The Fun Never Stops!
Recently acquired a 2001 Four Winds/Thor Funmover with the intent to use it for camping, fishing, hunting, and a return to vintage motorcycle flat track racing(not me, I'll be wrenching). The seller had used it for similar reasons with his son's motorcross racing and this was just what I was looking for.
I was really pleased with the RV overall, and the drive from Myrtle Beach to Mount Pleasant went smoothly. The handling was good and the V-10 purred all the way back home. However, there were a few slight cabin noises that were reminiscent of a 727 galley during roll out after landing. First of the list of To Do's was the removal of the advertising wrap on the back half and roll up door before too many neighbors begin to think I'm starting to suppliment my income by doing tattoos! haha My hands and still stiff and sore from the heat gun and tugging!!
Now the learning experience. The refrig operates well enough with shore power, but could not get the LP mode to light. Only two of the three eyes on the stove top will light. The roof AC worked really good until the Onan genset shut down and now refuses to run after you release the start toggle. (Fuel flow good, fuses all good, slip rings dirty, will clean those before trouble shooting further to see if the control board is shot)
Now, the issue that I find a little more distressing. The rubber roof appeared to be in pretty good shape, no deep rips or tears, although there's a few scuff marks that probably need to be tended to. I went over all the cracks in the lap sealant with a fresh coat and then the next day gave the roof a good cleaning. This was while tropical storm Bonnie was still forming offshore but close enough for the rain to begin as I was finishing up washing the sides. With the steady rain I figured it'd be a good time to check for leaks in the cabin. Everything seemed nice and dry. All the interior panels looked smooth and there appeared to be no bulging or obvious irregularities.
Or at least I thought! It had not rained much this morning and it was sunny throughout the afternoon, however, I noticed that there was still drips coming off the cab over section. I had backed the RV into the drive that has a slight downhill grade to the street. I inspected the roof, no standing water behind the seam. Back into the cabin and upon pulling up the padding there was the dreaded drops of water. After removing the padding, there, plain as day was a bulge in the flooring at the left front corner. I removed the flooring across the front and back to the first large aluminium frame tube (about 8 inches) and found water saturating the plywood filler fitted between the front frame member and the aforementioned larger one. I was able to remove the plywood by removing the screws from the outside seam strip(this also allowed the water to drain) Lifting the plywood out exposed the thin bottom plywood sheet that is suppose to be affixed to the fiberglass exterior panel. I'm hoping that thin sheet will dry out sufficiently to save and in the interim, I'll be using batten as a backing to the plywood when I reinstall the rest of the trim strip screws.
Now the fun begins! I will be checking all the typical points of water entry, but being a novice in these matters, any suggestions outside the box with be most appreciated! Once the leak is stopped, then I'll deal with the repairs to the berth flooring.
Thanks in advance!
(also waiting to see how long it takes the HOA to send me a letter saying that the parking of an RV in the drive way is against the covenants!! hehehehe)
I was really pleased with the RV overall, and the drive from Myrtle Beach to Mount Pleasant went smoothly. The handling was good and the V-10 purred all the way back home. However, there were a few slight cabin noises that were reminiscent of a 727 galley during roll out after landing. First of the list of To Do's was the removal of the advertising wrap on the back half and roll up door before too many neighbors begin to think I'm starting to suppliment my income by doing tattoos! haha My hands and still stiff and sore from the heat gun and tugging!!
Now the learning experience. The refrig operates well enough with shore power, but could not get the LP mode to light. Only two of the three eyes on the stove top will light. The roof AC worked really good until the Onan genset shut down and now refuses to run after you release the start toggle. (Fuel flow good, fuses all good, slip rings dirty, will clean those before trouble shooting further to see if the control board is shot)
Now, the issue that I find a little more distressing. The rubber roof appeared to be in pretty good shape, no deep rips or tears, although there's a few scuff marks that probably need to be tended to. I went over all the cracks in the lap sealant with a fresh coat and then the next day gave the roof a good cleaning. This was while tropical storm Bonnie was still forming offshore but close enough for the rain to begin as I was finishing up washing the sides. With the steady rain I figured it'd be a good time to check for leaks in the cabin. Everything seemed nice and dry. All the interior panels looked smooth and there appeared to be no bulging or obvious irregularities.
Or at least I thought! It had not rained much this morning and it was sunny throughout the afternoon, however, I noticed that there was still drips coming off the cab over section. I had backed the RV into the drive that has a slight downhill grade to the street. I inspected the roof, no standing water behind the seam. Back into the cabin and upon pulling up the padding there was the dreaded drops of water. After removing the padding, there, plain as day was a bulge in the flooring at the left front corner. I removed the flooring across the front and back to the first large aluminium frame tube (about 8 inches) and found water saturating the plywood filler fitted between the front frame member and the aforementioned larger one. I was able to remove the plywood by removing the screws from the outside seam strip(this also allowed the water to drain) Lifting the plywood out exposed the thin bottom plywood sheet that is suppose to be affixed to the fiberglass exterior panel. I'm hoping that thin sheet will dry out sufficiently to save and in the interim, I'll be using batten as a backing to the plywood when I reinstall the rest of the trim strip screws.
Now the fun begins! I will be checking all the typical points of water entry, but being a novice in these matters, any suggestions outside the box with be most appreciated! Once the leak is stopped, then I'll deal with the repairs to the berth flooring.
Thanks in advance!
(also waiting to see how long it takes the HOA to send me a letter saying that the parking of an RV in the drive way is against the covenants!! hehehehe)
