Dodge Xplorer Rear Window Leak

Rear side window leaks on Xplorers in the sleeping compartment at the rear end of the motorhome is usually at the site where the extension was added to the basic van produced out of the factory. Xplorer added a section to the basic 15 passenger van to accomodte the larger interior setup. The section that was added is approximately 3 additional feet to the overall lenght. The joint of this section is at the location of the windows edge that are closest to the front of the motorhome. Those joints' weakest point is at the rain gutter location above the window. The fix is to remove the gutter by pealing it back rear to front drilling out the rivets (aluminum 1/8) till you can separate the gutter from the vehicle wihout putting any severe bend/kink in the gutter. It will require pealing it back way betond the working area. That will reveal the joint that will need to be cleaned and recalked to seal out the penetration of water. After that the gutter can be re-rivited back to it's original location after you have throughly cleaned all surfaces so that the mating riviting surfaces are back to original. If you do not do this clean-up the two surfaces will not come close enough to hold together with the replacement rivets. This leak is a common issue with Xplorer units as the extension is sujected to much tourque and flexing during over road travel.