Old tape and goo with cracks. Best fix?

[Nik]

My 1990 bigfoot has a fan-vent with some cracks in the sealing tape. I'm wondering about the best fix. I want it to last. I don't mind putting in the work. Should I:

a. Apply a patch of EternaBond?
b. Strip off all the old tape and then apply EternaBond? (if so what to use to dissolve through the sticky glue?
c. squirt some compound into the crack and call it good.



Is there something else besides EternaBond?
Lastly - it looks like there's more than just tape on this old installation. Is it common to smear on a glue compound as well as the tape?

Thanks. Please see the picture to clarify what I'm talking about.

Thank you.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Nik

My 1990 bigfoot has a fan-vent with some cracks in the sealing tape. I'm wondering about the best fix. I want it to last. I don't mind putting in the work. Should I:

a. Apply a patch of EternaBond?
b. Strip off all the old tape and then apply EternaBond? (if so what to use to dissolve through the sticky glue?
c. squirt some compound into the crack and call it good.



Is there something else besides EternaBond?
Lastly - it looks like there's more than just tape on this old installation. Is it common to smear on a glue compound as well as the tape?

Thanks. Please see the picture to clarify what I'm talking about.

Thank you.

Don't try to patch it up, this is now the appropriate time to do the following normal task that needs to get done every decade of so.

Scrape off all the external goo. Remove screws, carefully pry/lift off the vent. Scrape off the old mounting tape between the vent and the fiberglass body. Plexiglass scrapers work well for removing the excess adhesives. Clean the surfaces, put new Butyl rubber tape against the fiberglass, Reinstall the vent using new stainless steel screws of the appropriate size. If you wish to do a belt and suspenders approach you can also apply a roofing compound around the lower edge and over the tops of the screw heads. All these products are available from your local RV store or from online sources.

[Nik]

So all that tape up there is from someone going overkill trying to patch an old problem, you think?

What's a good solvent to use to help clean everything up? Goo-gone? Carb-cleaner?

Thanks.

[RogerDat]

Butyl tape doesn't ever harden and is low adhesive. As suggested can be scraped off with plastic or fiberglass putty knife.

Don't know what that tape looking stuff is on the outside. Once you have vent off to replace the butyl tape seal under it you might try a soft brass brush and if vent is solid enough a soft brass or fine steel wire brush on a drill or 4" grinder. Maybe same type of brush on a Dremel tool if you have one.

If you find any cracks in the metal if cleaned well there is a good chance JB Weld will work to patch any cracks or breaks. Cleanliness really is close to godliness when it comes to patching or attaching.

WD-40 has a well deserved reputation as an adhesive remover. Might start with some of that if it really is an adhesive tape.

[k corbin]

Sometimes things are counter intuitive To make butyl tape much easier to handle in hot weather I keep it in the refrigerator until I am ready to put it on. So if you run into problems of it being too gooey to scrape off then put one of those flexible blue ice packs on it for a few minutes and you might get a cleaner removal without the need for a lot of chemicals.

[Borrego Dave]

Nik, can't really tell from the pic but after you clear off all the overkill sealants do check the vent base frame out. If it's plastic you may be a head of the game to get a new one to start the UV brittle game like it's a new season. Butyl and a clean surface is your friend .

[BruceW]

My favorite goo remover is 3M General Purpose Adhesive Remover 08984. There are two types, so don't buy the one for use with special high tech adhesives - it's really nasty stuff. The general purpose one is great for removing most adhesives, as well as really tough to remover road tar and pine pitch and things like that. It's expensive but a quart will last years if used sparingly, and you don't need a lot. I got my last can through Amazon but should also be available at Automotive Paint stores.

[k corbin]

My favorite adhesive remover from 3M is their one that is citrus based. It works just as good as their all purpose adhesive remover but smells nice and is more eco friendly too.

[stude]

Now is the time to break down and buy a Fantastic Fan for those warm summer nights. Get 3spd forward/reverse, I have no idea what we would do without ours even though we have a AC unit which is noisy the fan works just as well.
Stude

[squish]

I just got done doing this one our 2000 BF, we had a fantastic fan that replaced our AC unit. It had been Dicor'd a few times but was leaking again. I pulled it all off only to find an open cell foam gasket that worked as a sponge and held water near the screws and screw holes.
I used some marine epoxy and some wood to fill the screw holes, replacing the screws through the plastic with stainless and the ones in the aluminum hinge with brass, then I put everything back together and using some masking tape masked off the area around the vent so I would get a decent line of goo around the vent. I like dicor better compared to eternabond because I worry about replacing the thing I am sealing and while lap sealant is a pain to deal with it's not as bad as getting a permanent sealing solution off.

[k0wtz]

JB Weld and duck tape everyones friend!!


bob