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jspringator's avatar
jspringator
Explorer
Sep 19, 2021

Re-sealing Winnebago radius roof in "J" channel

When I bought my 02 Sightseer, I placed a strip of Eternabond to prevent a failure of the roof adhesive in the "J" channel from causing the roof to blow off. Well, it wasn't enough. We had to return home early from our Yellowstone trip when a 15 foot section of the roof lifted up out of the "J"channel. We taped it back into place with Gorilla tape and just made it home. The winds in Iowa that day were extremely strong, but I was still surprised the Eternabond let loose.

I am going to have to reseal the filon into the "J" channel. The question is what adhesive to use. The experts recomend Pro Flex Geocel and recommend checking it every 6 months.

I was considering resealing it with 3M 5200. My coach is almost 20 years old. I can't imagine a scenerio where I would need to remove the filon roof from the "J" channel. 5200 would provide a permanent but flexible bond. I have trouble seeing the downside. 4200 would be a better choice than the Geocel, and would be half the strength of the 5200.

Has anyone used 5200 or 4200 to reseal the radius fo their Winnebago roof?
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  • jspringator's avatar
    jspringator
    Explorer
    Sep 21, 2021
    Well, the decision was made for me. West Marine did not have 5200 quick set, but did have 4200 quick set, so I used 4200. I did all of the pasenger side roof that lifted off, but my inspection revealed that the Eternabond remaining does not have a good bond. I will have to do the rest of the roof before too much longer.

    The hardest part of the job was dealing with the Eternabond I installed 7 years ago. I would recommend that anybody dealing with roof issues is to go on and reseal it rather than try to seal it with Eternabond. It sealed fine to the roof, but did not seal to the J channel. It is easier to inspect the seal and re-seal it rather to cover up the joint with Eternabond I used lacquer thinner instead of mineral spirits. My experience is that lacquer thinner will promote better adhesion,

    Once I finish the entire job, I will probably use a cosmetic strip of Eternabond to cover up all the Eternabond adhesive stain that is cosmetically unappealing. I will not attempt to go over the j channel.
  • mfinnerty's avatar
    mfinnerty
    Explorer
    Sep 20, 2021
    Earlier this year I redid all the J channel on both sides as well as the front cap to the roof on my 2003 Itasca Sunova. Until then I had only been doing the sections that had lost the bond between the roof and the channel. I used Manus Bond 75AM available on Amazon. As memory serves I found Manus recommended here on the rv.net forum or it could have been IRV2.com forums. Of course then I finally found a new 2020 Vista to buy.
  • RLS7201's avatar
    RLS7201
    Explorer II
    Sep 19, 2021
    wolfe10 wrote:
    I would NOT consider 5200. Tooooooo permanent.

    4200 perhaps.

    But, would sure look at adhesion properties of it vs the Winnebago-recommended product.

    And would likely ask Winnebago their thoughts before venturing into a brave new world.


    Help me learn something here. What is the down side of "Tooooooooooo permanent", for the J channel?

    Richard
  • wolfe10's avatar
    wolfe10
    Explorer
    Sep 19, 2021
    I would NOT consider 5200. Tooooooo permanent.

    4200 perhaps.

    But, would sure look at adhesion properties of it vs the Winnebago-recommended product.

    And would likely ask Winnebago their thoughts before venturing into a brave new world.
  • jspringator's avatar
    jspringator
    Explorer
    Sep 19, 2021
    I looked at the reviews of the Geocel Pro Flex on Amazon and some were less than stellar. I was trying to figure out if I was entirely off base by considering 5200, so I broadened by quest by posting over here.

    As an aside, if I was as familiar with this roof system as I am now, I would have stuffed the styrofoam back in taped it up and continued on my trip. The tape held fine on the way home.
  • craig7h's avatar
    craig7h
    Nomad II
    Sep 19, 2021
    I see that you started a very good thread on the winnebago fourm. sorry for suggesting going there.
  • craig7h's avatar
    craig7h
    Nomad II
    Sep 19, 2021
    There was just a talk about that same thing on the winnebago fourm the other day. Theres a great utube video on the same. I would go over to the winnebago site for info.
  • Beverley_Ken's avatar
    Beverley_Ken
    Explorer
    Sep 19, 2021
    Here is the link to winnebago sealants, unfortunately in only gives Winnebago part numbers. About 10 years ago, I got a couple of tubes from Lichtsinn or WinnebagoParts.
    If I remember correctly, I have also used the 5200 3M, It maybe be permanent, but if repairs are required, it will cut out with a sharp box cutter type knife.
    The best way for repairs is to cut out all the old sealant/adhesive, clean and then squeeze the new into the channel, Use the tip of the tube to open the space and then allow the outward flex of the filon to seal. DO NOT put the new over the old, it needs to have a good bond to hold the roof in place.

    Edit added. I worked on mine in 3-4 foot sections and only did areas that needed it. Working in smaller sections would keep the remaining roof in place.

    Ken

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