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Old 08-04-2015, 10:17 AM   #1
RTG
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Massachusetts
Posts: 36
THOR #760
stress crack

hello
my husband and i have a 2014 windsport 27k. love it ! we've owned it for a little more then a year now. recently we noticed a hairline crack coming from under the rubber seal of the windshield down towards the engine about 2 1/2 inches. there is no sign of camper being dinged by a rock. we brought it to our dealer and they diagnosed it as a stress crack. has this happened to anyone else ? how was it fixed ?

thanks in advance

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Old 08-04-2015, 11:23 AM   #2
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not sure how to edit my post..this is a crack in the fiberglass not in the windshield .
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Old 08-04-2015, 03:49 PM   #3
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Of course I'm not understanding exactly where this crack is, what is under it, if it's accessible form behind, etc.....

BUT generally speaking if it were mine I would stop drill the crack so that it doesn't continue growing

Then I would evaluate what makes more sense
a) covering with a patch
b) filling with a body filler and repainting
c) taking it to a body repair shop
d) replacing the part.
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Old 08-04-2015, 05:52 PM   #4
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Model: Hurricane 34E
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blw2 View Post
Of course I'm not understanding exactly where this crack is, what is under it, if it's accessible form behind, etc.....

BUT generally speaking if it were mine I would stop drill the crack so that it doesn't continue growing

Then I would evaluate what makes more sense
a) covering with a patch
b) filling with a body filler and repainting
c) taking it to a body repair shop
d) replacing the part.

Yes, I agree with stopping the crack from propagating by drilling a hole.

Find out why the front cap cracked in the first place. Make sure that the mounts to the chassis are actually making contact with the fiberglass cap, (you can peek underneath and see from behind). There have been threads posted about owners finding that their front cap isn't actually attached to the chassis.

Then, I would repair the gelcote.

Thankfully, fiberglass gelcote is very easy to repair, (even by hand with a sandpaper block). The only real trick is to match the color, especially if yours is the HDMax grey or tan hued gelcote. It can be done.
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Old 08-04-2015, 06:10 PM   #5
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thank you replying ! its at the dealer now and we havent heard yet what thor wants to do . i'll post back with their response
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Old 08-31-2015, 11:30 PM   #6
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update

the camper has been at the dealer since aug. 3rd. thor has asked for more photo's and measurements but hasnt decided on whether they will cover the repair . since it is a crack in the fiberglass its a structural issue which they should cover . our 1 yr warranty expired in april. we had some other work done while it was in and went to pick it up on saturday. i started the camper and immediately the leveling system sounded an alarm . my son and i checked underneath and could see a puddle of hydraulic fluid. i went right back inside the dealership and had a tech look at it. i guess a main seal blew inside the leveling jack. it will be covered under the extended warranty we purchased. the dealer has disconnected the leveling system while they wait for replacements parts.
we do have a labor day trip plan and will be taking the rv. would it be ok to level it manually ( blocks) and put the slide out ?

thanks for replies .
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Old 08-31-2015, 11:58 PM   #7
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Manually Leveling

My understanding is that the slideout should be deployed only after leveling the MH, but that the stability is also important so that the coach isn't bouncing with the slide out.
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Old 09-07-2015, 02:39 AM   #8
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We also have a 27K and we also have a problem with one of the leveling jacks. It leaks or the connection to the hydraulic line leaks. I can't find the leak, but it does require the addition of fluid from time to time. We will have it fixed when we get to FL in October. I have wondered about using the slideout if the coach is level but not on the levelers. The only problem with not having the slideout extended is access to the right side lower cabinet in the bedroom. If you lift the bed you can get into both drawers. I won't be using he slideout unless the levelers are down. There isn't much meat in the four rack and pinion gears that move and support the slideout.
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Old 09-07-2015, 04:59 AM   #9
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We have been having leveling issues with our new 2016 Hurricane 27K as well. We're still waiting for the dealer to get all the parts to repair it.

But...you can still level the coach manually...hubby has been doing that with ours and it seems to work pretty good...just takes a bit of time and patience and fiddling.
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Old 09-07-2015, 12:23 PM   #10
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This is our third motor home with levelers. They are the skinniest and cheapest looking devices that I've ever seen on a motor home. The rams look like they are made of aluminum. Our motor home isn't under a warranty because we bought it used and the cost of an extended warranty is outrageous even with a $500 deductible. I must admit that the automatic leveling function works quite well, but I have to add fluid now and then.
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Old 09-07-2015, 01:32 PM   #11
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We had problems with the levelers on our Diesel Pusher and we were told to level the coach manually in order to use the slides. I also took a couple of stabilizer jacks and put them under the frame in the back after we leveled the coach and it helped a little.
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Old 09-07-2015, 01:41 PM   #12
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What sort of problems did you have with the levelers?

I have heard horror stories about windshields cracking as motor homes were leveled due to twisting of the chassis. That doesn't speak very highly about the reinforcement of the frame rails.
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Old 09-07-2015, 04:36 PM   #13
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With regard to windshields cracking, that is usually due to operator error. You never put one jack down at a time to the point that it starts to lift the coach. You put the jacks down in pairs, front two, two on right side, etc. The computer puts them down one at a time, but not far enough to do any damage. I have seen people that were stuck trying to use the jacks to lift the MH out of the mud to put something under the tire and they popped the windshield. It is more of a problem with a one piece rather than 2 piece windshield and it can also happen when a tow operator does not hook up properly.
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Old 09-07-2015, 04:48 PM   #14
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we had reservations for a week at the bar harbor koa. we were concerned using the slide out with no jacks there would be too much movement with the ocean wind and 3 adults moving around. with 3 adults inside we felt it would be too cramped without the slide so we canceled the vacation. the windsport is still at the dealer waiting on a replacement jack and word from thor on the stress crack .
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Old 09-17-2015, 07:53 PM   #15
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well not good news from Thor today and a lot of frustration trying to get an answer from them. i received word from our dealer on Tuesday that Thor has denied the claim . our dealer recommended i call Thor direct. i called Thor on Wednesday morning and the person i spoke to said our case had not been updated since sept 4th when they received the estimate for repairs. the person handling our case was not available and i was told would call me back. after 24 hours and no phone call i called back . i got a new person who said basically the same thing the only person who can tell me why it was denied wasnt available and would call me back. i waited all day, again , no phone call so i called an hour 1/2 before Thor closes and voiced my frustration with yet another person who gave me the same response. a 4th person did call me back ( again not the one handling the case ) and said Thor doesnt feel its a structural issue.after voicing again my frustration someone from Thor is supposed to call our dealer and look into it further
we have barely put 1000 miles on the camper and i am very unhappy with Thor and their customer service.
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Old 09-17-2015, 08:05 PM   #16
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RTG,
Did you get your leveling jacks problem corrected? And if so, do you know what component failed?
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Old 09-17-2015, 08:37 PM   #17
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We needed to have the entire jack replaced. our extended warranty covered the repair which was almost $700 . we had to pay for the shipping $30. i dont know what failed and the paperwork is in the camper which is not parked at our house. i will stop tomorrow and see if it says exactly what failed
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Old 09-17-2015, 10:10 PM   #18
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RTG,
I checked on the cost to replace a jack and the jack alone costs $500.

I thought about getting an extended warranty, but in addition to it being very expensive, there was a $500 deductible.

According to information I read about the jacks, there are several areas that can leak, including plug welds near the top. If so, that sounds like a manufacturing defect.

I must be a type III learner, because after twenty five years and four poorly designed and assembled RVs, we bought a fifth and are still dealing with sloppy construction, shoddy materials, and second-rate equipment.

Perhaps the only way to win is to build your own.
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Old 09-18-2015, 04:46 PM   #19
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metalman
i did check the paperwork today and it only says seal failure . when it did fail after about 10 mins running the engine and while we were trying to find the leak white smoke started appearing.
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Old 09-18-2015, 05:05 PM   #20
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RTG,
Thanks for posting the type of failure on your leveler. I wonder if the smoke was from the AFT fluid burning on the hot exhaust?
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