Thor Outlaw Class A Sidewall Separation Repair (2016 and up)

This isn't just a problem limited to the F53 chassis, Thor Outlaw but seems to be much more prevalent. We own a 2020 Thor Outlaw 38MB Class A. We had a problem that started with buckling sounds, that turned into what seemed to be the dashboard shaking, eventually got to the point of the dashboard appearing to move up and down nearly 1.5" !!
Shout to Thor Outlaw RV Owners and Wannabees for all the help in diagnosing this issue.
/ thoroutlawrvdiscussion
Other thanks goes to Sky Powers from STOventures and the Thor Group for advice and making a cameo.
/ @stoventures1770
Parts list -
14x3" wall screws from Thor
E6000 Automotive Adhesive - www.amazon.com...
Lexel Sealant - www.amazon.com...
1/8" metal drill bit
3/4" blue painters tape
Utility Knife
Impact Drill
#2 Phillips Bit
1.5" metal putty/spackle knife
bottle or scissor jack
wood scraps
various standard hand tools

[@kevinbignold2459]

Hi mate thank you so much for this vidio, I have a thor serrano in New zealand no one could figure out my problem, this is exactly what I required you have saved me time and a lot of money

[@frankcasarez7492]

Same situation with my Thor Challenger. Great job and thanks for sharing.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

You're very welcome! Any more questions or details you need, please post in the comments and we will get back to you ASAP!

[@KenadyJobe]

'22 Thor Hurricane 34J, same issue. Thank you for documenting.

[@drews734]

Great video. I have same issue now on my 2015 Thor Miramar and now have a plan for repair after watching. Thanks.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

You're very welcome! If you need more questions answered, be sure to comment and I'll get back ASAP

[@shawnprohaska6378]

So why is this not covered under warranty???

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

If you're within your warranty, they will fix it. Be prepared for a dealer to hold it for 8-10 weeks to get it "diagnosed" then you'll wait another few weeks for the warranty department to approve and get the parts shipped, the dealer to get you scheduled. Then will you know how it's really completed? We have been fortunate to do all our own repairs and get support from Thor on them

[@drews734]

Thanks for the great video. Used it as a guide to repair the same issue on the driver side on my 2015 Miramar. I had 4 factory screws along that 4 ft section and each one had sheared/broke. Now I have 16 - 14 x 3” floor screws over the same length.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

Glad it helped! I've been contacted on Facebook by owners of other brands. I'm thinking the reason the problem is so much more prevalent in Outlaw is because of the stress on the ceiling because of the upward slope, and the frame flex because of the garage. 🤷‍♂️

[@48aussieable]

I had this happen to my 2018 Thor Outlaw and finally had a factory repair done. Two years later it failed again. I actually use my RV. I have 70000 miles on it now. Now my drivers side rear side wall is failing and compressing the basement doors just behind the rear wheels. Suggestions on repair options?

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

I would suggest you see if there's anything left to work with in there if your previous repairs came apart. Ours and 99% of what we've seen in our owners group has been over the front wheels. If you have good solid materials to attach to, I wouldn't see why it wouldn't work to try again but ensure everything is aligned or you'll have misaligned storage doors.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

I will also mention, we have over 15k miles on this repair and we also use ours over mountain climbs, uneven roads all over this country as we continue full-time life... We've had 0 noises or movement since our repair.

[@juridicus]

Would you (or anyone else) recommend preemptively performing this wall separation repair, and also the cap separation repair? I have not seen a cap repair video, but surely there is one out there. As to this wall separation issue, if someone from the factory is only putting in TWO SCREWS when eight or nine are appropriate, I want to know before I even buy the thing. I'm on the verge of a purchase of a Thor 38KB, but this gives me real concern.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

If the repairs haven't been done, yes. Pre went faster than post. See my other video with the time lapse. It was really simple, took around an hour all in, and had no adjustments to make. The cap, we didn't experience anything with separation there but we did have an unfinished seal from the factory when we purchased new. Instead of dicore as was suggested by Thor warranty, we opted for eternabond tape. It's available in 4 or 6" wide strips. Prep the surface by cleaning and a wipe down with acetone in the area the tape will contact. Be sure to squeegee it after application and it'll never be a problem again. We had it nearly 4 years in every USA climate short of deep freeze and mostly in tropical, & desert climates with high UV. held excellently. I wouldn't shy from outlaw for these known problems. A known problem can be addressed. Going into a brand with unknowns would be scary. Good luck & thank you for watching!

[@michaelgriffin1493]

I enjoyed this and found it very helpful 👍🏻

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

Thank you! More RV videos to come!

[@TammyEvans-dt9hm]

Brian, I can’t thank you enough for this video. I have this problem and my son and I just did what you did to fix it. We’re about to take a test drive but my question is what about the rest of the house rest of the coach. The other Walls I mean, would they be coming off too and if so, is there a way to check those?

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

@@TammyEvans-dt9hm thank you for the compliments! We owned ours for 3 years, full-timing around the country and only ever had the issue in the area in the cab section. We fixed our passenger side a few months later which was preventative and went much faster. That video can also be found on our channel. I would suggest joining the owners group on Facebook. They're a great bunch who are very helpful and it's good to see what issues everyone is having and how they tackle them. That's how this video actually came about.

[@jamesgravitt5622]

Great video, we just go to CA and had a nice snap on the passenger side 2017, have another 8 hours back home is this a fix now or it will get much worse or we can make it home?

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

Thank you! You'll likely be fine heading home. Watch any transitions to take them on as even as possible as not to twist. That'll likely keep things no worse than you have it now. We drove something like 7k miles trying to diagnose the issue. 👍

[@jamesgravitt5622]

Thank you brother, totally appreciate your quick response. Lost a lot of sleep last night maybe I’ll sleep tonight with that knowledge. Appreciate you, ever in Vegas coffee is on me!

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

@@jamesgravitt5622 I know how you feel. The great thing about this is you can do it yourself with minimal expense, and less than 3 hours work. If you need anything else, comment and I'll respond as soon as i see. 👍

[@brengang6]

Hi Brian, thanks for posting this. It looks as though we have the issue. Quick question, it looks as though the original screws are under the aluminum channel. When you replaced and added new screws, did you place them under the aluminum channel or go through outside of the aluminum channel?

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

Thanks! We went thru the channel, using it as a washer to help draw the wall back into the floor section. The more you draw this closed, the better your repair will be. If you still end up with a small gap, fill with the adhesive and seal from the bottom with lexel

[@brengang6]

@@L2SB-BrianMichelle If I could get your opinion, at this time, it appears my driver's side is the worst. I have 5 screws, the front 2 are broke and the remaining 3 are good. I measured the distance between the bottom of the wall and the bottom of steel bar/rail of the frame and it is 2 inches at the back and 1 11/16 at the front. My conclusion the wall is down 5/16 at the very front. I have no visual separation in that I can't see daylight when just sitting or driving. We did put some pressure on the wall at the front pulling the wall out a bit and can see faint daylight when we do that. The dash will move a lot in the right conditions but is generally calm. We are starting to drive south to arrive at Yuma, AZ by 1 November but we will be taking a long, circuitous route through the Rockies to get there from WA state. Apologies for all the details but perhaps they may be relevant for your answer. Given the 5/16 difference, would you still attempt to jack the wall up a bit (not convenient at this location) or just replace the two broken screws and add more screws?

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

@@brengang6 you'll need to align the wall to the floor in the original position. Aligning the holes on the original screws, and bracing with more, closer together will fix the issue. If you only replace the ones that broke, you'll be right back where you started, likely faster than before because of the wear. My advice, fix it correctly - the difference in effort is small but the results will be drastically different.

[@brengang6]

@@L2SB-BrianMichelle Thanks!

[@joekleinsmith4270]

The 2007-2009 Damon Model 3611 Toy Hauler also had side wall separation. I used screws and bolts where I could. I also sealed the underside edge to keep water/moisture out. Procedure was the same. Thor who bought Damon did nothing to help. Excellent video.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

I would've liked to use the carriage bolt fix but the newer chassis design didn't allow for that. Thanks for watching!

[@Mermaidinthemountains]

Hopefully we never have to deal with this! Following you for other tips! Fellow Outlaw owner here.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

Unfortunately, in our experience with the owners group, everyone with a class A since 2014 has this issue. Some even go back as far as 2008.

[@trishmince2652]

Great video! Thanks so much for producing it. I now know that this is a repair that I won’t be able to do myself. I also know that I have some serious issues with floor separation on the passenger side of my 2017 RB. I arrived at my latest boondocking spot in Utah yesterday after 2 1/2 hours on the road. While walking the outside of Bonnie, I noticed something poking out of the front passenger side wheel well. IT WAS A STRIP OF CARPET from the side wall of the entry stairwell!!! If I was to drive in the rain, my stairwell would fill with water. (I’ll post some pics on the Outlaw forum soon)

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

We would help you anytime we are in the vicinity. Hope you are well!

[@shrisevalkar285]

When I called Thor parts, they said they don't provide any hardware parts. Do you have the specs for 3" wall screws, perhaps I can buy it from Amazon

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

The screws used in the video came from Thor's production line. They are 3.25" long and most similar to the type of screws used to attach semi truck decks to their cargo vans. Try searching for " 3x14 truck deck screws "

[@cherylbrittsan3902]

Great video content. When editing, allow a pause here and there. You seem to have accomplished that in just one breath.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

Lol. We are hopefully getting better with our edits as we go. This video I shot completely through with a microphone turned off so I shot again but tried to remember what I did, said... Then there were interruptions... Things can only get better from here! Thanks for watching!

[@stoventures1770]

Interesting. Thor “engineering” told me the designs call for screws every 9 inches. Nice repair. No Dynamat though😒. Every 2 inches is perfect.

[@avc8130]

Well that matches more closely what I found. Mine had every 10" and the front one had failed on the left side. Right side surgery is next week.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

We appreciate you being able to make a guest appearance! In the future we would love to have you over again!

[@avc8130]

Fridge tension rods??? We just fill up all available space in the fridge with beer.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

We aren't big fans of everything ending up on the floor when we open the door the first time after a drive.

[@raymondsmith7169]

What happened the the wannabe FB page?

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

? Not sure what you mean ?

[@raymondsmith7169]

@@L2SB-BrianMichelle…It doesn’t appear to exist. Hmm, maybe I have been blocked🤷🏼‍♂️. Not sure why I would be though.

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

Message Brian through Facebook and he will try to get you some answers.

[@mostlymissiles]

Impressed and disappointed with thor

[@L2SB-BrianMichelle]

At least know you can handle this repair pretty simply with tools you likely have in your tool cart. If you need further help, please post in the comments!

[@avc8130]

#thorwallseparation