Screws backing out

BobsYourUncle wrote:
Further to the good advice above, I would ask why they are coming out, and why they are stripped. That could be a red flag.

Pull a few right out and look at the threads. They should be clean and metal color.
But if they are blackened or rusty, you have a water leak problem. The screws are coming out because the wood is wet and rotting and no longer holds the screw.

I'll second this, something is wrong. I have a 94 Toyota with over 100,000 and the screws do not just come out!

BobsYourUncle wrote:
Further to the good advice above, I would ask why they are coming out, and why they are stripped. That could be a red flag.

Pull a few right out and look at the threads. They should be clean and metal color.
But if they are blackened or rusty, you have a water leak problem. The screws are coming out because the wood is wet and rotting and no longer holds the screw.

If you do find rusty screws it might be a good idea to remove the entire trim strip and see why the water is getting in. There should be an effective sealant behind the entire strip. I have fixed the hole problem by forcing Bondo fiberglass in and redrilling after it is hard.

Glad I posted--I hope ideas keep coming. I try to stay away from mentioning the manufacturer when posting to stay away from brand shaming. I would guess that there are a bazillion trailers made with this type of construction, so I agree that I need to figure out why they are backing out and what the best fix is. We are going to a manufacturer's rally in a week (so inquiring minds can figure out the brand if they work at it), and there will be factory folks to consult there. I'll keep digging.

DrewE wrote:
If you replace the screws, give strong consideration to using stainless ones.

Why?

I have found that when the screws pull out, either the wood underneath has been wet or the screws were too short to begin with. I usually drill extra holes in the outer trim strip and use 1.5 to 2 inch screws to secure the trim strip. 99% of the time this works. Trying to use toothpicks will NOT work in the long run. With longer screws you get into the wood farther to get enough of the threads to hold. Once you have secured it with longer screws, remove the screws and inject silicone type sealant into the holes and reinstall the longer screws. THEN make sure you seal the outer trim strip especially on top the screw heads. Doug

Cummins12V98 wrote:

DrewE wrote:
If you replace the screws, give strong consideration to using stainless ones.

Why?

The exposed heads, etc. of other types will rust over time, making future removal hard. If corroded enough they can of course eventually let go altogether. Yes, they're covered by a vinyl strip on the molding (for the application being mentioned here), but that's not 100% waterproof.

Stainless also prevents the threaded bit from corroding if the underlying wood they're screwed into gets damp, but I suppose if that's happening then rusting and failing screws may be the least of your concerns.

we had that problem with our MH. Repaired at the Forrest City, IA Winnebago plant. In addition to screws backing out, they found screws corroded and broken off. New stainless steel screws were installed all the way around the roof trim in addition to completely recaulking the roof/sidewall seam.

lenr wrote:
Wood glue?
Thought about Hard as nails, but wondered if it would be too hard, especially if the screws needed to be removed someday.

Don't overthink it. Any cheap wood glue or all-purpose glue. Not super-strong adhesives. You only need the toothpicks to stay in place, the screw will create pressure to hold it. A few toothpicks "might" hold the original size screw well enough, without going one size larger.

While you're at it, replace those failed screws with stainless ones, you won't regret.

Keep in mind that Stainless Screws are not flexible and may snap off if stressed!