Jaws
LIFE MEMBER
- Sep 26, 2008
- 23,836
- 72,472
- Funster No
- 4,189
- MH
- C class, Chieftain
- Exp
- since 2006 ( I think ! )
I must say that I have NO idea how long the fault has been there, but whilst on holiday this year I discovered the hab door was not locking with the central locking system..
For all I know it could have failed ages ago and I simply never noticed it...
Not a major issue as I could lock it with the key, and when ever we left it for any length of time the security bar would always be in place..
I had checked the links etc on the Sargent E50 unit and that all seemed to be fine ( the hab door lock is controlled via the E50 unit, and some may well remember the amazing amount of fun I had with the bloody thing ! )
So yesterday, with man flu receding, I decided to take a shufty at it..
Anyone who has taken the inner skin off an Autotrail door will know why I had put the job off LOL !!
Door skin off ( how to described below ) I was really hoping for an easy fix.
Checked metal linkage, fine
Checked the relay, fine
BUGGER
Was just about to start tracing the wires under the van when I thought about the most logical place for a break..
Inside the flexible black plastic tube that is used to feed the wires from the body to the door.
Removed the covering and felt along the wires.. Yup.. a break in one of them.. Cut it, stripped both ends back and soldered together.. A nice easy fix for a change
It is my opinion Autotrail should have used multi stranded silicone coated wire ( as you find on many of better multi-meters ) as that stuff remains far more flexible for far longer.
I may well ( one day ! ) tear it down and replace the feed wires with the better option.
Removing the hab door skin on the Autotrail circa 2007 ( but proly the same on an awful lot of others )
Push the door lock button down
Using a finger nail or some small lever, lift up the black plastic bezel that is around the door lock button ( the button that is similar to that which was fitted to all the older cars )
Gently push back the plastic trim around the edge of the door a bit at a time and undo the multitude of little self tapping screws right round the edge
Look at the door opening handle
. There is a cross head screw holding it in place.
Mine is about 2" long .. I thought it would never stop unscrewing !!
Once the screw is out, you can maneuver the handle quite easily so it will pass through the hole it is mounted in.
Pull gently on the whole panel in one corner. Using a flat screwdriver or finger, flip the plastic trim round the edge of the door ( it is quite soft ) up and behind the panel. Hard to explain but easy to do.
Once all the trim is out the way, pull the panel away from the door on the hinge side. Carefully get the panel up a little so it cleared the lock button, then wangle it about to get it clear of the locking bars that stick out on the opening side of the door
Once they are in the clear, the whole panel should lit off easily.
Be careful ! The wires that operate the lock will need to be disconnected before you remove the panel completely.. Mine are just on spade connectors, but I have seen them using bullet connectors and on a later one a proper connector block
For all I know it could have failed ages ago and I simply never noticed it...
Not a major issue as I could lock it with the key, and when ever we left it for any length of time the security bar would always be in place..
I had checked the links etc on the Sargent E50 unit and that all seemed to be fine ( the hab door lock is controlled via the E50 unit, and some may well remember the amazing amount of fun I had with the bloody thing ! )
So yesterday, with man flu receding, I decided to take a shufty at it..
Anyone who has taken the inner skin off an Autotrail door will know why I had put the job off LOL !!
Door skin off ( how to described below ) I was really hoping for an easy fix.
Checked metal linkage, fine
Checked the relay, fine
BUGGER
Was just about to start tracing the wires under the van when I thought about the most logical place for a break..
Inside the flexible black plastic tube that is used to feed the wires from the body to the door.
Removed the covering and felt along the wires.. Yup.. a break in one of them.. Cut it, stripped both ends back and soldered together.. A nice easy fix for a change
It is my opinion Autotrail should have used multi stranded silicone coated wire ( as you find on many of better multi-meters ) as that stuff remains far more flexible for far longer.
I may well ( one day ! ) tear it down and replace the feed wires with the better option.
Removing the hab door skin on the Autotrail circa 2007 ( but proly the same on an awful lot of others )
Push the door lock button down
Using a finger nail or some small lever, lift up the black plastic bezel that is around the door lock button ( the button that is similar to that which was fitted to all the older cars )
Gently push back the plastic trim around the edge of the door a bit at a time and undo the multitude of little self tapping screws right round the edge
Look at the door opening handle
. There is a cross head screw holding it in place.
Mine is about 2" long .. I thought it would never stop unscrewing !!
Once the screw is out, you can maneuver the handle quite easily so it will pass through the hole it is mounted in.
Pull gently on the whole panel in one corner. Using a flat screwdriver or finger, flip the plastic trim round the edge of the door ( it is quite soft ) up and behind the panel. Hard to explain but easy to do.
Once all the trim is out the way, pull the panel away from the door on the hinge side. Carefully get the panel up a little so it cleared the lock button, then wangle it about to get it clear of the locking bars that stick out on the opening side of the door
Once they are in the clear, the whole panel should lit off easily.
Be careful ! The wires that operate the lock will need to be disconnected before you remove the panel completely.. Mine are just on spade connectors, but I have seen them using bullet connectors and on a later one a proper connector block