Body Panels?

[Les Hurdle]

I enclose pics of caulk [or whatever it is] which is I presume drying out and getting hot and separating from lower rail.  This coach was in a garage now in the sun.  Rip out old caulk cover it up with new? 

[Gary 05 AMB DST]

Don't use silicone.

Gary 05 AMB DST

[Tom Cherry]

https://www.geocelusa.com/product/pro-flex-rv-flexible-sealant/
Gary is correct.  This is what i think most folks are using.  I would get a good razor (sheetrock cutter) tool and carefully cut out the caulk to prevent paint chipping.  Avoid “ripping it out”.  After removal, use a mild detergent or something like “simple green”….diluted if you have the concentrate to maybe 5:1.  Use a spray bottle and spray it on and a good stiff brittle brush.  Lowes sells a “pot scrubber” one that is small and maybe 1 1/2” in diameter with a handle.  Get rid of all the dirt, dust and such.  If you have an air compressor with a blow off nozzle, clean the joint.  I’d spray water and rinse…don’t blast with a hose,

Denatured alcohol will then get off any grease or residue.  Use a small wash cloth and rub sparingly over where the crack will be recaulked.  Don’t overdo it.  Let it dry and caulk and follow instructions.

Our Guru is Chris Throgmartin @throgmartin  he may chime in here and revise my suggestions….

[Les Hurdle]

Great   thanks............  I also notice when I lift up the lower 'rail' of the bedroom pop out it moves up to the previous 'caulk' line, so perchance the panel is moving away in the heat and/or the slide is drooping... I dunno.

[Tom Cherry]

26 minutes ago, Les Hurdle said:

Great   thanks............  I also notice when I lift up the lower 'rail' of the bedroom pop out it moves up to the previous 'caulk' line, so perchance the panel is moving away in the heat and/or the slide is drooping... I dunno.

If the panel is loose and moving, then you will need to find someone that knows motor home bodies and can reinforce or stop the movement.  The caulk has some elasticity, but it ain’t gonna work if you have constant flexing and movement.  No way for me to advise how to stabilize.  Find the source or pay someone to find the source and repair or reinforce properly.  Then, yes, there will be minor flexing and/or thermal expansion and contraction….as in NORMAL.  Then you caulk…

[96 EVO]

3 hours ago, Gary 05 AMB DST said:

Don't use silicone.

Gary 05 AMB DST

Unfortunately, that's exactly what Monaco used when they built it!

[throgmartin]

If you visited our shop and watched my technicians remove caulking, you would find the tools listed below in use.

The removal of the old caulking, which looks like it was painted is a must. Using the plastic non-marring scrapers will help with chipping paint outside the caulking area. Once the caulking is removed you will need to clean the surface well with denatured alcohol. If you removed silicone caulking then you will prep the surface using acetone. Denatured alcohol will not remove the microscopic particles left behind from silicone based caulking and your application of new caulking will fail in a short period of time. I have used acetone for years on coaches and while it will remove wax, it has never removed clear coats. Once the surface is cleaned and prepped you can use Proflex RV caulking to seal the seam back up. I recommend Proflex clear. I am not a fan of the crystal clear.

The very worst caulking you can use on a coach is silicone based products. It is a proven fact the adhesion properties of silicone caulking is terrible on painted surfaces. While it may work wonders on your house, it is a major failure on coaches which constantly flex going down the road.

Here are the tools we use:

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-nonmarring-scraper-set-95832.html?_br_psugg_q=scraper

[Tom Cherry]

15 minutes ago, throgmartin said:

If you visited our shop and watched my technicians remove caulking, you would find the tools listed below in use.

The removal of the old caulking, which looks like it was painted is a must. Using the plastic non-marring scrapers will help with chipping paint outside the caulking area. Once the caulking is removed you will need to clean the surface well with denatured alcohol. If you removed silicone caulking then you will prep the surface using acetone. Denatured alcohol will not remove the microscopic particles left behind from silicone based caulking and your application of new caulking will fail in a short period of time. I have used acetone for years on coaches and while it will remove wax, it has never removed clear coats. Once the surface is cleaned and prepped you can use Proflex RV caulking to seal the seam back up. I recommend Proflex clear. I am not a fan of the crystal clear.

The very worst caulking you can use on a coach is silicone based products. It is a proven fact the adhesion properties of silicone caulking is terrible on painted surfaces. While it may work wonders on your house, it is a major failure on coaches which constantly flex going down the road.

Here are the tools we use:

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-nonmarring-scraper-set-95832.html?_br_psugg_q=scraper

@throgmartin  & @vanwill52

Thanks.  I had hoped Chris would chime in.  The belly laugh I just had was that when i first started posting and also even when i was a moderator, anointed by our supreme and sainted founder, the Colonel, he would lambast me in public for using acetone.  He was a freak about that.  Van sent me an email a few weeks ago and commented that my main sin was recommending acetone and that upset Colonel Bill.  Having spent way to many months building boats and grinding them out laying up fiberglass and mixing resin and dad gummed near bathing in acetone, it is an old friend .  He even offline threatened to ban me if i typed the word again….LOL

[jacwjames]

It took me 2-3 days scraping out the caulk on the belt line molding using the scrapers that Chris recommended, I still have them and they work great.  If they get a little dull you can even sharpen them.   I had the rig parked in my garage which had enough room on both sides that I could use my scaffolding, which made it much easier/safer then working off a ladder.  Still took quite a bit of time. 

I used the Geocil clear to recaulk the belt line.  I initially tried to freestyle the caulk laying a small bead but it just didn't look good.  So I reverted to putting tape down on both sides of the seam, laying a bead, and smoothing it with my finger with a little mineral spirits on my finger.  Then removed the tape.  End result was a nice even bead of caulk. 

[throgmartin]

I always use denatured alcohol when cleaning up after removing caulking. But when silicone is involved, the only true solvent that will remove silicone is acetone.

I am sure the colonel screamed from the heavens after reading my post. But all the testing I have done over the years involving caulking, alcohol just will not provide a good clean surface for proflex when the area was contaminated by silicone.

[Tom Cherry]

47 minutes ago, throgmartin said:

I always use denatured alcohol when cleaning up after removing caulking. But when silicone is involved, the only true solvent that will remove silicone is acetone.

I am sure the colonel screamed from the heavens after reading my post. But all the testing I have done over the years involving caulking, alcohol just will not provide a good clean surface for proflex when the area was contaminated by silicone.

This is the COLONEL channeling through Tom.  You now have two demerits and are assigned latrine duty for the next month.

YES….a fond memory of a great guy, if you looked at him in the proper context…

Thanks for the comment…I needed that…been a hectic few days as my DW had a knee replacement and am the full time care provider as well everything else and had to do some repairs this morning while she slept on an irrigation system that blew a head sky high rivaling old faithful….

 

[TommyL]

08 camelot, how do you know what caulk was used on our motor homes.Ours was sealed after it was painted. I just assumed it was silicone. No problems with belt lines yet, but 2 small places on rear passenger slide has paint bubble (about dime size). Above paint bubbles caulk has hair line separation, about 3/8” long. Hate to remove all that caulk to fix 3/4”. Anything thin enough I could squirt through a syringe to seal these 2 places or ???. I hate caulking!!! .

Tommy 08 camelot 

[96 EVO]

Owners manual lists the brand and part number of silicone they used on the sidewalls.

[TommyL]

Good to hear from you Ben, I’ll look through my manual again, but I’ve been burnt on what it says and what I have before. So not to trusting. Got our new condenser in today, 103 F here at lake Eufaula Ok. Today so first thing first.Hope to actually meet you guys someday.

Tommy and Cheri 08 camelot.

[96 EVO]

Ha, don't blame ya for questioning anything you read in that manual Tommy!

Seem's they made plenty of changes for '08 coaches, and gave us '07 or earlier manuals!

I do the same as the rest on here, and replace the factory silicone with clear Proflex RV.