How to refurbish Roadtrek with a goal to remove musty odor?

[gklugie]

If there is indeed no foam places near you you need to order your foam. I recommend that you remove your old foam, and measure the dimensions carefully. order CUSTOM CUT FOAM. The foam specialists cut the material with large specialty saws. Don't order bulk foam with the intention of cutting it to size by yourself. You will hack it up.

[Phoebe3]

If you compress it with a couple of pieces of wood that are clamped together as tight as possible, you can cut the foam with a box knife (new blade) or coping saw, depending on the density and thickness of the compressed foam. I have cut thinner pieces (2") with shears.

[Eraygunz]

First things first.
You have got to fix the leak.
Those three little windows can be a pain.
I had the window guy at our body shop recommend what to use.
He suggested Burl? Tape. It's a stickyish round tape with a foam center.
When you compress it,it seals very well.my old original rubber gaskets were in bad shape.
On the out side area. I used I reallygood grade silcone.
The thing here is to really make sure you get the entire area super clean !
I used thinner and a gray scotch brite. Then used automotive wax and grease remover just prior to applying the silcone.
So far,so good?
Another idea for any bad odor.
Is to take a plate or two . Pour some baking soda one one side,and fresh cheap coffee on the other.
The soda absorbs the bad smell ,and the coffee mask it.
It's why drug dealers pack their drugs in coffee.
Used it once in a fridge I though for sure I'd have to throw out.....couple days and a couple of plate changes....good as new
Interior work is usually expensive.....unless you do it yourself.
Hope this helps a little
I have a 1997 RT190 Popular. Really love it. Have done suspension stuff.
Added solar and battery bank. And a bunch of little stuff.
Almost done with repainting and stuff.
Will post pics when she's done.
Cheers
Eddie

[VTPete]

I'm making progress. I called the Roadtrek service folks who are a few hours away about the front windows... they advised using a good silicone and then have them professionally removed and properly installed or replaced. I used silicone and they're passing the "garden hose" test. The water coming in from them was VERY SLIGHT.

I was told they were fixed, so it's possible at one time they were worse. But, I'm also convinced that there was some other problem at one time. We haven't had any rain in a week, so it's tough to know if the leaks are truly fixed.

As for the smell, I ordered custom cut foam. I'm going to sew new covers myself. There was no hope in salvaging the old ones. No amount of treatment was coming even close to fixing the problem.

Also, I removed the front rear passenger seat as it was a source of odor as well. I've since replaced it with a new bucket seat that honestly is more comfortable as it reclines, and slides forward and back.

Removing the rear cushions and that seat has dramatically helped. The front seats have a slight smell, but it's fading as I've been treating the RV with Ozone regularly. The carpets are actually fine... and the headliner seems ok as well. It's been a lot of work and I'm still not done, but I'm very sensitive to mildewy odors and it's now within the acceptable zone! Now I just need to keep it dry. I'm considering a large carport to park it under.

-Pete

[Bruceper]

The term you're looking for a is butyl tape. A commonly used brand is called Dicor.

[gklugie]

Hey vt !,

1 how about some pictures?
2 where did you buy the new seat and how much?
3 pics of the new seat

Good work!

[Eraygunz]

Yeah, those little windows are a pain. For very little gain.
I almost fiberglassed mine in. But that is a messy job.
Figured I'd have to remove EVERYTHING from the front of the van. Or risk damage.
Also that smell too is hard to get rid of.
My wife is very sensitive to smells too,enough to drive me nuts sometimes.
Part of the problem with the windows is that once you over tighten the screws on the inside. They become stripped,with no easy watt to fix them.
Hope you make out well.
Sounds like you have got the bull by the horns.
Good travels.
Eddie

[VTPete]

Well, I spoke too soon.
Today we've had a solid downpour for at least eight hours. I decided to leave my previous tarp off the roof and see what happens. Within an hour I had water dripping in through all three windows in the front. While it's practically impossible to determine where they're leaking from, it *seems* like the window's INNER seals are bad; not the ones that connect them to the body of the van.

From the rust on the screws, I can tell this has been happening for quite some time. And, from following the drips, I can see exactly how the smells developed. So, you're all right about "fixing the leaks" first. I need some professional help.
Since the cabin actually smells pretty good now, I have a tarp back over the van and I'm running the heater just in case it got damp in there.

Also, and this is weird, the rear vents above the rear swinging door splash water into the air conditioner area. A LOT. I made a oak framed window with frosted glass to put in the spot where the air conditioner was and the splashing was hitting that window! That's like two feet!

What's with those vents in the back? What kind of design makes it so easy for water to bound around and enter the cabin? Even if it's a spot designed for an air conditioner? I draped some thick plastic sheeting inside in front of those vents so that the water will drain down rather than toward the inside of the van. Am I the only one to experience this?

As for the windows, is there any chance my local automotive window shop will know what can be done with these? I'm worried I need to order replacement windows and that there may be no such thing.

[Eraygunz]

You are not alone.
Many people have problems with these,because they are not designed well.
Here is my two cents..........
If the screws are stripped,you are already in a bad place.
You can try epoxy? I used a little bit of 3M panel bond. It's used for literally glueing body panels onto cars. Crazy cool stuff!
Then I used buryl tape .
Before putting them in place. I scuffed the outside window frame with a scotch brite pad. Used precleano to clean frame and the glass.I masked off the glass and covered the entire frame and about 1/2 inch of the glass with a really good grade silcone (black). I live in Florida,it rains like every day this time of year.......so far,so good.
If you do not have a rear a/c and don't plan on installing one you should probably consider permanently sealing up the openings.
If not careful. You could end up with a leak in the rear?
Maybe you could even use that as a storage area,if sealed and cleaned up
right.
Any way that is my two cents.
If I can be of help ,just ask.
Cheers.
Eddie

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Eraygunz

You are not alone.
Many people have problems with these,because they are not designed well.

At least the fake-window stickers on their Sprinter vans don't leak.

[VTPete]

Regarding the three front windows:
I have an appointment with my local automotive glass company (Portland Glass) this Friday. They're going to attempt to remove, recondition and reinstall the windows to remove the leaks. Wish me luck.

This morning I went into the Roadtrek (it was a cool, 55 degrees out) and it actually smelled good. Huge progress.

In summary:
1) Remove what can be removed and replace things like foam padding.
2) Scrub, scrub, scrub.
3) Dry, vacuum and repeat these last two steps several times.
4) Ozone works, but takes several treatments. Keep in mind it only works on surface molecules, so scrub, treat, vacuum, scrub, treat, vaccum, etc.

-Pete

[VTPete]

For those of you who skip to the end of long threads hoping to find a summary, here's one!

I took the rear seat/bed cushions out of the vehicle. They are hopelessly stinky, so I ordered replacement foam and will build and sew my own seats. I tried all advice given including, "use sunshine", or "vinegar", or "baking soda", or "hydrogen peroxide". They all work on surface odors, but not on deeply embedded surfaces such as foam.

The front "third" passenger seat's foam was also beyond help. I ordered a nice bucket seat that reclines and moves forward/back and built a new "box top" for it so it's easily removed. The kids like it better than the original, but it can't be used for a bed. I subsequently found a used OEM seat on eBay and have that ordered. Assuming it doesn't have bad odors, I'll have both an original seat and a new bucket seat to choose from.

I threw away all loose carpets. The previous owner had a golden retriever that obviously slept (wet?) on them. I even ran the front "dog house" engine cover carpet through industrial washing machines. It fell apart and I had to sew it back together. But, it's as good as new and doesn't smell of pet odor.

The remaining carpets have responded well to basic shampoo and vacuuming. (As well as the ozone I'll get to...)

The fabric on the side and rear doors has been scrubbed with upholstery cleaner a couple of times and that has worked great. Again, the ozone helped as well.

The headliners and hard surfaces have simply been scrubbed with various household cleaners like 409 and Spic & Span spray. They're not a problem at all. The primary problem with all the drawers is the previous own put at least two full boxes of highly perfumed DRYER SHEETS in every single nook and cranny; presumably to keep the mice out. That odor was the primary odor I smelled when I bought the unit... it really was overwhelming, but now is non-existent as I tossed them in the trash and completely washed all cabinets and drawers. There was NO mold or mildew in any of those places, by the way.

There were two "boxes" I had to scrub, dry and then paint the inside of with Kilz. The first was the third seat box that had some visible mildew inside. The second was the rear passenger storage box behind the water heater. It looks like it had gotten wet from something (or they stored wet stuff there) and it had a slightly mildewy odor. So, I scrubbed, dried and painted it over with Kilz as well. (The inside.)

Throughout these past two weeks of doing this in my spare time I have also been treating the interior with Ozone from a $70 Amazon Ozone generator. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have found that the ozone generator truly is helping. For the front seats, which have foam that has absorbed odors, I've found the best treatment is first to use upholstery cleaner and let it completely dry. (Follow the instructions and you'll be amazed at the dirt you pick up on your white wipe-down clothes.) I'm using Tuff Stuff, but there are a million products out there. But, the important point here is that after that initial exterior cleaning, I've found that taking a dry cleaning brush and scuffing up the fabric surfaces and THEN running ozone treatments works quite well. The trick seams to be to use physical abrasion on the surface you want to deodorize in order to expose more of the odor emitting surfaces to the ozone. Ozone by itself will react with surface chemicals well, but it can then create a barrier that prevents more ozone from getting down deep. Following up with brushing fabrics really, really helps.

In summary, it's 'just work' with no miracle cures. Tomorrow I have the front windows being removed and professionally sealed. Wish me luck. It's been colder lately and odors are less prominent in the cold, but I'm shocked that when I go out to the van and open it up in the morning it actually doesn't stink! (My guess is that when it gets a chance to sit in the hot sun, it will, but certainly not to the degree it was in the past!)

Hope this helps someone out there!
-Pete

[VTPete]

This morning the two kids and I hopped in to be dropped off at school and to drop the Roadtrek off at the window repair shop. I'll report back on the success or failure of fixing those three front windows later today.

Getting in the van was a pleasure as I wasn't assaulted by bad odors.

Unfortunately, driving was a different matter. While not horrid, there was still a constant mustiness coming from *somewhere*. I don't believe it was the vents. It was... the captain's seat I was sitting in. (Sitting on foam squeezes air pass the fabric, and those seats are not great smelling.) Remember, I essentially threw away the rear passenger seat. I have loathed to do anything with the captain's seats other than surface cleaning. But honestly, I don't recall even shampooing the driver's seat, so I'll do that before anything drastic.

Getting replacement captain's seats is probably out of the question. Getting a good set of neoprene car seat covers for them might contain the odors well enough, but a) where to get them and b) it just feels wrong since the fabric itself is in fantastic condition. (The seats look like they only have 23k miles on them because they really do!)

If you know of a set of car seat covers for a 1996 Dodge Roadtrek, let me know. Yes, the internet is there, but my experience with car seat covers is that while they say they are a fit, it's usually a generic fix that is less than perfect.

-Pete

[VTPete]

Just picked up my Roadtrek from getting the front three sky-windows resealed. They said it was quite a job. There's quite a bit of black butyl sealant that has non-uniformly squeezed out of the seams. Looks like hell, but they say they will trim it up after it's fully cured. (Which makes sense.) I'm a bit worried that they didn't replace the inner seal that the window is wrapped in; they caulked it. We might have rain this afternoon, so we'll see what happens.

I researched captain's chairs and they can be found as "low" as $300 a piece. Squire High Back Captain's Chair But, I'm going to attempt to deodorize my existing seats more before plopping down that kind of cash!

[Davydd]

Cheap seats and long distance driving doesn't compute.

[VTPete]

Ok, this is going to sound strange, but I've never sat in a seat I thought was uncomfortable except for on my motorcycles. Guess I never thought about it much! Anyway, I shampooed them this weekend and after the shampoo smell diminishes I'll know if they're keepers.

By the way, I took the covers off the original (stinky) cushions and washed them. FOUR times. They still stunk when I took them out. And I used ever chemical I could find.

My windows held up to 15 minutes of garden hosing. Not a drip. But, rain and forward movement while traveling is a different matter. We'll see.

[VTPete]

Continuing on with my quest to rid the Roadtrek of mildew...
My brother asked me, "What have you found works best? Vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, ozone, etc.?"

My answer was "nothing works".

Once mildew gets into fabric, and especially foam, I have found nothing that will remove the odor. I've tried every trick. The thing that works: Strip it out and replace it all. Get down to either bare metal or painted surfaces, clean then, and build back up.

With that in mind, this weekend I tackled new cushions and started on door panels. I was lucky enough to find an original third seat on eBay, ordered it and it arrived in great condition with no odors! Yay!

With the 10 yards of fabric I had bought (I thought I'd make mistakes, I didn't), I had plenty left over to start on the door panels. I stripped the old ones off, made templates from them, built new ones, covered them in light foam and fabric, sanded the original wood strips, polyurethaned them and re-installed them. I have one more to go. If you don't mind clicking on links, here are some photos of the "after". (below) I figure any of you who have kept up on this thread would be interested.

Went for a long drive with the kids. Oh, it's so much better! But, the two largest sources of odor are now the two captain's seats and the soft-touch walls themselves. The walls would obviously be really difficult to replace without tearing everything out. The seats would be easy, but expensive. Time will tell what I decide.


https://ibb.co/evUhb5
https://ibb.co/gPhDik
https://ibb.co/mRANb5
https://ibb.co/kK3aw5
https://ibb.co/kqVc9Q
https://ibb.co/iT0Yik
https://ibb.co/ezVupQ
https://ibb.co/cvGCb5
https://ibb.co/di6ZpQ
https://ibb.co/nOa5w5

[BBQ]

.

Looking Fantastic !

Congratulations !

Well Done !

[jmai]

You are making good progress. The new fabric looks very great-nice work.

Regarding your front seats-you can probably have new foam made and new fabric covers sewn if you can find an automobile restoration shop or hot rod shop. You have the old seats that can serve as a guide and have new foam constructed. If you go that route, you can customize the curvature of the foam to better fit your body. Once you start looking for shops, it amazing who is out there doing custom work.

Keep us posted and thanks for the pictures.

[VTPete]

Unfortunately we just don't have those kinds of body shops around here. There's one guy that does upholstery work and he's impossibly booked and would charge close to $600 per chair. I can buy two new seats for that price. Sometimes I wish I lived in an urban area rather than the boondocks of New Hampshire. But mostly I don't.

Has anyone had any experience with "shop4seats.com"? They have many choices. Interestingly, their least expensive seat is similar in design to the original. They have many colors. I requested some free fabric samples to see how close they are. Here's just one example of the many seats you can chose from: http://shop4seats.com/van-seats/capt...ins-chair.html

According to the site, they will bolt on directly to the 4 holes in the Dodge Van model. Seems too good to be true?