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Old 10-14-2021, 11:13 AM   #1
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Join Date: Aug 2019
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My bus thinks it's a tub

Hello! I had some dumb questions about my bus. I pulled all the seats,walls, old insulation, inner ceiling panels (idk if that's what it's called) rubber flooring, all that fun stuff. Then I sprayed it down everywhere with a hose, fixed leaks and double and triple checked. We were good so I insulated put up walls and now it's raining and we are no longer good. I was careful not to put screws through to the outside and where it's leaking was not a place I had fixed before. Above windows is good all the leaks are below windows but the windows have all been re-caulked and checked with the hose. Sorry that was a book😣. Is there a way to fix this because honestly it seems like it might be her time to meet her ancestors while I go cuss her out. Thanks

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Old 10-14-2021, 01:01 PM   #2
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Year: 1991
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Caulking windows isnt always good.. some vehicles are designed so that water goes between the walls and then runs out through weep holes.. not knowing how yours is built I cant say.. however school bus windows have a lot of leak points.. did you remove each window and make sire the weather seal behind it was good and replace it not? the leaks can still be above or at the windows and the water runs down the outside and then in..
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Old 10-15-2021, 12:03 AM   #3
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Location: Fraser Valley British Columbia
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Year: 2007
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Chassis: Freightliner
Engine: C7 Cat
Like you, after re sealing all windows I thought I had eliminated all my leaks and a good soak with the garden hose confirmed it. Unfortunately the next heavy rain proved me wrong, wet window sills and puddles on the floor burst my bubble.
After re-examining all the window seals and carefully caulking the glass to frame seal out came the hose again and the windows got a good soak, again no leaks. Next rain and the puddles are back, further investigation and determined the windows had nothing to do with the leaks. The source was the roof body seams, double row of rivets with a little sealer between. The panels show a bit of gap where they take the tightest radius and I imagine with a few years of flex this allowed water in to the body, this would travel to the windows and floor and not reveal the origin. I trimmed out as much of old sealer as possible then lightly sanded and re sealed with body seam sealer. 7 months now and not a drop of water anywhere.
Good luck.Click image for larger version

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Old 10-15-2021, 09:34 AM   #4
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I resealed all the windows because I figured I would have to eventually someone as well do it now I didn't see any weep holes though. I might resale them just to be on the safe side though I could have done a bad job of it
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Old 10-15-2021, 03:22 PM   #5
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I Spy...

It really depends on the model and year of the bus in question.
What model/year of bus are we discussing?

Shuttle, Crown, IC, Ward... each have their own unique variations and engineering, often with simple fixes to most.

Many of us have extensively sealed roof penetrations, seams/laps & successfully removed/sealed our windows.


Surely someone has the same bus as you, HestiaMea. Please, tell us what you have (or a photo) so that more custom/accurate experiences can be shared.
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Old 10-19-2021, 10:44 AM   #6
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I did some close searching. It has a black bumper guard (?) All the way around it right under the windows and about 4 inches below that. The rivets holding it on are what's leaking. Im thinking maybe body filler between the body of the bus and the top rim of the guard? She's getting painted so hopefully it will look ok. I believe it's a 98 bluebird but I might be off on the year
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Old 10-19-2021, 04:45 PM   #7
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Bluebird, that's good start. We have an IC RE. My experience with sealing is of little use to you.
You might add the bus type to your thread.
Van, Flatnose, Dognose.

We removed all of our windows and replaced the poor quality factory tar with high quality grey buytl tape. 1/2" x 3/16" sandwiched between the aluminum and steel. Only one of 30 windows leaked (the first one we did). So we took it out again, reinstalled it a second time, and found no more leaks.

Our rear hatch was originally installed 3/4" off-center, causing the factory hatch screws to miss the steel framing. Looks as if it was leaking, between the ceiling & roof, since day one. The multiple layers of sealant, added by the county, evidently didn't fix it. I removed the hatch, roof vent and strobe light, then patched over each with sheet metal, using dynatron 550 (sandwiched in between) and 3/16" stainless rivets.
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