Visit our Popular Forums

CanoeStream · 10-26-2007, 10:50 AM

That's right -- I was going to snap a pic. It's not sharp but this pic should tell you clearly if your latch mechanism is not in proper position.

Kelly Green · 10-26-2007, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

That's right -- I was going to snap a pic. It's not sharp but this pic should tell you clearly if your latch mechanism is not in proper position.

That is exactly how mine looks.

Ok...I spent the better part of this afternoon looking at the door and have come to the conclusion that the door itself has become warped. The door fits tight at the top but gapes about 3/4 of an inch at the bottom. You can see daylight from the inside if you look towards the bottom. The latch mechanism aligns dead center on the post. From the inside I can see the latch mechanism move but it won't lock so as soon as any pressure is released it pops opens.

I brought up all four stabilizers and even releveled the AS with no improvement.

Many have said that duct tape is a bad thing so I came up with another solution...Glad Press and Seal.

This is a problem for the AD...I will see if I can make time this fall otherwise we will see how well Glad Press and Seal holds up to a Minnesota winter.

I will keep you updated.

Foiled Again · 10-26-2007, 06:43 PM

Normally a door warps after it's come open while on the road. As I hear it, the cure involves manually re-bending it (over 2" by 4")! PLEASE DON'T do this until you use the "Search" function and look up several threads on warped doors. If you have a suicide door - hinged in the rear - it can open into the wind. It's possible that it blew open, banged into the side of the Airstream and re-shut itself.

Those of us with FB's really like having the hinge forward doors! Wish they made them all like that.

The suicide door must be locked with the deadbolt while traveling and some folks have made nifty little wooden security thingies that go under the outside handle and hold the door shut.

Paula Ford

CanoeStream · 10-26-2007, 06:51 PM

There has to be some alignment problem working against you here. Both your hinge pins are present, right?

Due to awning arm issues most Airstreams have front suicide doors with rear hinges. These are highly subject to bent doors due to opening accidents while underway, causing the door to swing around and stop suddenly when it hits the body. How the heck could this have happened on a FB model? Braking is all I can figure. Have you seen the door fly open while underway? Did the Anoka dealership test drive your Airstream?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly Green

I recently brought my Airstream back from the local RV center for winterization (the nearest Airstream AD is nearly three hours drive). Everything was fine upon arriving home but I decided to take one last look inside before closing down for the winter. As I was leaving I closed the door and it "clunked".

Was this one of the first things you did after bringing it home? Was it tight to open before this occurred? In other words -- is it likely something was done at the dealership? For one, you are still under warranty but they may not warrant a problem you caused. For two, I'd think they'd have to cover it if they did the flub-up.

I'll take some top & bottom pics of my door partly ajar to show how the door edge parallels the frame nearly exactly. A sprung door will not do that.

BTW -- there's no way to re-bend a door so that it works, maintains a weather seal, nor holds the shape for long. There are links on how to do a sprung door the right way...

Foiled Again · 10-26-2007, 06:52 PM

Knackered door on Argosy!
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f310...osy-35461.html

paula

Kelly Green · 10-26-2007, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Normally a door warps after it's come open while on the road. As I hear it, the cure involves manually re-bending it (over 2" by 4")! PLEASE DON'T do this until you use the "Search" function and look up several threads on warped doors. If you have a suicide door - hinged in the rear - it can open into the wind. It's possible that it blew open, banged into the side of the Airstream and re-shut itself.

Those of us with FB's really like having the hinge forward doors! Wish they made them all like that.

The suicide door must be locked with the deadbolt while traveling and some folks have made nifty little wooden security thingies that go under the outside handle and hold the door shut.

Paula Ford

My door is hinge forward.

Kelly Green · 10-26-2007, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

There has to be some alignment problem working against you here. Both your hinge pins are present, right?

Due to awning arm issues most Airstreams have front suicide doors with rear hinges. These are highly subject to bent doors due to opening accidents while underway, causing the door to swing around and stop suddenly when it hits the body. How the heck could this have happened on a FB model? Braking is all I can figure. Have you seen the door fly open while underway? Did the Anoka dealership test drive your Airstream?

Was this one of the first things you did after bringing it home? Was it tight to open before this occurred? In other words -- is it likely something was done at the dealership? For one, you are still under warranty but they may not warrant a problem you caused. For two, I'd think they'd have to cover it if they did the flub-up.

I'll take some top & bottom pics of my door partly ajar to show how the door edge parallels the frame nearly exactly. A sprung door will not do that.

BTW -- there's no way to re-bend a door so that it works, maintains a weather seal, nor holds the shape for long. There are links on how to do a sprung door the right way...

Hinge pins are present. The door has never opened enroute to my knowledge (I always lock and deadbolt it). No idea what Anoka did to my AS prior to purchase.

I don't know if the door was slightly warped when I bought it...it has never leaked and it has always closed until now.

So are you saying I need a new door or that it can be fixed with a 2X4 and the proper amount of force? Either way it will be done by the AD.

CanoeStream · 10-26-2007, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly Green

So are you saying I need a new door or that it can be fixed with a 2X4 and the proper amount of force?

No to both questions. You will be unable to fix this with force. I would only have the dealer look at it.

2airishuman · 10-26-2007, 10:09 PM

sorry but without better info on the actual issue...

no one here really knows.

YES doors (complete assembly, door/frame/rivets/hinges) can be replaced...

this is drastic and requires removal/replacement of the frame too (that riveted frame edging the HOLE in the side skin)

at about 3-3500$.

YES doors can be reshaped, refitted or otherwise corrected.

this may involve hinge movement, door post movement or even reshaping the existing door.

locks can also be replaced IF that's the issue.

they do re curve them (top or bottom) with 2/4s (and skilled brute force) at the factory; with success.

i've seen it. you don't want to try this yourself, and may not wanna watch.

any dealer that takes this on should have EXPERIENCE with the process.

again here, blinded and without ANY images, your door/lock/latch issue is still a mystery.

cheers
2air

and press-n-seal is SO not gonna work.

this is a new, expensive purchase,

so it seems a little odd not to deal with this right away

take the darn thing to a dealer and get it evaluated.

IF you do need a new door take it to j/c ohio and let them 'winter' it.

parts and labor? are discounted and storage is free during the winter quarter.

Kelly Green · 11-15-2007, 05:57 AM

****UPDATE****

I pulled the Airstream down to Anoka last Friday securing the door with a bungie cord and duct tape (no damage done to the door). Yesterday, while I was at work my wife got a call from the service department saying our door was fixed. My wife did not ask many questions but it sounds like the locking mechanism was the culprit.

I will have more answers on Friday after I pick it up. Thanks for everyone's input!

Resorts · 11-15-2007, 07:28 AM

Glad to hear your door is fixed. I had the same problem almost to the tee. I could slam the heck out of it and it would only latch half the time. Of course depending how the trailer sat made and difference too. It still does to a degree.
I have a friend who is an Airstream Tech. He went to their school. Anyhow I showed him what was happening. He reached up and twisted the door so hard I thought it was going to rip off. Freaked me out. Then closed the door and click, Problem solved. Wheew

Kelly Green · 11-17-2007, 06:50 AM

Here is the repair summary:

"Adjusted door, lubed latch, shimmed striker. Installed new latch piece in handle."

The door works better now than it ever did...

hshovic · 11-17-2007, 07:50 AM

This happened once on my 25' 2007 Safari SE.
The door would not latch. I sprayed a small amount
of a dry lube on the latch mechanism and it worked fine.
May be an adjustment problem, and mine was just slightly
out. However, I definitely have to slam the door to make
sure it is closed properly, both from inside and out. Otherwise
the deadbolt will not latch. This sometimes wakes the wife,

, but at least she knows I am around.

Hank

irishairst · 12-15-2007, 07:24 PM

similar problem. see my fix under general thread. simple fix
good luck

JustinL3 · 01-06-2008, 08:01 AM

I just had the exact same problem in my 2006 Safari FB. The latching mechanism worked fine when I used my finger. The "apparent" cause is that this occured during an extremely cold day (down around 0 degrees.) The next day, when the weather warmed up to about 40 degrees, the door worked perfectly. So, the question is... Do Airstreams shrink when they are cold?

Actually, the question is how do I adjust the latch/post?

thecatsandi · 01-06-2008, 08:58 AM

Yes they do. I can see buckles in my skin when she get colder and warmer than she was built. It is fine in the fall and spring but the summer and winter show deformation.

Cracker · 01-06-2008, 11:44 AM

What am I missing here??? How do you "deadbolt" the door from the outside??? For the record, I use a short bungee cord hooked to the deadbolt lever on the inside to keep it from vibrating closed while travelling - a predicament that others have found themselves in. Do the newer/older trailers have a deadbolt that can be closed/opened from the outside? I've often thought of devising a way to secure the door on the outside, as a safety measure, but I've never bothered to date.

hshovic · 01-06-2008, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cracker

What am I missing here??? How do you "deadbolt" the door from the outside??? For the record, I use a short bungee cord hooked to the deadbolt lever on the inside to keep it from vibrating closed while travelling - a predicament that others have found themselves in. Do the newer/older trailers have a deadbolt that can be closed/opened from the outside? I've often thought of devising a way to secure the door on the outside, as a safety measure, but I've never bothered to date.

If I understand you question, there are two keys. One locks the latch and the other locks the deadbolt from the outside. It can be locked from inside too. Having said that, the "deadbolt" is quite small. And the deadbolt lever is a rotator inside, so is not susceptible to vibrating closed. I would guess they made a design change...

CanoeStream · 01-06-2008, 08:51 PM

Cracker has described a necessary fix. Also described in http://www.airforums.com/forums/f453...fix-32012.html. It doesn't happen until it happens. And then I personally can't fit through my fantastic fan opening...

Cracker · 01-07-2008, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

Cracker has described a necessary fix. Also described in http://www.airforums.com/forums/f453...fix-32012.html. It doesn't happen until it happens. And then I personally can't fit through my fantastic fan opening...

The travel lock shown in Andy's detail, below the main entrance handle/lock, looks like an aftermarket add-on. All I have is the entrance handle/lock shown at the top, which has a built-in deadbolt that is only operable from the inside. It is this deadbolt that I keep bungee corded on the inside, since key or no key, if it vibrates closed you're up the creek. The separate travel lock would be a nice feature. As I mentioned above, I would like to have a simple solution so that I wouldn't have to worry about the door swinging open underway.