Good day all; Our fan started leaking on the rear passenger side of our deluxe 5er, I'm thinking I should drill out and replace the rivets and reseal the fan for the best outcome using ss screws nylon nuts butyl tape and 1x on the inside to support the fan also a marine sealant over the joint on the outside.Do you all think i'm going down the proper road? Does anyone know how the wood is attached on the bottom of the fan inside,glue ,rivets,screws? Any thoughts suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thankx in advance.
I have done this repair recently on mine, same vintage! The inside frame is held up by 8 screws, 2 each side, they come through from outside. If you peel the silicone, you will find them. I was working on this standing up on a small step ladder reaching it through the big vent. I found that the only sealer was along the outside edge of the fan assembly frame, and dabs of it over the screws and rivets. The flange overlap had no sealer, and I suspect you will find the same. Remove the wood trim first, then hold the rivets with a pair of vicegrips and drill out the aluminum rivets carefully. Clean and reseal (I used Lexel) on the flange and all harware. I used same size pop rivets, but screws and nuts may work as well. Then reattach the wood trim (I replaced those rusty screws with stainless. Hope this helps.
PS. I found that water leaked behind the Reflectix, to the left rear corner and there was a soft spot there, requiring a long time to dry and then a minor repair of the floor.
-Paul
2004 Scamp 19 Deluxe,
2021 Tacoma, Double Cab, 6 cyl. 4WD
Colorado
thankx Paul this will help I did not want to start without some idea as what was in store.I now have a good weekend project. lol Once again thankx , Brett