Water Leaking in 2000 Roadtrek

[lisalmarshall]

Looking for some help on the source of water getting into my Chevy chasis 2000 Roadtrek van. Recently I noticed water stains around the perimeter of the cushions in the back.
To remedy the problem, I pulled the rear and side panels. Someone had drilled 4 screw holes to install a license plate through the back of the van. Thinking this was the problem I filled them with Epoxy and reinstalled the panels.

I came back this morning to find the panels wet again. It was heaviest in the rear corners and had spread halfway down the side panels. Also there were 2-3” pools of water on sleeping platform.

It appears the water is seeping from the bottom of the platform and collecting in the rear corners.
There is no evidence of water damage on the panels above the 4-6” stains around the perimeters of the back corners and sides.

I removed the rear panel again, there is no moisture behind the panel, in fact there was dust in front of the tack strip that runs along the rear panel.

I noticed a small amount of moisture on the insulation sheet behind the panel around the corners of the rear window, but nothing that would amount to the amount of water that was on the sleeping area boards.

Also there doesn’t seem to be much moisture along the rear wall at the tack strip behind the panel. I don’t see any signs of water coming from the bottom of the window. I am almost wondering if moisture isn’t coming up into the cabin from the storage compartment under the platform?
There are no signs of any moisture coming from the window.
Any help is very much appreciated!!!!

 

[markopolo-ClassB]

Is the Roadtrek parked with the front lower than the rear? I recall that being a problem with some RV's but can't remember which ones specifically. IIRC water would get into the A/C area and then into the coach.

Another thing to check is the taillight assemblies to make sure any gaskets are in good condition and providing a good seal.

 

[Jon in AZ]

My 2014 Chevy RT leaked around the A/C while my mother owned it, and I suspected it was because she always had it parked nose down. There was discussion of that in another thread, and I was told it’s physically impossible. I keep it parked slightly nose up anyway and have not had any leakage throughout an unusually wet year in the Southwest.

In this case the pattern of water stains looks nothing like mine, so I’m suspecting another source. Agree about checking taillights. Failing that, windows perhaps?

Still, if it’s been parked nose down, it couldn’t hurt to turn it around and see what happens. Water leaks can do weird things, running behind the wall covering and showing up far from the source.

 

[markopolo-ClassB]

Here's a link to check: http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f5/2003-roadtrek-200-popular-ac-area-leaks-when-raining-8379.html

 

[roadytreker]

I had the same exact problem. Took me a year to figure it out. Believe it or not, there is a hose inside the tailights that runs inside behind your panel and down through the bottom. This hose gets plugged with dirt and allows water to fill and then drips inside running down where you are seeing wet. If you remove thefabric cover from the inside of your cab removing the screws then you can take the whole light assembly from the outside out and look down you just won't believe it they have diverted the water from the outside back inside your coach with a clear vinyl hose. I ended up removing that clear vinyl hose and installing a much larger hose because eventually dust from the outside will plug that hole up. I then took clear plastic and covered the inside so the water could not get into the panel or on my bed I had to remove all the panels in the back side to do this I even had to replace the wood on my bed for the bracket holding that wood shelf is completely rotted. Hope this helps.

 

[roadytreker]

I would just like to clarify that hose I said runs into the tail light it's actually the tail light cavity that the hose runs to and that tail light assembly sits in the cavity. Remove the back wall panel and you will see.

 

[roadytreker]

That taillight cavity holds water like a swimming pool, so getting a water proof seal around the hose is tricky but important. It is hard to see, I used a small mirror when applying the liquid sealant around the new drain hose.

 

[rtbill-ClassB]

Just think how bad things could be if not for Roadtrek's quality construction!

This is the back of the van. This leak is not caused by parking nose down. Parked nose down, water from the AC compartment spills over the front of the tray under the AC and drips onto the bed, not down the wall. Guess how I know.

The window frame seals leak. The side windows and the rear window. It's what they do. Exterior caulking won't help. You have to remove the windows from the body, clean all the old caulk and moss and whatever other grunge off the frames and body, apply new caulk and reinstall the windows.

I tore the entire rear of our van apart about ten years ago. Filled the rotted parts of the plywood platform with epoxy and sealed the end grain with epoxy. Drilled weep holes in the big wood cleat across the back of the body that the platform sits on. I coated the cleat with epoxy. We reseated the side windows ourselves, and had an RV shop professionally reseat the rear window. Now when the windows leak the water ends up on the fiberglass floor of the storage compartment.

I found the taillight compartments were full of fine dirt, as were the drain hoses. I also discovered the bottom ends of the drain hoses were resting flush against some flat part of the body or frame –*the ends were effectively blocked. Maybe they were installed that way, maybe the hoses stretched over time. I shortened the hoses an inch and cleaned out all the dirt. I suppose it's high time to check the compartments, but it's a hassle.

Enjoy your RT!?

 

[moonmanvt]

Our 200 Popular had hairline cracks in the fiberglass around rear window. Spent a lot of time looking for leaks around tail lights, re-gasketing, etc. That didn't work. Ours was finally repaired by a body shop.

 

[Average_alice]

Use a hose

I've recently spent a lot of time fixing similar leak(s) in rear of my RT 200 Versatile year 2000, specifically mine were all coming from the emergency exit rear window. IMO the only way to really diagnose these issues is to run your own water tests with the wall panels removed. Then you can clearly see what's going on. I simply put a garden spray on a hose on top of a ladder near the window to simulate a rain storm and sat inside the van watching the drips occur. My water damage looked similar to yours but all the leaks were starting up at the window frame and the water made it's way down to the bed. Mine has a CRL rear window with failed weather stripping, and once I found a guy to replace the weather stripping that solved part of the problem only. The other leaks were from previous repair attempts by previous owners (drilling random holes in window frame that leaked) and failed butyl seal on the window top. I inspected my rear tail light compartments during this process and they looked fine and sealed. No water in the A/C condensate line at all. I also now have a rear side window leak that appears to be between the glass and the frame, not the main butyl seal against the body of the van.

 

[krgracia]

My 2005 sprung a similar leak for a while, could not trace it, finally pulled all panels off and sat inside while a friend water hosed the entire vehicle... turns out rear window seals were dry rotted, next followed the side windows, just a few drops that took a long while to run down the interior of the window seal strip and made it to wall and floor. The repair kit is sold online, cleaning primer and butyl strips along both sides of window frame holder.