Seneca - roof rail upside down ?

[MD3]

The roof rail is oriented different side to side... is one side upside down ??
Should they both be the same ??

One side has the screw in the top part the other side has the screws in the bottom part.

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[RVermont]

Mine also has them set differently. I remember this as a topic three years ago and it was due to the large awning over the slide out requiring it set upside down for some reason.

[MD3]

Originally Posted by RVermont

Mine also has them set differently. I remember this as a topic three years ago and it was due to the large awning over the slide out requiring it set upside down for some reason.

Missed that topic. I was tightening the top rail screws (every single one was loose) and the passenger side was easy but the rail being flipped on the driver’s side made it to where I had to remove the large slide topper to get to the screws holding the rail to the roof. Turned into a larger project than I had expected. Super easy now that I know how to do it.

Thank you for the info !!


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[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by RVermont

Mine also has them set differently. I remember this as a topic three years ago and it was due to the large awning over the slide out requiring it set upside down for some reason.

That is how CAREFREE shows the rail to be installed if a DIY project, even for window awnings.

[ed4ster]

Back in December 2016 I had emailed Jayco on this very subject, below is thier response.


"Ed,

The orientation of the gutters is proper. They were doing that at the time apparently because of spacing issues with the fascia on the slide out. The spacing with the tile is also common because that tile is going to flex and give as the coach moves.

Thanks,

Mitchell Grooms"

[rgolding]

MD3, you said - "Super easy now that I know how to do it."

Please share your knowledge on doing this.

[MD3]

Originally Posted by rgolding

MD3, you said - "Super easy now that I know how to do it."

Please share your knowledge on doing this.

The passenger side rail is oriented such that the screws are above where the bedroom slide toper and the awning mount to the rail making for easy access. The screws are covered by a filler trim piece that is only caulked on the very ends. The rest is just a friction fit along the rail. Move a few inches from the end of the rail and use a small screw driver to pop out the screw cover. I only pulled loose about a foot of screw cover at a time. Tighten the screws and push the cover back on as I pull more off and move along the coach. Super easy.
Driver's side has the main slide topper on top of the rail. This made it difficult to access due to the screws being between the slideout box and the slide topper. The slide topper on mine is a carefree. Two screws to hinge the cover down. Pin the awning roller tube (it is under tension). Two more screws on each end of the slide topper and the entire awning tube lifts out and can be set on the roof with fabric still attached to the roof rail. This gives access to the screws on the roof rail. I was expecting it to be more difficult and ended up being easier than I expected.
It was easier to do it myself than it would have been dealing with the dealer/repair shop to do it.


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[MD3]

I used a small screw drive to pry/pull the screw cover loose.

[PaulB12]

I found applying(carefully) a small dab of caulk(NOT SILICONE) to screw and rail will tend to keep from backing out.
By the way I now use Lexel caulk for caulking things rv related.
PaulB12

[Rustynuts]

I am getting around to doing this and I m finding the same thing, loose screws and several screws with heads popped off. I decided since I was going to all the trouble I’m going to take the time and replace all the crappy self tappers for stainless steel square drive screws and apply red loctite on them.

[MD3]

It's on my list to check these again. It's been almost 6 months since I tightened mine originally. Be interesting to see if they stayed tight or not....

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[Rustynuts]

I’m planning on only dealing with this once, that’s why I’m using loctite. I am also going to apply 1” Eternabond tape to cover the cracking sealant along the top of the rail. This should take care of this area for a long time.

[Rustynuts]

Finished up the drivers side today, found lots of broken screw but no heads under the plastic insert, so broke on assemble line. Being the drivers side I had to remove the slide topper and that wasn’t bad at all. I did notice that the topper brackets were also loose so I took those screws out and applied Loctite on those too. Then I cleaned and applied the 1” Black Eternabond tape over the seal where the roll of he roof meets the rail. It covers this area perfectly and can’t even be seen from the ground. Passenger side should go a lot faster with no topper to remove but I will also be checking the bedroom slide topper brackets.