Topic: Door Alignment (Read 1609 times) previous topic - next topic

My entry door is slightly warped or out of alignment. Is there a simple fix or do I need to see a pro?

Hi,

It seems that the door can get out alignment after enough miles of being rattled and bounced down the road.  That has happened on every motor home I've owned.    My Unity has it happen too. 

It's not hard to fix.  You don't need a pro to do it.

Usually, all that is necessary is to adjust the strike plate.  The strike plate is the silver colored metal assembly on the door jamb into which the lock engages when the door is closed.    Presuming that you are experiencing the the "normal" problem, here's how I do it.

You'll need a large Philips screwdriver.  Now, standing outside the coach, open the door.  While holding the outside door handle in the "open" position, slowly move the door towards the strike.  Get close to the strike so you can clearly see how the lock engages the strike as it closes.    Note whether the 2 large bolts protruding from the lock touch any part of the strike.  They should not do so.  If they do, that is the typical problem.    Note whether the strike would need to be moved up or down to eliminate the contact between the bolt(s) and the strike. 

Now open the door completely.  Using the Phillips screwdriver loosen the 2 large screws on the strike. Do not remove them!
Just loosen them enough that you can just move the strike slightly up or down.    It won't move a large distance.  But it will generally move enough for you to get things to align properly.  So move it a little in the direction needed to get those bolts to clear the strike.    While holding the outside door handle in the "open" position, slowly move the door towards the strike again and see if your adjustment was enough.  If not, readjust the strike position until the necessary clearance is achieved.    Then tighten down the large screws on the strike and check one last time.    Generally, that will fix the problem.   

While you're there, take the opportunity to lubricate the strike and the lock parts that engage the strike.  I recommend that you use 2 different types of lubricant to do this. 

You'll want to lubricate the spot on the strike where the "tongue" of the lock impacts the strike.  Use a small dab of grease on the area of the strike that the tongue hits to do this.  Spread it around a bit, but don't use too much!  Virtually any kind of commonly available lubricating grease will work for this.  Do not use grease anywhere else on either the lock or the strike.

Then you'll want to spray those parts of both the strike and the lock that engage when the door is closed.  This would include the big bolts protruding from the edge of the lock,  the parts of the strike that may slightly touch those bolts or any other parts of the lock or strike that experience contact with each other.    For this, I recommend using a "dry lube" spray like "3 in One Dry Lock Lube."  I found this product at Home Depot.  You can spray this onto any parts of the lock or strike that need lubrication.  It will dry in seconds and not smear or capture dust and dirt.    There are other dry lubes you can also use, but this one is the "cleanest" one I've found.  You can also spray it inside the lock to keep the innards moving smoothly.  Do this around the edges of the "tongue" where it slides in and out especially.

That should do it.  I hope that fixes your problem.    Like the rest of us, you'll likely have to repeat this process from time to time, especially if you drive a lot off road.  Good Luck!

I had this problem.  There was not enough adjustment of the strike plate to fix it.  It looked like someone had actually ground some clearance, but it did not solve the problem.  So, after some head scratching, and having the door fly open on the highway, I took a more drastic approach.  I removed those two bolts that stick out of the door.  I could not see what they were for in the first place.  After removal, the door worked perfectly.  I kept the bolts just in case.

Tim

Those two “bolts” are the trailing edge alignment and support pins.  They are there to support the door when closed and keep it from beating the lock to,death and straining the leading edge hinges while bouncing down the road.  The slots are meant to capture the pins, supporting the trailing edge and not putting the load on the lock.  The door opening in transit means the strike plate is too far in and the secondary latch point has become the primary latch point.  That’s why there are two steps on the strike plate.  Need to put the pins back in and figure out what the real issue is.  The longer they are out, the more hinge sag you will have an ultimately the latch mechanism will not line up at all.  If everything is properly aligned, you should be able to slowly push the door closed and hear two distinct latch strikes after the latch pin  meets the strike plate…. Push slowly and firmly and hear…..click…click. About 3/16 of an inch apart…..