Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Topic: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question) (Read 819 times) previous topic - next topic - Topic derived from air bag question

Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

February 13, 2024, 07:48:56 pm

Quote from: qtrstick – February 13, 2024, 07:11:12 pm

Thanks for the reply. Going to tackle the bags when it warms up. New to foretravel really like it, but this bulkhead stuff has got me worried enough, I'm about ready to sell it it and get me a country coach

[^ Added above quote for split - Michelle ^]

We have the same unit and year Would like to know your build # Our bulkhead bolts are original and like new Hope yours are also

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #1 – February 13, 2024, 07:52:57 pm

What's the issue with the bulkheads? Do you have any pictures so we can see what's going on?

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #2 – February 13, 2024, 07:58:12 pm

Corrosion from road salt etc will rust and swell lap joint and weaken bolts It is a process to repair if needed Lot of information on the forum if you need

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #3 – February 13, 2024, 08:12:30 pm

qtr stick, I have sent you a PM

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #4 – February 13, 2024, 10:48:01 pm

qtrstick
Can you list your unit info?

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #5 – February 13, 2024, 11:42:48 pm

Quote from: qtrstick – February 13, 2024, 07:11:12 pm

Thanks for the reply. Going to tackle the bags when it warms up. New to foretravel really like it, but this bulkhead stuff has got me worried enough, I'm about ready to sell it it and get me a country coach

Pretty easy to check them, then you will KNOW.

Start by posting pictures.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #6 – February 14, 2024, 05:12:08 pm

Thanks again everyone if I done looked at this right my build number is 5216. Here are a couple of pics that I have right now

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #7 – February 14, 2024, 05:50:16 pm

Yes, there is some bulkhead damage. But, if the "rust jacking" (visible by the "pushed down" fiberglass by the degrading box beams) doesn't extend forward of the wet bay, it really isn't that big a job to repair.

Plenty of posts on it.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #8 – February 14, 2024, 08:40:20 pm

After seeing those pics. I agree with Brett. That looks like a 3 to a 4 difficult job out of 10. If you pull the skin down to the first crossmember you may just need to do a repair on just the first cross beam that has the bolts through. Sometimes you may have to repair back to the next crossmember. The best thing is that the hole basement floor is just a bolt on part so it is fixable. Now to take the hole basement down ramps the job up to a 9 it is still fixable unlike some other brands.

Mike

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #9 – February 15, 2024, 09:39:07 am

I have a question regarding the bulkheads on my 93 u300 They appear mint and i am considering spraying some bedliner on them to keep them protected or could that trap in water from above?

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #10 – February 15, 2024, 09:42:06 am

Well the next question is how serious is this.Can I still use this thing as it is.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #11 – February 15, 2024, 10:07:04 am

Quote from: qtrstick – February 15, 2024, 09:42:06 am

The next question is how serious is this. Can I still use this thing as it is.

Yes, you can use your coach as it is. And you can sleep well at night. The bulkhead corrosion "problem" is a very slow process and it can take decades before it might cause structural failure. In 10+ years on this Forum I can recall only ONE instance of a coach actually "breaking apart" at the rear bulkhead and becoming unsafe to drive. It is more likely your coach would be hit by a falling meteor.

You DO want to do everything possible to avoid accelerating the rust problem, or expanding the damaged area. This means watching carefully for even the smallest plumbing water leaks especially in the vicinity of the wet bay. You do not want water running from inside the wet bay down into the enclosed space between the bay floor and the underbelly skin. Once water reaches that space, it is trapped by the foam insulation and free to corrode the unprotected steel frame members.

If possible, arrange to have some Forum members who are more familiar with this problem take a look at your coach. They may advise on the extent of the damage, and the best way to approach repairing it. In the mean time, educate yourself - use the Forum Search tool to find old threads on the subject of "bulkhead repair" or "bulkhead problem". See the link below for a start. Enjoy your coach and have fun.

Bulkhead Repair-- A Comprehensive Look

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #12 – February 15, 2024, 10:16:17 am

I did forget to mention that I pull a 24 foot enclosed trailer a lot of the time when we're drag racing. Thanks again

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #13 – February 15, 2024, 10:23:28 am

Quote from: qtrstick – February 15, 2024, 10:16:17 am

I did forget to mention that I pull a 24 foot enclosed trailer a lot of the time when we're drag racing. Thanks again

The hitch receiver, engine, transmission and rear drive axle and suspension are all located behind the rear bulkhead, so "pulling a big load" wouldn't, in my opinion, necessarily put any additional stress on either bulkhead.

But I'm not an engineer, so TIFWIW.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #14 – February 15, 2024, 10:59:05 am

Quote from: rinron – February 15, 2024, 09:39:07 am

1. i am considering spraying some bedliner on them to keep them protected
2 or could that trap in water from above?

Ron,
Those are 2 real good questions
1. I have done the same on both of our coaches. On our present coach the bedliner would most likely hold the basement floor to the bulkheads without bolts. We have sprayed bedliner all the way up the bulkheads (front & rear) to the frame rails as this sheet metal isn't but about 16 gage sheet steel. This helps with road spray in that area.
2. Absolutely possible
So you have a preventive fix fighting with a secondary problem. Do I loose sleep over this? Nope just keep an eye on it. I loose more sleep over being caught in a hail storm and killing the roof. Ever so often (4 or 5 years) I do remove the water tank clean the inside of the joint and reseal just to make sure that it is good.

We know of a coach that was built in Alabama that was totaled due to the same area being rotted out. They had used the coach to go up north to Maine every year during snow season and didn't clean the undercarriage once. So to repair it they would have had to cut the basement off and refab a complete basement due to construction. With that being said I am glad that our coaches have a bolt on floor that can be replaced if need be.

Mike

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #15 – February 15, 2024, 11:53:55 am

Quote from: qtrstick – February 15, 2024, 09:42:06 am

Well the next question is how serious is this.Can I still use this thing as it is.

Our coach may have been an outlier, probably was. It looked about like the photos you posted.

I checked the torque on our bulkhead bolts, and made a note to check them again in a year.

We came home from a trip several months later, and the rear joint was sagging noticeably on one side. Turned out the rear joint was being held by two or three bolts! The structure itself had only surface rust that I treated, painted and was fine. The exposed portion of the bolt threads, in the joint itself had rusted away. Bolt head tightly in one side, bolt tail tightly in the other, nothing solid between.

We narrowly dodged a big calamity!

Check the torque on the bolts, AND AND AND run a scraper into the joint to make sure the bolts are continuous. Probably a majority of our bolts passed the torque test but were doing nothing to support the connection.

Again, it seems our situation was unusual, but it will take you an additional five minutes to check.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #16 – February 15, 2024, 12:41:22 pm

When I first joined the forum 4 years ago everybody had heartburn over the bulkhead issue. We had all heard the story of the owner that spent $30k to have his repaired. The sky was falling and it was mass hysteria (not really, but it felt like it as a new owner).

Fast forward to today and many people have tackled the issue now and we've all realized it's generally not a huge deal as long as it hasn't been extremely neglected. A competent welder can handle the issue and it's much like the fuel lines...crappy job but not rocket science.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #17 – February 15, 2024, 01:23:23 pm

I also believe most of the bulkhead corrosion issues come from water leaks in the wet Bay Area so .... I have 2 water sensors that emit an annoying screech when there's any water present. One on the water pump side where the gasket around the water heater just doesn't get it done during a heavy rain. And the other on the dump side where i think I've solved one issue. Seems the back flow preventer was installed with a hose gasket and those FAIL. Came out one day to find water dripping buy the tire. Gasket failed. Now it's an external backflow with adjustable pressure.

Our bulkhead does have slight corrosion going on but it spent a lot of its life in California and Oregon and neither use salt so its a rust free coach except for the annoying bulkhead and in 8 years of ownership the bulkhead hasn't changed.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #18 – February 15, 2024, 06:22:32 pm

Rear bulkhead degradation can occur from either (or both) leaks from wet bay or road spray.

Bed liner or other sealer can protect from road spray. Once water gets in from the wet bay, it really doesn't drain very well, even if you had a "drain". It soaks into the foam insulation and keeps the raw steel beams WET.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #19 – March 22, 2024, 08:16:43 pm

I just had my bulkhead repaired at MOT. Don't put it off its like cancer treatable when caught early. They took my unit in Wed morning cut open the underbelly let me see exactly what was going on. I was lucky enough that the only metal needing replacing was the 2 pieces of 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 square tubing that runs from side to side across the back. 1 bolts to the angle iron. they cut all that out welded in new steel. The other spots around my drop down door, across the front were there was a big crack in fiberglass. had good amounts of rust but steel not compromised. were all ground clean. then treated with ospho then painted. they put 10 grade 8 yellow zinc through bolts across the front and 10 across the back. put new insulation in and buttoned all up with new fiberglass. They told me it would be 5k to $7500. I told them upfront $7500 was not happening. 😆 🤣. I got out of there for $5200 with my motocade discount. they had 2 guys on it for 3 full days and thomas welding was to busy so they had to weld it in house. Use who ever you want just don't wait longer you wait more expensive it will get.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #20 – March 23, 2024, 08:41:50 am

I had 2 feet of my belly structure replaced by Keith Risch in two days for $2600 which includes re-installing the belly skin.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #21 – March 23, 2024, 09:06:16 am

Ouch Ouch, Mr Rudy not what I wanted to see after just paying MOT double that for my belly work. I did try and get Keith to do mine. our timing was just off and I need to be in SD on April 6th. did not want to chance it failing on the road.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #22 – March 23, 2024, 09:23:17 am

Well Michael, that is nothing compared to my Premium Aqua Hot service. This service replaces every part of your Aqua Hot with brand new parts. Plus, I go the extra mile and replace every part of your coach with brand new parts. Just write me a check for $2.2 million and it will say Prevost on the front.

Re: Bulkhead evaluation (split from Re: air bag question)

Reply #23 – March 23, 2024, 03:15:05 pm

Not sure this has been mentioned but I have been thinking, why not cut some 3"holes in various places in the fiberglass cover alongside the tube framing .
This should give you some places to check insulation and steel to get an idea of what is happening with frames. Use 6"sq pieces glued on to seal up holes. Places I would explore are along both outside framing on coach length. Drill so you can actually see tubing.
Couple of hours well spent I think. Anyone agree or ?
Johnh

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