Roof leak?

[vlamgat]

I have a Voyager Top with the two sliding windows on either side. when it rains I get water puddles on the interior shelving under the windows. I have aggressively resealed the exterior seals of the windows but this has not stopped the leaks. SMB has offered to replace the windows but I dont see the point if that is not the cause.

Another possibility is that the Thule rails on the roof are leaking water at their mounting points but I again sealed these and covered the rails with tape (as a test) and the water still entered.

Its not a lot of water but enough to soak a 5X7 part of the shelf any time we get 30 mins or more of steady rain.

I have noticed 4 small slots in the exterior of the window frames, 2 on each side that expose the interior of the frame. they look like vents of some kind. I am going to seal them too but wondered if there were any BTDT expereinces. Nothing shows up in the Search.

[John and Dana]

I am not familar with these particular windows but if the two holes you are seeing are on the bottom of the fram they are weep holes that are desiged to let the water that gets into the window frame drain out. If you plug these your problem will likely get worse.

If I had this problem I would get out the garden hose and have someone run water over different parts of the window while you watch from the iside. Hopefully you will be able to narrow down where the water is getting in. Good Luck!

[John Kalmbach]

Sealing the drain slots on the lower window frame will cause problems. Since the window is a slider, water will work it's way into the lower track. There are actually two troughs that the water will drain from, one for the outer fixed glass, and one for the inner glass that slides.

I have seen a few different causes for these windows to leak, and testing with a garden hose is a great idea. Have the flow somewhat low, and someone on the inside to watch for the first sign of a leak. Start at the bottom, go from one side to the other, and then move progressively up.

The causes I've seen are;
Being parked on an incline (fore/aft) that forces all the water collected in the troughs to drain out of only one or two slots instead of all four (like pouring water into a funnel at a greater rate than what comes out of the bottom until it overflows at the top).

-The window slots not being "punched" thru all the way. Sometimes the inner track slot is not "open" enough to allow the water to drain.

-The lower interior screw in the center is not sealed. You'll see water dripping from the screw head.

-Screws were installed and then removed for the curtain slider rail, leaving an opening for the water to drain to the inside. If this is the case, the water may travel under the interior window frame edge some length before it drips, or it may soak the Ozite sidewall/headliner material below the window too.

-The opening for the window was cut larger than it should have been, exposing an opening that the window seal is not sealing. Usually a good RTV sealant will work if this is the case.

-There is a small plastic trim that clips to the inner edge of the trough that supposedly helps keep the water from overflowing. It is usually loose at the ends and not that effective, especially if the drains are working properly and you are parked fairly level.

I hope this helps!

John K.

[vlamgat]

These tips are extremely helpful and give me some avenues to explore that were not available to me prior to my post. The hose had ocurred to me but I was not sure what I should be looking for had I used it. The van is parked on a slope such that the passenger front is the low side but the slope is very slight and water is accumulating on the shelves of both sides seeming to indicate that the water is penetrating. I have also noticed that when I drive in the rain I get a similar accumulation and it does not take much precip. I have the van covered and the limited amount that penetrates the cover also produces an accumulation.

I will post the results as other may find it helpful.