2013 Leprechaun water leak problems

[GollyCollie]

My wife and I bought a new 2013 Leprechaun 317SA that we like a lot except we have very bad water leak issue in it. The front cap on our unit, and apparently on a lot of 2013 Leprechauns, was mounted improperly and it allows water to leak in and collect inside he front cap. This water that pools in the front cap then spills over into the hollow bunk deck and goes from there. I discovered the problem when I turned a corner and water showered down on my head! The dealer has made several attempts to correct the problem over the past 4 months, but each attempt has been a failure. Currently they have the front cap totally off of my unit so they can replace the bunk that has been damaged by the water. We are waiting for the bunk from the factory and they are giving me an estimate of 3-4 weeks before it is here. Once the dealer pulled the front cap off they found that the cap was mounted with non-water resistant, double face tape and then simply sealed around the edge with silicon. if the silicon seal is breached in any way, water comes right in and collects in the cap. According to the dealer, they have several more Leprechauns on their lot that are the same way and have water leak problems. This tells me that there must be a lot of them out there.

I think that my dealer is doing the best he can do to make my coach right but I am getting very frustrated with it. I am making payments on an RV that I can't use. I also know from sad experience what water can to do a motorhome and don't want to repeat it.

I would be very interested to hear about anyone else with a new Leprechaun that is having water leak issues so we can compare notes. Maybe I can help you with what I have learned too.

[wtb1956]

Dealer did a good repair and we've been leak free all season!

[wtb1956]

I de-winterized my RV just in time for a late spring snow storm to dump three inches of snow and ice. It melted and the next weekend I was treated to some water leaking through the plastic trim over the driver’s door. I’m thinking that the water from the snow pooled on the front right seam (grown slopes slightly so that the driver’s side is the lowest) and had a chance to seep through the front roof/cap seam. Dealer has been notified and has a device that pressurizes the coach so we’ll be taking it down in a couple of weeks. If they can find the leak I guess we’ll discuss how best to seal it.

[hotbyte]

CT51 wrote:
The most recent was to drill two 1/8" holes in the trim where it goes under the overhead cab. This is the trim you would see if you were sitting in the RV and looked thru the windshield and up at the bottom of the overhead cab.

I was watching/browsing some youtube RV videos and came across the one linked below of a 2012 Travel Lite 1000SLRX Ultra. At the 2:15 minute mark, the fellow points out little "trap" areas under the cab over with weep holes in them just for this purpose.

Truck camper video

[burlmart]

I think you guys are right. Because the fiberglass flat sheet (I presume) is under the "perimeter ridge bank" with the ponded water on the same side as the seam...not what you would want.

Who designs RVs? Shouldn't the workers be trained to adhere to standards - like houde roofers start shingling at the bottom?

Snowman, I know your fix will be a model standard.

[mlts22]

Snowman9000 wrote:
I am curious if the roof is like our new Sunseeker. I was disappointed when I got up to look at it. Sure, it's fiberglass, but with a seam all the way around on the top surface, rather than it rolling over the sides in one piece. The pieces that roll over the sides, I don't know if they are fiberglass or plastic or what.

So there is a dam all the way around the four edges of the roof. And exposed screws besides. This screams for EB tape, I think.

Part of what gives fiberglass roofs their usefulness is the fact that the seams are not on top of the roof where the wind blasts at it at 65+ mph (the speed of driving + wind speeds.) Instead, the best protection is when it is "cupped" and extends a few inches from the top. If it is just ends at the seams (especially with the exposed screws), then it likely has most of the disadvantages a rubber roof does, except that it can take a scrape or two from a twig without gouging or puncturing. I definitely agree -- that roof screams for 4-6 inch EB tape to be applied all the way around, then caulk applied around the tape edges. This way, the edges don't get dirty, and there are two barriers to water ingress.

[CT51]

My 319DSF is dry as well. In my case, locating where the water was entering was not hard. I have taken several other pre-emptive measures to make sure water can not enter. The most recent was to drill two 1/8" holes in the trim where it goes under the overhead cab. This is the trim you would see if you were sitting in the RV and looked thru the windshield and up at the bottom of the overhead cab. In talks with Coachmen, and from experience gathered from reading all the posts, most instances of leaks in Leprechauns come from water entering this trim on the top sides of the cabover, where the awning trim meets this trim. If water gets in, it follows the trim forward, then down the side, and then fills up along the bottom as it has nowhere to go. So, I first verified that I had the trim piece totally sealed, and after several rain and hose checks that it was dry, then drilled the holes so that if water ever does get in some day, it will just drain back out before it can back up into the overhead. So, if it's ever raining like crazy one day while I'm camping, I'll just glance at those holes occasionally, and if water is coming out, I'll know I need to check sealing again. What won't happen though is for water to back up into the overhead. These holes are simply weep holes at the lowest spot, just like window frames. Not all class C's have trim like Leprechauns. While the trim used creates an opportunity for water entry at the top sides, it also creates an opportunity to add the weep holes and let the water back out. Happy to say RV has been 100 percent trouble free in every other way. Just returned from trip to south Georgia to get some warm weather and RV was great. Still ran the fireplace at night for ambiance, just without the heat!

CT51

[Snowman9000]

I am curious if the roof is like our new Sunseeker. I was disappointed when I got up to look at it. Sure, it's fiberglass, but with a seam all the way around on the top surface, rather than it rolling over the sides in one piece. The pieces that roll over the sides, I don't know if they are fiberglass or plastic or what.

So there is a dam all the way around the four edges of the roof. And exposed screws besides. This screams for EB tape, I think.

[GollyCollie]

Thanks for asking. So far so good. We have had a lot of rain the past few weeks and no water yet. I think they may have it fixed for now at least. It is just a shame it took them 123 days in the shop to get the job done.

[paullac]

GollyCollie -

Going through some older threads I participated in & came across this one. I think you've had your unit back for about a month now. Is everything good still? Hopefully so. Just curious.

[wtb1956]

As I suspected there was some moisture (currently ice) on the right drivers side overhead. There is some water staining on the left wood support on the right side, a little on the center but nothing on the passenger side. When I spoke to the tech who discovered the problem with the transition he said the water had come in above the overhead window which matches what I see. Once spring arrives I'll perform some water tests and we'll go from there.

[wtb1956]

As others have described the transition is the flat piece that connects the wide RV body to the narrow cab.

It’s going to be fairly cold this weekend so water tests are out but peeking under the cab bunk is on the schedule. Looking back the tech that caught the problem was pretty knowledgeable of cab leaks. I'm hoping that he poked around to ensure there weren't any other problems as a result, guess I'll find out.

[GollyCollie]

Ahhh, got it. That's what my wife said too but I wouldn't believe her. 🙂 If water got to there then I can tell you what happened. The front cap filled with water, and once it was full it seeped into the bunk/deck, which is hollow. That water ran backward until it reached the rear of the bunk/deck where it seeped through the screw holes where the screws attach the driver transition attaches to it. That is my bet. I would pull that vinyl trim off of the front of the bunk/deck and inspect the inside of the cap. If there is no insulation in there, that mean he has had water in there that someone has cleaned up. The bunk/deck is probably water damaged also. Uhhhh. I wonder how many of these are out there?

[paullac]

GollyCollie wrote:

wtb1956 wrote:
the water found its way back to the drivers transition warping it enough to be noticed by the tech.

I am trying to picture where your problem is. What is a drivers transition?

I have a Sunseeker... But guessing he means the vertical piece separating the cab from the "house". It goes up & down from floor to the cab bunk bottom. If you were sitting in the couch toward the front, it would be on your left. Where the ladder is stored. Sorry for all the points but just trying to describe it (since I can't point to it!).

[GollyCollie]

wtb1956 wrote:
the water found its way back to the drivers transition warping it enough to be noticed by the tech.

I am trying to picture where your problem is. What is a drivers transition?