Hi Top Water Leak

[keynsham1]

I have just bought a 1987 T25 Devon Eurovette which I love but I have water leaking into the drivers and passenger footwell. I don't think it is from the windscreen or wipers/jets. I think it is coming from the sealing around the hi top. The sealant is looking old and the seal along the front edge has come away from the fibreglass.

Is this common?

[clift_d]

Yes it's common. The longer it is left before it's fixed then the worse the damage to the bodywork at the top of the van just below the fibreglass. Plenty of high top threads on here with pictures to illustrate if you have a search.

[keynsham1]

Furter to my assumption that water is leaking into my van from the hi top, I am now not so sure. I believe it is coming in from behind the door card. I suspect that the plastic membrane is either damaged or missing (I haven't checked yet) and water is runnung onto the top of the wheelarch next to the seat, from behind the door card, and running down into the footwell. Evidence for this is that the rubber mat over the wheelarch inside is wet underneath and also I have a wet patch just behind the passenger seat on the carpet. There are actually no signs of water leaks atound the dash or door pillars either so a hi top leak seems less likely.
I have had similar problems before with a Granada and a Jag. It is surprising how much water runs through your doors on a rainy day!

[keynsham1]

Just had another check in the rain and discovered that water is dripping at a fair rate from the door light switch hole on the passenger side. Water can run down inside the pillar and out the bottom but it is tracking on the switch wire and into the cab. This allows water both on the lower foot side tread area, and also down past the washer filler cap onto the cab floor. It is now sealed! I will monitor this tonight (still raining) to see if this fixes one of my leaks!

[keynsham1]

Another update for those interested. I have now found all the leaks on the passenger side of the cab! One was definitely the courtesy light switch. I have removed it and taped over the hole with duct tape and the leak has gone. The other is rather strange. Just about half way up the pillar at the rear of the door (between the front door and sliding door), there is a factory joint. The water is getting inside the pillar, I assume from the seal around the hi-top, which is OK as it can drain out at the bottom, but it is running through a tiny gap in the joint and appearing on the inside of the door seal position, running down the outside of the pillar, and dripping on to the flat area by the side of the passenger seat.

I can fix both these leaks (if it stopped raining for a few days), but the real issue is to reseal around the Hi-top. I have bought some Sikaflex 512 which seems to be highly recommended, but I think this might be a next summer job. Maybe that car cover isn't such a bad idea!!!

[clift_d]

If you're going to do some re-sealing then don't forget to look at any skylights. When we got our hightop Westy we had water coming into the cab above the right a-pillar which was tracking through the roof buildup from the failed seal to the skylight at the top of the roof 1.5m behind. Be aware though that they'll be some corrosion going on under the lip of the hightop behind the seal.

[keynsham1]

I can see where there has been some 'repairs' when you look up underneath the lip around the roof. I don't think it is too bad and a nice hot summers day of cleaning, drying, sealant removal, rust treating, sealing and painting should sort it out.

Did I say one day!

[keynsham1]

I give up! I have decided to buy a cover for my van and postpone water leak repair until the spring. I think the water is getting in around the sealant of the hi-top. Actually I am sure it is. It is draining down through the A post and B post and seeping in through any crack or crevice it can find. The only way to solve it is to reseal the hi-top and stop the water getting in at source, and that is not a winter job!

Has anyone tried resealing around a hi-top? I would be interested in any advice!

[Woodyyellow]

During my restoration of my van I've removed the hi top and resealed it. I was very lucky that the damage to the roof edges/gutters was not too bad. Cleaned, treated, re painted then re sealed. Have a look at my thread here:
https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.p ... 06&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Taking the roof off was the worst part without causing extra damage. When re fitting I managed to do it by slowly raising it on planks and step ladders. Hope this helps.
John