17' Series Expanda roof seal replacement

[iadizajy]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has replaced the seals on the roof of their Expanda with the new profile seal (old one was rounded where the new is more of a Y shape lip).

Our 17-56-2 is about 6 years and we replaced the roof seal with the new seal (supplied by Jayco spare parts).
The new seal now doesn't sit flat on the front and rear panels (misses by a couple of mm), and is sitting flat on the side walls.

My problem is when it rains it will let water in when closed (will also cause issue when travelling).

Has anyone had the same issue and what did you do to fix it.

TIA.

Ian.

 

[PhilW]

First off, welcome to the forum @iadizajy.
Have you tried adjusting the roof clamps so as the roof pulls down harder to the body?
Maybe a silly question.........just thought I would ask.

 

[Crusty181]

We had a 2009 16.49 and i recall very well the front and rear roof seals never touched the van body when closed from the day we bought it. Rain wont matter because of the lip of the alum roof frame, and leakage through front whilst towing never happened

 

[bigcol]

welcome @iadizajy

as per @Crusty181 there always seemed to be a gap on my mates one - but no water leaks...............
and
as per @PhilW did you re-adjust the roof clamps once you had fitted them up.......?

 

[iadizajy]

Thanks all for your feedback. Looks like some great info on the forum, and certainly good to get info from those who have the experience with the vans.

Phil, yes the roof sits firmly down on the body all the way along so no issues there with the lockdowns, if only that was the issue.

The old profile seal did sit on the body on all 4 sides as well, but when I replaced the seal with the new profile it misses by quite a bit (2-4mm as per the photo).

Only thing that raised an issue was with all the rain we had last week during one of the storms we did get water in, and the van was closed up on site. I looked around when we got home and re-siliconed the corner cover sections on the roof as they were pretty well gone so that may have been where the water got in also. There was a water mark on the inner roof which pointed to the top hence the reseal of the roof corners.

Just seams strange we have never had an issue with water getting in until now as soon as I replaced the seals, so a bit pointless having it there if it doesn't do anything.

Cheers
Ian.

 

[bigcol]

depending on how vicious the storms were - that always contributes to sudden water leaks

 

[iadizajy]

depending on how vicious the storms were - that always contributes to sudden water leaks

Correct Col,
Not sure down the coast but we had one hit at home the night before we returned to the camp and was 60mm in about 30 minutes. Not bad for Melbourne but would much prefer in the drought area or catchments, not in the burbs where it is wasted.

 

[Drover]

Mines about the same age and the front and rear seal have a gap, no water ingress but do have bug splat !!!!! been going to replace the seal but still looking for some was thinking of having a bigger profile for the front and rear to fill the gap.
Using a sticky door seal along the roof doesn't work as water can't run away

 

[iadizajy]

Drover the issue is now that Jayco don't have the old profile the gap is there (didn't notice it before now and we washed the van a few times so would have seen it earlier). There are a few sites that do sell a seal that is simular to what was there, but it is grey (will mess with the wife's head) and is about $6-8 a metre.
Still looking for simular but in White.

 

[Clewsy]

Hi Ian, iadizajy,

Is this the kind of one you used? It's 16mm thick and in white and $6.50 a meter.

http://www.gawlercaravans.com.au/product/8416-roof-seal-jayco-camper-poptop-o-s-white

looking at our 2009 16.49-2OB on the weekend it is due for replacement too.

Cheers

 

[iadizajy]

Hi Clewsy,
Sorry been a while since I have been on. They have changed the profile for the extrusion from 2010 so we needed to change from what was there to the new flat profile. Didn't seal flat due to the sagging of the wall compared to the straight roofline, but was easy enough to replace. Bought a few extra meters and was pretty cheap from Jayco Geelong. Only had to undo the screws at each end and slipped into place easily with a bit of dishwashing detergent and a small flat screwdriver on the front edge.

 

[Clewsy]

thanks @iadizajy for the reply and the tip, I ended up buying the higher profile one as you suggested and looks like it will due the job. I haven't replaced it yet, looks easy enough to do. Was probably $100 more than what my local jayco dealer could supply, but I figured spending the extra $ was worth it for prevention of problem.

They changed the link, this is it. http://www.gawlercaravans.com.au/product/9680-roof-seal-jayco-camper-poptop-o-s-white

 

[iadizajy]

thanks @iadizajy for the reply and the tip, I ended up buying the higher profile one as you suggested and looks like it will due the job. I haven't replaced it yet, looks easy enough to do. Was probably $100 more than what my local jayco dealer could supply, but I figured spending the extra $ was worth it for prevention of problem.

They changed the link, this is it. http://www.gawlercaravans.com.au/product/9680-roof-seal-jayco-camper-poptop-o-s-white

Clewsy That is certainly a better profile than Jayco are fitting now. A trick is to cut them a bit longer than needed and let them settle in place once installed as they will retract a bit if you put a bit of tension on when feeding them into the ally profile. Let it sit for a few hours to settle before cutting off the excess and fitting the retaining screws. Found mine crept a bit once installed and opened up slightly on the corner. Beginners mistake :-( Could possibly even install slightly longer to allow for shrinkage over time.

 

[Clewsy]

great tip, will do when I change it, thanks

 

[Clewsy]

change the seals on the weekend, pretty quick to do. I didn't put the screws back in, just used a few dabs of silicon in the track. backed off the clamps a few turns. Doesn't make much sense to screw a hole in a perfectly good seal.

Also read others leave them unclipped at home to keep the seals in better condition, just have to make sure you remember to do them up again before you hit the road!