Rear grill fell off

jerichorick · 02-03-2014, 03:12 PM

I am doing the last few check before we leave on Thursday. I opened the rear door to check the oil and the grill fell off. I would post picture but my internet is limited at the moment. Thankfully the radiator core was only slightly dented and not punctured.

As best as I can tell, the stuff they used at the factory just simply broke free, leaving not a trace of adhesion on the mounting metal. The only thing holding this heavy grill on was the epoxy that oozed into the holes in the aluminum mounting bars. Not strong at all. I plan on drilling each mark on the door and mounting the grill with pop rivets.

Once again, quality control is the issue here. The bonding material used was not sufficiently suited for longevity in this application. I know others have had this happen with the front door hinges.

Come on Winnebago. Use some common sense. This should have never, ever been an issue.

Pictures will follow when the camp internet is back up.

Harry B · 02-03-2014, 05:40 PM

This is not a new issue. It has been contructed this way atleast since 2004. There are various opions/methods as to how best to reattach it in multiple posts

skigramp · 02-03-2014, 05:51 PM

Mine is held on with stainless steel carriage bolts ... mine fell off during inspection at delivery in March of 2004 ... dealer installed the stainless steel bolts ... end of problem

garykk · 02-03-2014, 05:51 PM

Theoretically the epoxy used should never come off if applied correctly but as you witnessed, it was not. I had a stop simply fall off under the engine cowl. Fortunately I found it on the ground. i looked at it and found the epoxy had been applied to a surface that had been contaminated with what looks like paint.....poor quality control....

fla tom · 02-03-2014, 06:50 PM

I had the same thing happen on our old coach( 2011 40 u) I used jb weld as well as stainles button head bolts, if you place the bolts onder the fins you will not see them without looking hard. One consulation for you our 2011 40u was put together much beter than our 2013 42qd just a caution check the latches on the front cap they let lose on me soon after the engine cover did

gmanatl · 02-03-2014, 07:26 PM

I had the same problem on my1999 diesel Chieftain and on my 2008 Tour . Winnebago continues to glue these engine covers on even though customers have complained for years about failures.

Sammie · 02-03-2014, 08:46 PM

I had the same thing happen to the rear engine hood on my 2006 Journey. Lucky me cause it happened in my driveway right after I got home from a trip. The epoxy that Winnebago uses is not the problem! It's the preparation of the metal that the epoxy was bonded to. If you will notice, the epoxy is bonded strong to the fiberglass hood while not bonded to the metal framework of the hood.The metal framework is powder coated and should have been sanded down before any bonding took place.

I removed the frame from the coach and ground down the metal in the areas that were to be bonded to the hood. I also sanded down the areas on the hood where bonding were to take place. JB Weld was used to rebond all areas and then I clamped the hood and bracket and let it sit overnight.

The final result was a good as or better than new engine compartment hood.

Now as for the hood on the front of my coach, I was on the road when it came loose so I ended up drilling some holes and using some 3/16 x 1/2 inch pop rivets. They seem to be holding good but if they get loose I will probably go the rebonding route.

Good luck,

Sammie

jerichorick · 02-04-2014, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fla tom

I had the same thing happen on our old coach( 2011 40 u) I used jb weld as well as stainles button head bolts, if you place the bolts onder the fins you will not see them without looking hard. One consulation for you our 2011 40u was put together much beter than our 2013 42qd just a caution check the latches on the front cap they let lose on me soon after the engine cover did

Isn't this interesting!

Same model, same year!

I think I have pop rivets long enough to go into each of the holes, through the fiberglass first, of the aluminum mounting tubes. This should cure this problem.

I'll check the front to see if things are falling off. Thanks for the warning.

My '05 Vectra 40FD had a similar issue also.

I do wish the bean counter would step back for a while and let the folks using and building these things get together to address these repeat for years on end issues. In the long run these repeated issues will cause potential buyers to go to other brands, just like you Tom. The bean counters will loose in the long run. I hope you have better luck with your new rig and manufacture.

jerichorick · 02-04-2014, 07:09 PM

Finished repair:

I used 3/16" x 1/2" pop rivets, 10 in all. It went smoothly. I am concerned about the hinge mountings though. They are imbedded in the same stuff. I didn't like the way that area flexed.

I hope the pictures post. I am never certain I am doing it right until I see the results.

Rick

Jbmsr · 02-04-2014, 07:16 PM

Thanks Rick!

jerichorick · 02-05-2014, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jbmsr

Thanks Rick!

Your welcome. I wish I had taken better pictures of the steps but I guess the idea and concept are getting recognized. I hope this helps many. We are not alone with this problem. It looks like every Meridian/Journey with this configuration has the potential what has happened to me.

We are relocating tomorrow. When we are settled and it gets a bit warmer I will check out the forewarned problem with the generator door.

We love our coach but the preventable issues that Winnebago builds into them are a real pain. For instance, this morning DW found a leak under the shower room sink. The trap was installed wrong. I had to cut about 2" off the tail peace to take strain off the trap gasket. All is well now. I originally found this same problem in my '05 Vectra. This issue is just one of many.

Finhawk · 02-05-2014, 05:32 PM

Just went out and checked mine. The hood hinges have what looks like a 3/4" wooden backer board embedded in the fiberglass and 4 big screws hold them on. Everything around the rear grill is screwed together except for the struts. It has looks like epoxy but it has come thru the holes in the metal bracket and has been finished off nicely. That is the only thing I'll have to keep an eye on. Guess I lucked out!

Harry B · 02-05-2014, 06:09 PM

Sounds like you are saying it took Winnebago about 10 years to resolve this problem. Very expedient

Jbmsr · 02-05-2014, 08:05 PM

Thanks for the repair info. Sorry that you had to go through all of that.
I inspected my hood and I don't see where it could fall off. The louvers are welded to a metal angle that is screwed to a metal frame that is bolted to the fiberglass hood at the top and the bottom. Winnebago must have realized that they had an issue here and revised the mounting method.
Jesse

Finhawk · 02-05-2014, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry B

Sounds like you are saying it took Winnebago about 10 years to resolve this problem. Very expedient

Actually, Harry, what I'm saying is that I can't see having any problems like that with my Rig
Bruce

!

jerichorick · 02-06-2014, 05:35 AM

jbmsr, it is hard to see from your pictures what you describe. I did like the words "metal frame that is bolted to the fiberglass hood". That is your saving grace.

Finhawk, is your grill secured as jbmsr describes?

On my door, all looked secure. The aluminum mounting tubes received several screws through the grill mounting angle iron. The problem was that the aluminum was over sprayed with speckles of paint so the epoxy had nothing to adhere to. When I remounted the grill I avoided using the original holes in the aluminum mounts. They were too big for the rivets.

About the hinges? When I get into warmer weather I will get a better look at them. We are ready to leave to go a bit further south here in TX. At the moment, 5:30AM, it is 26* and windy. ( I am glad that I hooked the car up last night!) On days like this, doing repairs and inspections are no fun.

Thanks for the good reports, friends. Yup. 10 years is pretty good response time (for a snail).

Finhawk · 02-06-2014, 12:25 PM

It looks the same except for the plywood

jerichorick · 02-07-2014, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finhawk

It looks the same except for the plywood

That's good. I guess mine is the last model year with the failure potential. Now, if the hing mountings don't fail in the same manner I will be golden!

mackspot1 · 06-15-2014, 08:28 AM

Add my 2012 Itasca Meridian to the list.

Really, can't one of the engineers from Winnebago figure this out. They should be ashamed when things like this happen and get posted on a blog.

So it this not a coverable warranty item under the body warranty??

jerichorick · 06-15-2014, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mackspot1

Add my 2012 Itasca Meridian to the list.

Really, can't one of the engineers from Winnebago figure this out. They should be ashamed when things like this happen and get posted on a blog.

So it this not a coverable warranty item under the body warranty??

Sorry you didn't catch this before it happened. See if post #9 helps you any.