I'm posting a couple of pics of the corners of my overhead bed.This is a 2000 Winnebago Minnie 31C.During a recent 5500 mile trip, I saw a lot of flex happening above the cab. When I got back, I noticed that the corner seal has come loose. I had sealed it with ProFlex about a month before taking the trip, so I know it was good.The corner (temporarily re-sealed today)Any ideas about how to limit the flexing or to seal it so that the flexing doesn't break the seal? I can re-seal over and over without much effort or cost, but it failed about halfway through the trip making any long trip a potential cause of leaks.Secondly is that I have a split in the side of the tip of the overhead camper cab. The split is top to bottom and is about 6 inches tall. It was sealed with as much ProFlex as I could get on it before the trip because I didn't have time to fix it correctly. It also came unsealed because of all the flexing going on during driving.I was thinking about using EternaBond to fix this on the outside, and possibly even putting a strip on the inside to make it as tight as possible. Short of a professional fix, does anyone know of a better way to repair this?I will clean and repair these as soon as I recover from the trip, but want the work to be worthwhile.

I would get it checked out thoroughly. You shouldn't be getting so much flex that it's breaking the seal. If it's breaking the seal repeatedly, then you may have damage somewhere else that needs to be fixed before you fix the seal again.

When you look at the point just above the windshield where the overhang meets the chassis cab is there any sign of separation there? Or is the seal nice and tight?If there is separation, the overhang is no longer attached to the cab. Not good.Time to get up in the bunk and start removing stuff until you can actually see how Winabago attached the overhang to the cab.As far as the split, as long as appearance is not a concern, EternaBond would be a decent fix because it will flex.

The first photo seems to show the attachment to the cab and it looks tight. We have a 2003 Itasca and it has the same graphics. I think ours needs to have the front edges eternabonded too. My caulking job looks a lot like yours. It separates in the same places, although I never thought it was flexing. Maybe it is? I'm getting the same droop in the trim piece as in your photo. I did the rear edges from the roof to the bottom and all the roof seams but didn't get to the front edges so I just bought the stuff to do it. Will have to wait a month or two while other projects loom. I also replaced the trim screws with stainless. I have to buy more of those too.As these RV's age, stuff seems to just happen to tear them apart. The result of using them though and not from sitting at least.

First photo also seems to show a crack in the fiberglass underneath the overhead. Maybe you do have some soft wood in that overhang. You might be able to use a moisture meter in that area of the overhead to see if the wood has a high moisture content.

I see what you mean in the first photo, but it's just bug guts. :) I got back from a 2 week trip 3 days ago and have not yet cleaned it.There are only two cracks in the whole RV. One on the rear wall and the one in the second picture. The rear wall crack I may fix with some eternabond and a sticker to mask it. I will check the attachment to the cab to be sure. I may also partially disassemble the over-bed to see what's going on up there. While driving I notice flex, but only during period of high wind or big bumps.I'm sure I can get the eternabond to look OK.

Class C overhead movement causing seal failure | Good Sam Community

Mich_F
Explorer
Feb 09, 2015
Juzaxadar wrote:
Mich, when you say "molding" do you mean this?

I would have thought that the screws along the outside don't go through the metal frame and into the wall on the other side.

That is what I am referring to. If you go back and look at the picture I posted on 12/1, that should give a better idea of how everything goes together. The molding pieces do screw all the way into the sidewalls frames, and then they are caulked on both edges to seal those seams. The front wall screws into the side wall framing, so with that wall in place, your side walls won't budge.
In looking at your interior picture, it looks an awful lot like mine did, with the wet area along the bottom radius, and 1/2 way up the front wall. If you look at my picture again you will see that the front wall radius is a piece of foam with a lot of scribe cuts in it so it will make the radius bend.
Juzaxadar
Explorer
Feb 09, 2015
Mich, when you say "molding" do you mean this?

I would have thought that the screws along the outside don't go through the metal frame and into the wall on the other side.
Mich_F
Explorer
Feb 09, 2015
Juzaxadar wrote:
I actually removed everything in the cabover including that crossbar and the inner window frame. Even with everything removed I couldn't make the side wall budge. I haven't put it back together yet. It'd be nice to figure out how to remove this stuff and see.

The sidewall won't budge because your front wall, even if it has rotted wood, is holding everything together. The front wall is screwed into the front edge of each sidewall, tying the cabover together. If you were to take off the moldings on the sidewall,front wall joint, after removing all that suspect caulking, which should be replaced anyway, you could access and remove the front wall, which more than likely has a lot of rotted wood in it.
Oldme
Explorer
Feb 08, 2015
If you are getting that much "flex" I would be looking
for water damage that has caused the front frame to rot.

Removing the interior paneling will expose the framework
and still allow the outside to stay together while you
inspect. Of course you would have to replace the paneling
and repaper or paint it. If it is in good condition or after
repairs it would also allow you to add insulation before
re paneling.
Juzaxadar
Explorer
Feb 07, 2015
I actually removed everything in the cabover including that crossbar and the inner window frame. Even with everything removed I couldn't make the side wall budge. I haven't put it back together yet. It'd be nice to figure out how to remove this stuff and see.
Mich_F
Explorer
Feb 07, 2015
If you had removed those molding pieces on each side, you would have seen that it's easy to remove the front wall to check it. I'd suggest that you remove all the sealant along those moldings and reseal, since it seems like you might not have found the source of your leak/leaks. :B
My front wall, with no window, had wood that was totally soaked.
Juzaxadar
Explorer
Feb 07, 2015
So I took this crossbar off. It bridges the middle between the two cabover "floor" boards.

After looking around I decided to not dismantle the cabover any further.

The crossbar is "T" shaped with the T post sticking up between the two floor boards and then screwed into from the inside. It sandwiches those boards and provides some structure. Even though the leading edge in the picture is on the bottom of the cabover (outside), I still feel like it could be a source of leaks. So I think I will take the bar back off and run a bead of dicor or proflex on the inside corners of the "T". That way when it is pressed back together against the fiberglass it will have a good seal.

I just used eternabond to fix the front side. The second side didn't have a crack, but I put it there for the sake of uniformity and because the sealant on that edge shakes loose during prolonged travel.

I had this short (~4") crack on the rear wall. This is a tiny piece so I'll be able to find a sticker to cover it.

Since I have a lot of eternabond left, I am cleaning up the top leading edge between the cabover the the main RV body. I'll put it there.
Juzaxadar
Explorer
Jan 13, 2015
That makes a lot of sense.
Mich_F
Explorer
Jan 12, 2015
It could be that your cabover section extends out more than mine. Mine has no windows, is not particularly deep, and had an entertainment center, not a bunk up there. There aren't any seams in the forward corners.
Juzaxadar
Explorer
Jan 12, 2015
That's interesting. Mine has a seam and one of the side pocket walls screws in at that point. They're wood screw though and not metal.

Mine also has a window on each side and a seam behind the window where the cabover meets the main body.

Thanks for the picture, that's pretty helpful.