Axis 25.2 water leak

[Wonderdog]

Our Axis 25.2 has developed a leak behind the microwave. It reared its ugly head after a couple of weeks of almost daily rains here in Florida. I have narrowed it down to the stove top hood blower vent cover on the side. With the help of a water hose above the vent and water coming down on the top of it a drip showed coming behind the metal wall cover at the back of the stove top.
Our warranty expires August 16, 2017.
We're leaving August 2 for the entire month.
Camping World requires an appointment and a week for "diagnosis".
I have contacted Thor to put the item on record. Worked before.
My dilemma:
Let CW fix it after the trip.
Fix it myself.

I'm tempted to run a bead of silicone around the vent cover but would prefer to remove and inspect for any problem that may be obvious under the cover first.
Anyone know how to remove it? It appears to be plastic that has to be manipulated properly to remove and probably easy to break.
Any advice?
Thanks all.

[JamieGeek]

You can try coming at it from the other side. Removing the microwave is a pretty easy task. Just those screws you see on the front.

[Wonderdog]

Thanks JG, I'll give it a shot.

[mcr1010]

I had the same leak a couple of years ago. I noticed water running out on floor from below the stove area. I discovered that no caulk was around the stove vent on outside wall. I removed all the drawers under stove and sopped up as much water as possible, then put a fan blowing on it for a day or so to finish the drying.
I also noticed while on ladder outside the door frame had no caulking on it, so took care of that.

Other areas that I have had leaks which are common unfortunately are:
tail lights, dome over shower and bathroom vent.

[Wonderdog]

Well, so much for the microwave. As you said JG, easy to remove but nothing behind but empty, very dry wall. The vent exhaust is just below the microwave so nothing to see behind it.
Step two: On close examination via ladder the vent cover is not very flexible and held on by two tabs through the top and three through the bottom. All of them resisted any kind of movement with a flat head screwdriver. There is evidence of a very thin line of sealant across the top and the vent cover is away from the exterior wall in an area about 1/2 inch long by maybe enough to jab a fingernail between. Could be the source. I'm going to clean it and resort to a small amount of sealant and give it the hose test again.
On second thought I believe examining the vent hood beneath the microwave will be step two. It might not be too terrible to remove and the microwave didn't make me cuss.

[Wonderdog]

Originally Posted by mcr1010

I had the same leak a couple of years ago. I noticed water running out on floor from below the stove area. I discovered that no caulk was around the stove vent on outside wall. I removed all the drawers under stove and sopped up as much water as possible, then put a fan blowing on it for a day or so to finish the drying.
I also noticed while on ladder outside the door frame had no caulking on it, so took care of that.

Other areas that I have had leaks which are common unfortunately are:
tail lights, dome over shower and bathroom vent.

Two thumbs up for the fan. It has been blowing into the under sink cabinet for two days. The floor was dry but could feel dampness in the wood separating the back of the cabinet area from the water lines. Checked all the connections, they were good.

[ComputerChips]

I'd be interested in your results too. I have noticed rain water coming in below the vent fan too. On my ACE the awning provides shelter for the vent when it is out and even a little bit of cover when it is retracted.
The leak only occurs when its not out in a hard rain. From the ground it appears to have a nice bead of silicone but I have not looked at it from the topside.

[Mr Sunshine]

A third option to CW or DIY, call Thor and ask what other places could do covered warranty work. CW has built themselves quite a reputation, and it ain't all good.

[Wonderdog]

SUCCESS!
Decided to go the DIY route. Glad I did. Not the prettiest bead of silicone but I can always peel and redo. A silicone bead now runs across the top and both sides of the vent exhaust cover. I didn't get a chance to test it with a water hose because, as every day lately, it rained hard this afternoon. NO LEAKS! Happy man!