windshield and it will not leak. You can throw buckets of water on it and it will not leak. This seal will not harden, it will not fall off, it will not crack.

5 years from when you put it on, it will still be there as good as when you put it on.

Next step but completely optional and only for the topside seal, not the side touching the windshield:

Butyl rubber is black. If you didn't use a 1" diameter rope of the stuff you can probably forego this step. But if you want to completely hide the seal, you can go to a fabric store and find some very thin fabric close to the color of your paint. Cut a thin strip just enough to cover the butyl rubber. Place it on top and press slightly. It will stay there and hide the thin black rope of butyl rubber.

In most cases, no one will be able to tell you have this fix in place so that last beauty step isn't necessary.

Like I said, you can use this in the rain. It can be pouring rain and this will do its job as good as if it was sunny outside. In most cases it is unaffected by the temps you will encounter in an RV. Hot or cold it doesn't matter.

There is no cure time. When you are done, you are done.

There are 100s of uses for butyl rubber. You can use it as a temporary tack in place for just about anything. It can hold things of high weight too, just put a blob onto something, hold it against something else and it stays there but you can remove it at any time.

Want to put a mirror on something. Use butyl rubber. It will stay there unaffected by vibration or flex yet can be removed when needed.

Butyl rubber will mark some porous fabrics. It will stick to your hands. Wearing plastic gloves will insure you mess things up.

If you get it in your hair, have scissors handy.

For a leaking roof, nothing can compare to butyl rubber. All those miracle emergency repair products are a joke compared to what butyl rubber can do. Here is a super fast fix that works in the dead of night when it is pouring outside:

Length of butyl rubber rope. Plastic sheeting. Cut a piece of the plastic sheeting. A ziplock bag or plastic trash bag also works. Just cut it to the size patch you need. Outline the patch with the butyl rubber rope. On the roof, wipe the area with a sponge. Do it quick and easy, nothing fancy. The roof area does not need to be dry-obviously.

Press the patch down and press over the rope all the way around. Leak fixed. A hurricane will not pull the patch off yet you can remove it easily when you want. Just pull it up slowly.

What else can this fix? A hole in a plastic water pipe. Knead some of the butyl rubber into a patch and stick it on. Unless it is 100psi, it will hold. Fix the pipe permanently when you can. Works on metal pipes too.

Loose body parts like wheel well covers, trim etc. Use it instead of some silicone or other glue. It is instant. You stop, put the trim back in place and drive on. No need to every remove it and glue it. 20 years from now it will still be in place.

Hope this helps someone.

One place that should be checked for caulking is the front marker lights. I had a new 03 that did not have caulking around the lights and a 02 that needed caulking. Many leaks come from those lights. Check them well and caulk if necessary...Good Luck

We have had two MHs and a window leak on each. 

The first was a leaky windshield that had been gooped up with silicone, caulk, and who knows what.  Coach Light RV at Carthage Mo. pulled the windshield, installed new gaskets and re-installed it.  Fixed!

On our present MH the co-pilot window had a leak & the thermo pane itself was fogged.  The local Winne dealer pulled the window, replaced the fogged pane and reinstalled with fresh butyl.  Fixed!l

Any other fix is only temporary.

I recently purchased a 2005 Winnebago Adventurer from a dealer.  I drove several hours away to evaluate the coach prior to purchase, however I arrived after hours on the evening of inspection and had to spend the night in the town where it was located.  I decided to ride over to the lot that night to take a look in person, because so far all I had seen was internet pics.  I noticed a piece of masking tape that seemed to be holding the middle rubber seal on between the windshields as if it were re-glued or something.  I asked the sales guy the next day about it, and he said that the strip had to be re-glued.  At that time I had no idea of this massive problem with Winnebago windshields.  The coach checked out and I bought it and took it home.  After a couple of days I decided to wash it.  It looked like it was raining inside of the passenger windshield.  I ran in and checked it out.  I removed the inside plastic panels to get a better look at the upper passenger windshield.  There I found where the water was coming from and a little rust.  That night I searched the rv forums for the topic of leaking Winnebago windshields and was abhorred at what I saw.  There is a never ending pool of information out there on the net.  So I ended up taking the rubber molding off the exterior upper windshield, and sure enough, I found rust and water.  I was shocked.  To prevent any further injury to the coach because we are expecting rain, I wire brushed the rust spots and treated with an anti-corrosive, then I sealed with a Black Marine RTV all the way across.  I am going to let it cure for 48 hours and leak check it.  I cannot help but wonder what kind of rust is above that windshield in the front cap.  I am hoping that this fixes the leak, but I know that the inevitable is coming, which is to remove the windshields, grind off the rust, prime the metal, and new windshields.  I intend to call the dealer tomorrow.  This is something that they had to have known about, especially for having the coach on the lot since December.  Anyone's thoughts or similar problems on this? 

Welcome to the forum.  I would be having some serious talks with the dealer. Do you have any warranty at all with them? You would think they had noticed the leak, but it is possible they didn't notice even if they had a heavy rain and then were not in the coach for a few days. But their ignorance and/or attempt to cover is demonstrated in the fact that they said the molding had to be re-glued. The molding is not glued at all on Winnebago windshields. The outer piece pops into an inner piece that is secured to the metal frame with double-sided tape. The glass is glued to the metal framework. Even with NO molding in place, the windshield will not leak unless there is a problem. Leaking indicates frame rust under the seal between glass and metal. Small leaks can sometimes be stopped and deterioration slowed with antitrust treatment. More extensive leaks require glass removal and metal work to repair the rusted frame. Since it is glued in, it is very unlikely that the glass can be removed w/o breaking. I would expect removal and proper metal repair to cost up to $3k or so including cost of new glass. Mine in 2008 or so was right at $2,500 with minimal metal repair. My glass is extra tall and was $750ea. The original cause of my leak was a clearance lamp, with weather going downhill inside the cap and collecting on the upper frame.

I did contact the dealer, to which no surprise was "unaware" of any such leaks.  I find it really hard to believe that they did not know that the leak existed, judging by the magnitude of the leak when we initially checked it with the water hose.  However there is no warranty with the dealer, and they played dumb to the fact, so all in all I suppose it is my baby and my bought lesson in buying rv's.  However the RTV sealant job that I did apparently worked because we have had heavy rain here for a couple of days now and it has not leaked.  The dealer that I bought from was an out of state (VA) boat and rv broker which represented themselves as selling repo units for creditors and banks.  There had to have been around a couple dozen of both boats and motorhomes on the lot.    However, if that is so, I believe that next time I had rather buy from an actual rv dealer so that there is come kind of assurance coming with the purchase.  I do remember asking them very clearly if there was "ANY" issues of leaks with the particular coach that I bought, to which they replied no.  The coach that I purchased is a beautiful unit and specifically the floor plan that I wanted and we were able to get into it for a reasonable price, so I suppose maybe it is worth all of the aggravation thus far.  I have made arrangements with our local rv service center to have the top cap and roof seams all resealed, as it probably is more than due for that.  We will be using the unit heavily beginning in May and I do not want any problems on the road. 

lcgilder said:

I believe that next time I had rather buy from an actual rv dealer so that there is come kind of assurance coming with the purchase.

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Don't kid yourself (or beat yourself up too much).    RV dealers often give no more after-protection guarantees than you'd get from a broker or private seller.  Their job is profit, i.e. turning over inventory as fast as possible... so you will often discover issues with any used unit after the first few shakedown trips.  It's just part of RV ownership, and the reason this forum exists! 

Thanks Scott!  Yea, I don't really think anyone is very honest much these days when it comes to buying things.  Indeed the bugaboo things start to rear their heads on the first few trips.  It just really gives you that cold in your stomach feeling when you have paid a lot of money for something and things start to surface that are going to be problematic and costly.  I think I fixed the leaking windshield for now, apparently.  However, I know at some point if I keep it, the correct thing will need to be done, and that is to remove both windshields, clean the rust from all metal, and reseal the windshields.  However for now, my repair will have to work.  It was amazing to me how the prices of the particular models I was looking for fluctuated from dealer to dealer, and even private sellers.  I looked at a 2002 Winnebago Brave that was 35ft, one owner, always sheltered, with the Ford Chassis and 19k Miles, that was immaculate for $34k.  I almost bought it, in spite of the fact that I wanted full body paint.  The guy had cared for that coach and it showed.  You could have eaten out of the engine compartment or the inside floor.  However, upon further research, that price was really a little high for that year model.  But the guy was trying to sell for payoff and $34k was what he owed on it, so I understand his situation.  I had been looking for "the one" for about 6 months before purchasing, and I tell you that you meet some interesting people on the search. 

lcgilder said:

Yea, I don't really think anyone is very honest much these days when it comes to buying things.

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There is certainly some of that to look out for, but just as much comes down to ignorance and inexperience IMO.  The guy I bought my motorhome from had been living full-time in it (with wife and son) for a year, which you think would have given him a LOT of RV experience.  Yet he knew very little about the overall workings, and I had to fix a lot of small things after purchasing.  It was just a temporary residence to him, and he had not gotten much into the recreational aspect of the RV lifestyle.  I know members here have posted about how they visited a dealership, and they (the potential buyer) knew more about an RV issue or model than the RV salesperson did.  It certainly happens.

Anyway, don't sweat the small stuff... although it may not seem small at the time.  Having these issues makes your stories here SO much more interesting! 

The second one we bought was much newer and we expected little wrong with it, there was more then we thought should have been.

This last one is old and we expected a lot of stuff wrong with it and we have not have been disappointed!  Ha! Ha!

I'm hoping we are getting there bit by bit, but sometimes I wonder if we should have purchased one so old.  Would not be an issue if hubby was home more, nothing yet he could not have fixed but with him gone the labor is sure expensive.

I too experienced exactly the same problem as you. Nice leak above the driver's window. I tried several things but eventually I took it to a glass repair shop. I was ready for a sizeable bill but it turned out to cost me only $35! Turns out that the black goop (very technical term) had pulled away about the window. They took out the rubber seal, re-gooped it and then put the seal back. Truly was worth it to me if it cost $200. I like to fix things in my RV, but this was one time being in someone more experienced is so worth it.

Just my 2 cents.

Frank

I too purchased an old motor home and I thought I knew what I was getting into until I started to check things out. I did drive it 800 miles home so it must not have been that bad. For starters, it needed new tires all around so I got 2 Firestone 8R19.5 installed in the front and drove on home over those never ending West Virginia hills. So this thing's got 3 furnaces that did not work. The water heater did not work. The converter was old and cooked the batteries so in went 2 new batteries and a new converter. The started died just as I got it home. The air compressor was shot and the air bags were all deflated. I got all that fixed and it finally rained and discovered a leaking windshield so I'm gonna try the Butyl trick and apply it around the seal and call it a permanent repair. My wife won't sleep in the bed so in went and got a new mattress. I worked on the air conditioners and am re-installing the back ladder that was broken to pieces. You know these motor homes are really tall underneath so spend some time under there looking at all the systems hanging from down there. Look for loose wiring and hoses and wire tie all the stuff nice and neat. Inspect the exhaust and replace any rusted out hangers. Look for oily spots around the rear drive axle and differential and keep an eye on the drive shaft and universal. And don't be scared of those leaking wind shields. It's easy to remove them. Just pop out the trim, cut around the caulk and pull the glass out. OK so you'll need two suction cup glass carriers and a couple of ladders and two men but it's not rocket science. Save yourself 3 or 4 thousand dollars and do it yourself.