Habitation Door Issue

PhilandMena

PhilandMena

Joined
Feb 9, 2008
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Corby, Northants
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Exp
Since 2007
Advice please!
My habitation door is not fully secure at the top after locking.
Two pictures attached. One of door design and 2 the top door locking pins. The top pin as you can see is on some type of ratchet and when closed enters a metal bracket on the door jamb and rides up into position to lock the door. However, when the door is closed ad locked, if you push the top of the door from the inside the pin just rolls out of the metal bracket and the door opens a tad at the top. Still secure at the bottom and I suspect something has come adrift inside allowing the top pin to roll out of the bracket.
Has anyone any experience of this issue. If I could get a diagram of the door mechanism it might help my understanding of what is going wrong. The outside handle locks OK so I/m fairly certain something amiss inside.
Thanks in advance.
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Can you push the lock part into the closed position with the door open to see if it will click into place? May need a bar/screwdriver to do it, if it locks out like that, then may just need adjusting on the door to get the travel.
 
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Not much help but have exactly the same on my lower lock, it’s on my to do list before travelling next month,
I have already adjusted both striker plates on the door frame to make the door tighter on the seal but the lower lock doesn’t hold the door in as close as the top,
Hopefully will look at it next week and if successful will report back,
 
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I spoke with a caravan workshop guy and he said its a simple fix and I just need to move the locking plate so it accommodates the locking pins a bit more than they do at present. see attached picture Well I cant move the locking plate and after having another chat with him I think he will do it sometime next week as it looks like a small job if he's correct. I just don't have the skills. I'll provide feedback when corrected.

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NicM said:
Can you push the lock part into the closed position with the door open to see if it will click into place? May need a bar/screwdriver to do it, if it locks out like that, then may just need adjusting on the door to get the travel.
Click to expand...
It does not lock when door is open both pins move freely up and down. I think the way its supposed to work is the pins roll into position when the door is closed and that's how its held closed ???

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To move the striker plates is easy, remove screws for the cover then undo the 6mm Allen key bolts and slacken the two 10 mm bolts then the striker plate will move for or aft on elongated holes, tighten up and try door,
 
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I cant get at the screws on the Cover as the TV box prevents me from getting at the plastic screw covers as you can see in this picture.
I might try again tomorrow but not sure how to prise the covers of the screws.

20211203_155839.jpg
 
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I suspect there is a spring broken sorry don’t know anything about that specific lock though🤔😊
 
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Further to my last I have now identified the problem as being the little springs that hold the top locking pin in place when the door is closed. Does anybody know where I can get replacements, I've been searching high and low without success so far.
Thanks in advance,
 
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Thanks Speve, email sent. I now have a picture of said spring on this U-tube clip and it can be seen from 53 seconds in.

 
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PhilandMena said:
Thanks Speve, email sent. I now have a picture of said spring on this U-tube clip and it can be seen from 53 seconds in.

Click to expand...

I would think you would be able to adapt a small spring to meet your needs out of that box of springs on Amazon if you are unable to get the correct spring🤔hope you get it sorted soon😊
 
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Thanks again for that! They seem to be like gold dust Hopefully a service centre near me will have a look at it before we set off for Spain. I cant get the inside door cover off ? I just snap the heads of the plastic fir tree plugs that hold it in place.
 
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I got new springs from Springsnthings.co.uk
Quick service and ordered online.
Hope this helps.
 
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No Joy! too many websites with that name. Dog coats. hot rods and even a company in USA & Canada.
 
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Just done mine for the second time, first bottom then top, some years apart. Same door as 1st photo.
I had a small bag of springs from Halfords I think and cut one down to fit if they were too long.
Did remove the inside trim though, don't know how you will manage without removing the trim.
You may find the spring inside with just one end missing. It's a small spring and tension needs to be right.
You can get new plastic pins to hold the trim on, as said before.
 
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iain26 said:
9.0mm OD Tension Springs - 0.8mm Stainless steel
  • Required Length (mm):
    24

They look about the same as your photo.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your kind help. Looking at the U Tube clip several times I think its only about 10mm in length and have sent a copy off to a spring specialist in the UK. Its amazing the amount of motorhome dealers cant provide one. Even Autotrail.

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keith said:
Just done mine for the second time, first bottom then top, some years apart. Same door as 1st photo.
I had a small bag of springs from Halfords I think and cut one down to fit if they were too long.
Did remove the inside trim though, don't know how you will manage without removing the trim.
You may find the spring inside with just one end missing. It's a small spring and tension needs to be right.
You can get new plastic pins to hold the trim on, as said before.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Getting my trim off is not as simple as I thought it would be ! I'm confident I can get the springs or something very close to it. I'm sure when its all sorted Ill be wondering why I made such a fuss about it.
 
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Hi sounds like it’s same problem I had 2 years ago in Spain spring broken I could not find
one the right length so cut one down to fit.
 

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Bobandfay said:
Hi sounds like it’s same problem I had 2 years ago in Spain spring broken I could not find
one the right length so cut one down to fit.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the picture, its very helpful as shows the number of coils and the top and bottom connection. I have sent off to a spring company and hopefully can get what I need.

Update: Springs ordered.
 
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Motorhome and springs booked in to local service centre for next Thursday as I cant get the furniture and lining off the inner door to access the locking mechanism. Should only take 30 minutes or so by a competent service engineer and that will be the last job out of the way before our departure.

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To get the door cover off I found it easier to drill the center of plastic pins out and they come out easy then ,i got some new plastic pins from eBay to use when refitting the door panel.
 
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Usually you drive the centre pins into the door then the clips are easy to remove,
Retrieve the pins from the bottom of the door to be fitted later,
 
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ivorantony said:
Usually you drive the centre pins into the door then the clips are easy to remove,
Retrieve the pins from the bottom of the door to be fitted later,
Click to expand...
I'm a bit lost with that ! The retaining rivet's are a white plastic fir tree type of retainer. so far in trying to remove two of them all I have managed to do is snap the heads off leaving a small hole after the rest of the rivet fell off into the abyss. The liner also goes under the the inner door opening/locking handle and I cant budge the 4 hard plastic plug inserts that should have the retaining screws underneath, perhaps ? It might be possible to just bend the liner back enough at the top and bottom to access the locking pin mechanism's but I've decided not to take the chance and make matters worse than they al ready are. My DIY skills are basic to say the least. Once again, thanks for all the helpful advice.
 
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Perhaps I have a earlier door, my casing is held with plastic mushrooms with a plastic centre pin,
Impossible to remove until the centre pin is removed, you cannot extract the pins so you drive them through the mushrooms first then the mushrooms come out easily,
 
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PhilandMena said:
I'm a bit lost with that ! The retaining rivet's are a white plastic fir tree type of retainer. so far in trying to remove two of them all I have managed to do is snap the heads off leaving a small hole after the rest of the rivet fell off into the abyss. The liner also goes under the the inner door opening/locking handle and I cant budge the 4 hard plastic plug inserts that should have the retaining screws underneath, perhaps ? It might be possible to just bend the liner back enough at the top and bottom to access the locking pin mechanism's but I've decided not to take the chance and make matters worse than they al ready are. My DIY skills are basic to say the least. Once again, thanks for all the helpful advice.
Click to expand...

ivorantony said:
Perhaps I have a earlier door, my casing is held with plastic mushrooms with a plastic centre pin,
Impossible to remove until the centre pin is removed, you cannot extract the pins so you drive them through the mushrooms first then the mushrooms come out easily,
Click to expand...
The pins need pushing through to release as said and are cheap to replace

Never try bending the inner door plastic, it WILL shatter or split. Nasty stuff this type of plastic, especially in cold weather
 
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