WINNEBAGO TRAVATO – Roof Seal and Skylight Maintenance

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Roof Seal and Skylight Maintenance for WINNEBAGO TRAVATO

The Winnebago Travato’s roof is a hybrid system — the ProMaster’s factory steel roof transitions at the rear into a fiberglass cap, and that seam is the Travato’s single most notorious leak point. Water infiltrating that rear cap-to-membrane junction can quietly rot the wooden substrate beneath the EPDM rubber before you ever see a stain on your ceiling. Plan to inspect and reseal this roof at minimum every 12 months, or after any extended UV exposure or hailstorm. This guide walks you through a full inspection, cleaning, resealing, and coating sequence that will add years of watertight service to your van.

Required Parts

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Set Up Safely and Access the Roof

Park the Travato on level ground, set the parking brake, and chock the rear wheels — the ProMaster 3500 sits high enough that a fall from the roof is a serious injury risk. Use a freestanding A-frame ladder positioned at the rear passenger-side corner; never lean a ladder directly against the EPDM membrane edge, as it will crack the drip rail. Before climbing, shut off shore power at the TT-30 inlet and disable the Xantrex Freedom XC inverter/charger via its panel switch in the driver-side lower cabinet — the Fantastic Fan wiring runs through the roof and you don’t want live circuits while you’re working around penetrations. If you own the 59G model, confirm the Honda generator is fully off and its compartment door is closed. Bring all your tools up in a bucket with a rope rather than making multiple ladder trips. Wear soft-soled shoes — hard soles will leave permanent impressions in the EPDM membrane. Walk only on the structural ribs you can feel flex beneath your feet and stay toward the center of the van where the ProMaster roof rails provide the most support.

Step 2: Perform a Thorough Leak Inspection

Start at the rear fiberglass cap and work forward — this is where 80 percent of Travato leaks originate. Run your fingers along the full perimeter seam where the white EPDM membrane meets the fiberglass cap edge; you’re feeling for gaps, lifted edges, or sealant that has turned chalky and pulls away in crumbles rather than stretching. The factory applies a bead of lap sealant here that typically begins failing between years two and four depending on climate. Next, circle the Fantastic Fan housing — inspect all four corners of its mounting flange, because the screws are a direct water path if the sealant crown has shrunk away from them. Check the Thule HideAway awning mounting rail where it bolts through the roof — those bolts are sealed from below but the washer-to-membrane interface on top is a common weeping point. Press firmly on any sealant bead that looks discolored or has a matte, dried-out appearance; good Dicor lap sealant should have slight give, like firm rubber. Photograph every suspect area with your phone before disturbing anything — this documents baseline condition and helps you confirm you haven’t missed a spot after reassembly.

Step 3: Remove Deteriorated Sealant Without Damaging the Membrane

This step requires patience — rushing it is how DIYers accidentally slice through the EPDM membrane and create a worse leak than the one they started with. Use the plastic putty knife set exclusively; metal scrapers will cut through the membrane in a single careless stroke. Begin at the rear cap transition seam. Work the wide plastic blade under the edge of the old Dicor sealant at a shallow angle, about 15 degrees, and peel it back in strips. If the sealant is extremely brittle, warm it with a heat gun on its lowest setting from six inches away — 20 seconds is usually enough to make it pliable without damaging the membrane. Around the Fantastic Fan flanges, use the narrow putty knife to get into corners. Don’t try to scrape the membrane perfectly clean at this stage — any thin residue left behind is fine and preferable to aggressive scraping. At the awning rail bolts, remove only the sealant crowning the bolt heads; the rail itself doesn’t need to come off. Collect all the old sealant pieces in a bag rather than letting them blow off the roof — dried Dicor chunks can clog awning mechanisms and ProMaster hood vents below.

Step 4: Clean and Degrease the Entire Roof Surface

A proper bond depends entirely on a clean surface — sealant and tape applied over road grime, oxidized rubber, or factory mold release will fail within one season. Apply the Dicor rubber roof cleaner and degreaser directly to the membrane in sections about four feet square. Use a medium-bristle brush, not a scrub pad — abrasive pads can micro-abrade the EPDM surface and accelerate future UV degradation. Work the cleaner into the membrane with circular motions and rinse thoroughly with clean water from a bucket; don’t use a pressure washer, as the ProMaster drip rail seams can allow pressurized water to force itself under the membrane edge. Pay special attention to the area immediately surrounding the rear cap transition — road grime accumulates in that recess and is easy to miss. Clean the Fantastic Fan flange and the awning mounting area with the same solution, using a small brush to get into bolt recesses. After rinsing, let the membrane dry completely — minimum two hours in direct sun, or four hours in overcast conditions. The surface must be bone dry before you apply any sealant or tape; moisture trapped under Dicor or EternaBond is a bonding killer that won’t reveal itself until the product begins lifting months later.

Step 5: Apply EternaBond Tape to the Rear Cap Transition Seam

The rear cap-to-membrane transition seam deserves the most aggressive treatment in your arsenal, which is why EternaBond RoofSeal tape is the right tool here rather than sealant alone — it bridges the gap mechanically, not just chemically. Cut a length of the 4-inch tape to span the full width of the rear cap seam plus 4 inches of overlap on each side — measure before you cut, as repositioning EternaBond is nearly impossible once contact is made. Apply the Liquid Rubber EPDM/TPO primer to both the EPDM membrane and the fiberglass cap surface in the seam area and let it flash off for 15 minutes until it’s tacky but not wet. Peel back only the first six inches of the EternaBond liner, center the tape on the seam, and press that leading edge down firmly. Then slowly peel the liner back while pressing the tape flat with your free hand in a continuous rolling motion — work toward one side, then come back to center and do the other side. Once the tape is laid, go over the full length with the J-roller using firm, consistent pressure in overlapping passes. The J-roller is not optional here — hand pressure alone leaves air pockets that become water pockets. Run a bead of the self-leveling Dicor lap sealant along both long edges of the tape to seal the tape’s own edges against wind-driven rain.

Step 6: Reseal the Fantastic Fan, Awning Rail, and All Roof Penetrations

Load the self-leveling Dicor lap sealant tube into the drip-free caulking gun — the drip-free mechanism matters on a roof because standard guns will keep oozing between beads and you’ll end up with sealant where you don’t want it. Cut the tube tip at a 45-degree angle to produce a bead about 3/8 inch wide. Starting at one corner of the Fantastic Fan mounting flange, run a continuous bead around the full perimeter, overlapping your start point by two inches. Dicor self-leveling sealant will flow slightly and self-smooth on a flat surface — this is normal and desirable, but it also means it will run off sloped surfaces, so complete the fan flange before moving to sloped areas. At the awning mounting rail, apply a bead along the full length of the rail’s uphill edge and crown each visible bolt head individually with a small dome of sealant — think of it as creating a mini volcano around each bolt so water sheds away from the fastener. Check the vent pipe for the propane system if your Travato has one — it exits through the roof and its collar is a surprisingly common oversight. Any antenna bases or other factory penetrations get the same treatment: clean perimeter bead with crowned fasteners. Let the Dicor cure undisturbed for 24 hours before applying roof coating.

Step 7: Apply EPDM Roof Coating to Protect the Full Membrane

The EPDM rubber roof coating goes on last and serves as UV protection for the entire membrane surface — properly applied, it will extend the life of the underlying rubber by five or more years. Stir the gallon of coating thoroughly before use; it settles during shipping and an unmixed batch will go on unevenly. Apply the Liquid Rubber primer first to any bare areas of membrane where you’ve worked, let it tack up for 15 minutes, then begin rolling the full coating. Use the 3-inch roller kit with a medium-nap sleeve — the nap grabs the texture of the EPDM and releases coating evenly without creating bubbles. Start at the rear cap and work toward the front, keeping a wet edge and maintaining consistent overlap. Apply two coats: the first coat should be thin and allowed to dry completely — typically two to three hours in 75°F sun — before the second coat goes on. The second coat can be slightly heavier and will give you the final opaque white finish. Cut in carefully around the Fantastic Fan dome, the EternaBond tape edges, and the awning rail with a brush before rolling — the roller can’t get close enough to those transitions without contaminating them. Once complete, let the coating cure for 48 hours before exposing it to rain or operating the Fantastic Fan at high speed.

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