X244 Front repeater lights (them up there) question. (1 Viewer)

[Emmit]

Hi All,

On our last but one day coming home through France, the rain came down in Biblical proportions all day. It made for a horrible days' journey.
When we bought "The Beast" 11 months ago I noted a small amount of water ingress markings on the overwindscreen area in the front offsideside corner of the headlining just above the windscreen but it appeared an 'old' problem. I would add that the seal between the top of the 'van' and the bodywork seems in very good order.

On the day in question, for the first time since it became ours, BOTH corners of the headlining, just above the top corners of both sides of the windscreen started to become 'soggy'

Now the question. My guess is that the water is getting around the 'repeater' white lights fitted just above the windscreen.

Assuming I'm right, does anyone know if the seal that I presume is behind the fitment can be replaced. If not, does the assembled might of Funsters think I could remove lights and seal and apply silicone around said lights and seal.
If it ain't the lights, is it the windscreen seal.

Anyone got any thoughts and any previous experiences of a similar nature.

As usual, Ta in advance.

 

[wizzer59]

Got any pics, and whatever you do do not use silicone

 

[Emmit]

The only 'pic' I could show you is of the front of the van. There's nothing to see as such. What do you want me to take a photo of?

 

[gus-lopez]

I'd think your assumption of the repeaters is probably correct & I would think they had a rubber seal behind that has probably perished/hardened .I would assume you can obtain them but would think it wouldn't be hard to obtain some rubber sheet & make some new ones.

 

[Wickolad]

As wizzer59 says, don't use silicone. Make sure the area and parts are thoroughly dried and clean use some mastic to seal the cable entry and also the screw holes then a bead around the inner edge of the rubber seal and screw back in place (put a bit of mastic on the screw threads as well before screwing in). Any mastic that overspills from the unit sides can be cleaned off with a bit of WD40 on a cloth to give a clean finish.

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[CWH]

Awwww... And just when I thought I'd got my head around "always use silicone in the MH, never use WD40"... I'll have to start all over again!
Now where did I put my latest copy of "Motorhoming for Complete Idiots"?

 

[Emmit]

Hi Again,

Wickolad, You wrote,"use some mastic"

What would be your mastic of choice,(and if that starts with the word Sikoflex, what Number would that be?)

Again, thanks in advance.

 

[tonyidle]

I'm an ardent fan of Sikoflex products but ......... for most simple sealing tasks butyl mastic in roll form is easy to use and in my experience never sets hard or fails. It can be cut to shape with scissors and used flat (as is) or shaped like Plasticene to seal screw holes and cable entries. It doesn't 'go off' so you can keep a small roll in the van for emergencies. Sold by most caravan/MH outlets.

 

[Wickolad]

Awwww... And just when I thought I'd got my head around "always use silicone in the MH, never use WD40"... I'll have to start all over again!
Now where did I put my latest copy of "Motorhoming for Complete Idiots"?

Absolutely nothing wrong with using silicone IN the motorhome, just not ideal for outside. Lighten up a little CWH, not everyone knows everything there is to know. I certainly don't. The main thing though, no one would pick up tips and solutions to problems if everytime someone tried to offer some advise some idiot tried to take the pi@@.
That attitude not only discourages people asking for advise, but also people offering up a solution. The fool is the one that doesn't ask the question,
The idiot is the one that puts someone down for either asking or trying to assist.
You better get looking for that guide you mislaid.
Lance

 

[Silver-Fox]

Nothing wrong in using silicone on the exterior provided you use the correct one

Have a look on the Dow Corning Web site it will give you all the different types and uses

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[Wickolad]

Hi Again,

Wickolad, You wrote,"use some mastic"

What would be your mastic of choice,(and if that starts with the word Sikoflex, what Number would that be?)

Again, thanks in advance.

Hi emmitdb, I'm really sorry For delay getting back to you. This is the first time I've been on Fun since I posted my initial reply. You may well have sorted it by now but if not, this is the stuff I use for sealing exterior stuff like lockers, window frames and light fittings- Hodgson Seamseal CV (White) Non Drying Bedding Sealant.
You can usually get this at most caravan accessory shops, around £3.00.

 

[Wickolad]

Nothing wrong in using silicone on the exterior provided you use the correct one

Have a look on the Dow Corning Web site it will give you all the different types and uses

I won't argue with that, I'm a great fan of Dow Corning its good stuff and used it numerous times fitting my house double glazing. However, I got the impression it was general purpose silicone that was the topic, not specialised or we may well just stick with Sikaflex ( no pun intended).

 

[JeanLuc]

My top marker lights are probably a different model to yours but the principle of sealing will be the same. As a precautionary measure, because the bedding compound looked a bit 'crusty', I re-seated mine last summer. I simply removed them, cleaned the seatings well with white spirit then dried them thoroughly and re-set them on a bed of non-setting white mastic. This I cut from a roll of butyl mastic strip that I had bought previously to re-seat a rear Remis roof light.
When refitting the lights, I found it best to push them into the mastic quite hard by hand before fitting the two screws. These must not be over-tightened, particularly if the profile on which the lights sit is curved, otherwise the screws may pull the light base out of true, preventing the top 'glass' cover from making a water-tight seal with the light base. I also put a plug of mastic around the cable to seal the exit hole under the light base.

 

[CWH]

Lighten up a little CWH

Sorry if you've misunderstood me @Wickolad , I'm afraid with me WYSIWYG = I honestly thought I'd understood Funsters' advice to mean exactly what I posted, I honestly am a complete beginner when it comes to MH maintenance; it was honestly meant to be a jokey reference to the series of books called "[whatever] for complete idiots".
So - I am really grateful for all information and advice, which includes yours about the silicone and WD40.
However - in light of various comments I've sometimes seen in response to genuine maintenance questions, I can understand why you might have thought mine was the same.
Friends?

 

[Emmit]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the reason replies.

No. I haven't sorted out the ingress yet because of various things.
Bone Idleness (SWMBO reads these)
Christmas
Decor Hating (sic)

I could go on.

However, the main reason is that I've been waiting for Lidl to sell those folding ladder systems @£59.99 Got ours yesterday.

As soon as I've finished the decor Hating (sic) I'll be up that ladder.

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[Wickolad]

Sorry if you've misunderstood me
However - in light of various comments I've sometimes seen in response to genuine maintenance questions, I can understand why you might have thought mine was the same.
Friends?

Hi CWH, many apologies. I did misunderstand and also didn't realise you were a newbie to the MH DIY stuff, therefore i now know where you were coming from with that book range. I certainly wouldn't want to upset anyone by jumping on my high horse, I'm probably just a tad quick to jump to defence of some people if I think someone putting them down if you know what I mean.
Anyway, I'm sorry for misundertanding your initial reply and thank you for putting me straight. Friends? Definitely