88 E150 Mark III raised roof conversion van.

Yesterday I parked on an angel while it was raining and noticed water dripping from one of the skylights.

This is the trim on the inside.
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There are clips that are snapped onto the trim. A tab on the back side just presses into the rubber window molding seal.
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The rubber seal buts together on one of the short ends and the leak appears to be in this area.
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This is a closeup of the rubber molding on the outside. It appears to me that the peach colored trim on molding i snot just for looks but also presses into the rubber molding to tighten the seal around the glass and fiberglass roof.
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I could not reach over far enough to get a good pic, but it appears that the trim has pushed up out of the rubber molding on the left skylight and that is just about where it is leaking.
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I used my fingernail and tried just a little to lift the rubber molding around the edge but it seemed fairly hardened so I didn't want to mess with it too much and cause it to leak more. I couldn't reach area the in question to try to push the peach colored trim, if that is what it is called, back into place. I am guessing if the rubber is hardened, then it may not go back in place.

Any ideas are very welcomed! Perhaps some flowable silicone and try to press the trim back in place as well as a bit around the rubber molding?

What is the proper name for this kind of molding?
How do you measure to get the proper molding?

I imagine insulation would be something like this . This molding does not have the snap in peach trim..
Can that type of rubber molding even still be bought?

Ah here is a seal molding with the trim strip...

Wold it be better to have a glass company do this?
Thanks Anna

 

Ok so now I know the weatherstripping is called bead lock weatherstrip..
http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/v/v...catalog336.pdf

I am going to guess that in my case, the weatherstripping goes in the window fiberglass frame first with the bead lock side facing the outside. Then the window glass goes in from the outside. Then you put the locking bead in...

It looks like the only size beadlock weatherstrip this company carries is
Glass Thickness: 1/4" X Body Thickness: 1/8

It looks like the self locking type comes in a wider range of sizes.

Which would be best in this application?
Perhaps I can get the bead back in the existing weatherstrip and it will seal..

 

I'd try a heat gun or a hair dryer to warm it before attempting to push the weatherstrip back in place.
I do not have any experience in this though. I just know if it's cold, it won't be pliable.
On my old van I just used clear silicone to seal leaks. It always worked but I did not care about looks.
JWA will give you better advice than me. It's not my area of expertise.

 

Thanks Vettex2, I didn't think about the outside tmeps today when I felt of the weatherstrip... It was 34F for a high today! It will be 50f and sunny on Monday, a good day to try to fix it. I do have a heat gun if that is what JWA recommends. I hope all I need to do is get the locking strip back in place. i wonder what caused it to come out?
I believe the van may have been repainted at one time according to this sticker on the drivers door. Perhaps the locking strip has been out since then..

I am guessing that the 91 might be the year..

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Good lord woman you ask some complicated questions!

Okay so those interior clips can be a problem but not as much as the age of the gasket which I'm assuming is original to the van. While that sort of material is still available if your thought is to replace it that's a job pretty much better left to glass guys. Its not an overly complicated thing but it does require a bit of hands-on experience to avoid breaking any existing glass, some of which would be very costly to replicate, even with acrylic (Plexi-Glass) or poly carbonate (Lexan) plastics.

Adding the gasket and its locking strip by now are as hard as rocks so working with them will at best be difficult. What the YouTube videos probably don't mention is installations shown are with new, very pliable parts which are infinitely easier to do even for the inexperienced first time installer.

Back to those interior clips----they're okay where they are---don't disturb them just for this chore ahead of you.

Heating the bit of lock strip that has popped out would help tucking it back into the gasket's locking channel--using a wet-type silicone lubricant like 3M's 08877 helps ease the strip back into its slot.

Unless you're going for a 100% full-on concurs restoration I'd simply SAFELY climb on top and use an exterior grade silicone adhesive/sealant placed so the interface between the gasket body on each side---to the body and to the glass itself is basically sealed. This can be done neatly enough that sight lines looking out of the windows doesn't show a messy application. Small beads properly placed beats smearing it ***** nilly.

If you go this path DO NOT USE anything from Lowe's etc intended for home caulking purposes. A Type II exterior grade silicone adhesive is just about the only product to do this job correctly.

To the bit of lock strip that's popped out---you can use the 3M 08877 lubricant and a heat gun to GENTLY heat that general area just warm enough for it all to be pliable and reinserting it but typically that's better done with a somewhat specialized plastic tool or lockstrip insertion tool that the average person doesn't need or have. That alone isn't the cause of the leak and for all practical purposes it can be left as is, the outside silicone sealer being more than sufficient to cure the leaks.

That's the little bit I know about all this...............hope it helps.

 

Ouch. Bad deal.

 

That is some kinda huge bad Karma is it not?

 

HaHA Angel, Angle,,that was funny...
It is going to be in the mid to upper 60's a couple for days next week and will be a good time to fix the leak.. I agree when I get ready to replace the seals, I'll let a shop with experience do it. For now I will use the Type II silicone.

Where is the best place to get some of the silicone you recommend?

A closer look at the seals shows tiny weather cracks around the edges. Normally as soon as I open any sealer, tar, glue, that stuff jumps out on me so I am thinking I will use painters tape very close the the seal and use something to spread it with so it will look perdy..

JWA, in another conversation we talked about resealing the side windows. I plan on taking them out and checking for any water damage. Thankfully the only one I know that is leaking right now is on the passenger side and there is only one on that side. Good place to practice.
I believe you said to do away with the foam weatherstrip and use just silicone?
The type II you mentioned, will it resist mold? I have seen some silicones used that turn black with mold..
Thanks Anna

 

This is what I use for a variety of reasons, first one being it works, plain and simple.


The brand name, color and everything else except the "type" can be ignored. Easiest purchase for single tubes is from Lowe's etc but you want an outdoor product, silicone and NOT anything latex etc. This will be stated on the tube somewhere.

If sealing around the outside edges of the window gaskets along with painter's tape a finger tip works well enough to force sealant into the interface between gasket and body. It needs applied only there as that's where water most likely is leaking in.

IF there are visible signs of water leaking in between the gasket and the glazing that can be sealed in a similar fashion. For the time being you might have a bit of visible line of sealant as seen looking out of the skylights, at least until the seals are replaced.

The same material above can be used to re-seal the side windows with metal frames---there's no fear it can or would support mold.

HTH

 

Water leaks on the coach part of the van are very challenging to fix. I have been chasing mine down on my motorhome for 14 years before I think I have finally fixed it
Some of the leaks were traced back to improper installation- on the side widow the coach builder made the hole opening way too big, almost the size of the window itself. Silicones did not fix it, but rather complete removal of the window and seating it carefully in the centre( only about 1/16 inch play, way too little) and filled with butyl sealant/adhesive available at auto body supply stores. While it seems to be effective, it can be messy, so have plenty of disposable gloves on hand.
On the front window ( class C motorhome) I was able to obtain some bead lock from a local auto glass store. it was a universal fit, in black, but was pliable- rubber shrinks and hardens with age. A bead of this black buytl sealant might help around the perimeter of the window might seal a leak. While this helped, it seemed in my case that a leak would reappear when you parked at just the right angle. Half hour soak with a hose at home no leaks, but would leak next camping trip it rained it seemed. The final fix was eternabond tape, a 4 inch wide self adhesive tape. While it is permanent, there are aesthetic issues- it is noticeable fix, but since this widow is about 9 feet off the ground, it doesn't stick out too bad. Been over a year and no leaks