Tips on finding a roof leak

[Steve Cooper]

Okay, so I'm fiddling around the other day and notice a rust spot on my drivers side dash and discover a drip off a fastener overhead. This was after getting caught in a downpour a few days earlier. Got out the flashlight, looked up overhead in the cabinets, behind the TV but no obvious sign of where the moisture could be coming from. Also found a damp area below the A pillar like it may have run down that way too.
So hear is the question: Any tried and true methods for locating a roof leak? The bus was parked so I doubt it's coming from a windshield.
Anyone care to share some knowledge?

[Ray Davis]

Roof leaks are a bear to track down. In a previous coach, I had a leak in a storage pod, bolted through the roof. Evidently gromits got old, and left room for rain to come in.

The problem was that the water traveled over 1/2 the coach, down into a corner. Nowhere near the leak. I finally had to remove much of my ceiling panel to finally find it.

Hopefully if you can get on top of your bus, you can find any obvious leaks and re-seal them.

[Steve Cooper]

I'm about at the point of resealing everything 'cause I haven't found anything obvious. Guess I'm looking for a magic bullet.
Glad I keep it under cover.

[jack14r]

If you have bus air it will pressurize the bus,turn it on and use a sprayer with bubbles in it and the leak should show up.

[Steve Cooper]

Unfortunately I don't have bus air but I was thinking about something like that.

[phorner]

If you have bus air it will pressurize the bus,turn it on and use a sprayer with bubbles in it and the leak should show up.

Yet another benefit to Prevost OTR equipped bus conversions

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If you have a good sized shop vac or leaf blower you can rig a way to blow air into one of the windows. It will take cardboard and duct tape and look goofy but it will introduce positive pressure into the bus.

Seal up the obvious air escapes such as the microwave vent (don't worry about the plumbing vents) and that should give you enough pressure to blow bubbles.

My guess is an antenna or clearance marker light.

[truk4u]

Steve,

Please don't let any plastic coach guys see you with a leaf blower taped to your driver window! Prevost pressurizes the bus in a similar manner and then soaps the piss out out of everything. Or, just get Jeep with all his hot air to show up and your leaks are found....

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I believe the folks that pointed out that we spend waaaay to much time on mechanical stuff are right.

We not only have folks asking how to deal with problems, but we have an army of folks responding, giving one the impression these buses are a PITA to maintain. If this stuff wasn't a universal problem, how would so many guys know how to solve it?

I suggest from now on we post questions about problems and repairs on a Winnebago site and use the code word Winnebago XL or Winnebago H3 to ask and respond to mechanical questions. Skiffer, if you are listening this is simply another business opportunity. You can call it Winnebago Stuff and set up WOG. This will make the marketplace think there are never mechanical problems with a Prevost, it will make it seem the plastic palaces have problems and it will drive folks with Winnebagos crazy trying to find their Norgren Valves.

Our market values will increase because of the perception of trouble free performance, and the values of plastic coaches will plummet.

We will leave this and the P-Stuff site solely for pictures of sunsets and threads about good luxury RV parks.

Is this a good idea or what???????

[Steve Cooper]

Leak? What leak. I was just thinking that IF I had a leak, which I would surely have hundreds of if I still had a plastic coach, how would I find it.
I'm sure if I plugged an leaf blower into the Old "Winnie" I'd blow "Bago bits" to kingdom come !