Duwain Corbell Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 (edited) I have noticed that my Awning attachment brackets have small tears in the sealant around the flange connection to the fiberglass . I have attached a pic. Any suggestion on what may have caused this and how to fix? Edited June 22, 2021 by Duwain Corbell Correct Title Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Davies Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 That is a “Danger Will Robinson!” indication of movement of the brackets. The second pic especially! You need to remove the awning and brackets and inspect underneath. If everything looks OK, reinstall them with a good adhesive/ sealant including underneath the brackets, and keep an eye on them regularly. I just inspected my five year old brackets a couple of months ago, there is no sign of sealant (or metal) cracks. If you can’t get to this ASAP, I would immediately remove and store the awning to eliminate any further possible damage. It could eventually crack the roof structure. But it is probably OK, you just never know until you take a look. BTW there are supposed to be heavy (thick) flat washers between the bolt heads and the aluminum, to help distribute the load. Be sure to add them. Are those iron oxide internal Allen bolts? it is hard to see. I don’t know how you could possibly get a proper hex tip into that tight location. These should be STAINLESS hex head bolts IMHO. Could those be a rubber cover? That is an entirely different setup from the early hulls, the small boots appear to be covering the sharp ends of self tapping screws. Mine are machine screws with self locking nuts. What is your model and hull number? Please add that info as a signature, it helps other owners to be on the lookout for issues. Have you filed a service request? John Davies Spokane WA SOLD 07/23 "Mouse": 2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank C Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 With that gap, it looks like the awning brackets are actually loose/not tightened down fully against the hull, and that movement probably caused the caulking to pull away and crack. That’s a potential water ingress problem so you should check with Oliver service to see what the bracket mounting hardware should be tightened/torqued to, and then check under all the mounts as John suggested, tighten the hardware and then re-caulk everything after tightening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duwain Corbell Posted June 22, 2021 Author Share Posted June 22, 2021 It's Hull #749. There is a boot over the hull through bolt nut...a small amount of caulk was worked into the bottom of the boot at the bracket to insure a seal. It is a Girrard awning set up with an awning on each side. I'm guessing that it is silicone caulk. The tear was noticed a while back (couple of trips ago). I've been monitoring this issue and no further movement has been noted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duwain Corbell Posted June 26, 2021 Author Share Posted June 26, 2021 UPDATE: Saturday 6/26-I attempted to remove the nylock nut from one of the thru studs but the stud immediately started to turn with the nut. i.e. it's not a carriage bolt design??? Anybody have any insight to this dilemma? This is a 2021 LEII. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray and Susan Huff Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 On 6/22/2021 at 10:49 AM, Duwain Corbell said: It's Hull #749. There is a boot over the hull through bolt nut...a small amount of caulk was worked into the bottom of the boot at the bracket to insure a seal. It is a Girrard awning set up with an awning on each side. I'm guessing that it is silicone caulk. The tear was noticed a while back (couple of trips ago). I've been monitoring this issue and no further movement has been noted. I would do as John E Davies says and submit a service ticket . . . . Oliver Service can advise . . . . . they love pictures! Ray and Susan Huff Elite II Twin "Pearl" - Hull#699; delivered December 7, 2020 2013 F350 6.7l diesel Super Duty 4x4 long bed crew cab 1UP-USA Heavy-duty bike rack 2017 Leisure Travel Van Unity Twin Bed (sold) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overland Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 15 minutes ago, Duwain Corbell said: UPDATE: Saturday 6/26-I attempted to remove the nylock nut from one of the thru studs but the stud immediately started to turn with the nut. i.e. it's not a carriage bolt design??? Anybody have any insight to this dilemma? This is a 2021 LEII. The ones I’ve seen have a regular bolt and washer. Originally, they were accessible from the upper cabinets but that was before Oliver added the cabinet liners. Maybe it’s possible to get the liners out or drop the front down, but I’ve never tried so don’t know how. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duwain Corbell Posted August 9, 2021 Author Share Posted August 9, 2021 I just got back from a 2000 mile trip after tightening the nuts on the through bolts using a partial split nut to to secure the bolt (note to Oliver: we need carriage bolts as through bolts to prevent spinning!). Put 30 ft lbs of torque on bolts using a box end torque wrench adapter and cleaned and resealed the joints. NO MOVEMENT!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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