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Old 08-18-2012, 03:12 PM   #1
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1978 Argosy Minuet 6.7 Metre
Burlington Flats , New York
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Horizontal Tambour door stuck

I have a 78 Minuet 6.7 that we bought in May and camped in twice. After a fair amount of work/replacements, it's great. We're still working out the kinks. The sliding tambour door under the sink area closes only about 1/3 of the way and then won't budge. Any ideas of how to go about fixing this would be appreciated.
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Old 08-18-2012, 04:54 PM   #2
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Question

First thought would be that one or more pieces of the vertical tambour have seperated from the backing material and are jambing up the roll of material that is attempting to un roll. Some times WD 40 sprayed in the lower track will loosen things up if it's just a collection of crud in the track. The tambour rolls into a very tight roll and the tambour & backing material have to have very smooth and clean surfaces to do this task. You may want to lubricate your other tambour doors for prreventative maintenance.
You can remove the tambour to discover what the problem is - however is lots of work lifting up the top guide rail to facilitate removal.
Worse case scnerio would be the need to purchase new tambour replacement.
Many curse the tambour but I still like the looks of it eventhough we've done a couple of replacements.
Good luck!!
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Old 08-18-2012, 05:00 PM   #3
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You can also use spray silicon lubricant to loosen them up. There is a little notch catch at the top of the slider track that usually is the problem.
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Old 08-18-2012, 05:12 PM   #4
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Before doing anything major, try lifting the front edge of the door as you close it. The door sticks in the track and gets an angle on it that binds the door completely. If you pull horizontally, the door binds. If you lift up on the leading edge, it keeps the door from angling down and binding. Maybe. (Mine worked that way.) Get some silicone lubricant and lubricate the track, especially the bottom track. It doesn't need a lot.

Spend some time measuring the distance between the bottoms of the tracks. It should be constant or nearly so for the entire distance the door slides. If it narrows a fair amount as you are closing the door, that is the cause of the bind. Check to see that the tracks are clear of dirt and other gunk. The door itself can be removed and trimmed, but trim too much and it falls out of the track. That is, IMHO, a last resort solution.

As background, I decided the door was sticking on mine because of how the door traveled as I closed it. The frame work for the tracks was all solid and I couldn't see any shifting of the frame under the counter. I think that enough of the bottom edge wears a little over the years of use and lets the door bind. A small piece can be fastened to the door that keeps the bottom of the door from riding on the bottom of the track. This is OK if the outside trim covering the track is pretty level and doesn't force the door up so it binds on the upper track. Try lifting the leading edge as you close it first.

A lot of these doors get pulled apart from folks just yanking on them to close. Then you get an ugly panel door or curtain replacement.
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Old 08-18-2012, 06:02 PM   #5
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I went out and looked at the door in my Minuet and there is easily 1/4" it can be lifted before it contacts the top rail. It slides easily when lifted, tries to bind when just pulled.
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Old 08-18-2012, 07:04 PM   #6
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Thanks everyone. I tried lifting the front edge and sliding, but that didn't work. I also managed to break off the bottom of a few strips as it all of a sudden popped out of the bottom track. Oh well. Tomorrow I'll try some of the other ideas.
Thanks again.
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Old 08-18-2012, 07:39 PM   #7
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You have a lot of good advice here.

I agree that the first thing to do is to thoroughly clean and lubricate the track. Personally I would avoid WD40 though, it tends to leave residue that can attract dirt, which in time can only make things worth.

Argonaut20's ideas would be the next step, and if you still have no joy, you will need to remove them and repair the backing, since it would seem that it is failing. Repairing the backing is relatively easy,once you disassemble it.
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Old 08-18-2012, 08:13 PM   #8
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SlipIt from Rockler

Lube track with SlipIt from Rockler. Works good on windows too . . . after new gasket installations.

Slip-It Sliding Compound - Rockler Woodworking Tools
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Old 08-19-2012, 04:58 AM   #9
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Try some liquid dish detergent applied in the track with an artist brush. It's free and it can't hurt. If it works let it dry and try to get some wax on the track. Sal.
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Old 08-19-2012, 07:45 AM   #10
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Don't you hate it when the simple things don't work? If the door can slip out of the bottom track it sounds like you need to take the door out and repair the backing and look at the scrolls that the door is supposed to go into when you open it. The binding is apparently not in the track. There may be so much dirt in the tracks and the scrolls that there is a lot of resistance from them. The backing has to be pretty solid so the door remains pretty rectangular as it is opened and closed. If part of the door gets an angle on it the door will bind.
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Old 08-19-2012, 08:04 AM   #11
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Again, thanks for the suggestions. Looks like we're looking at trying to take the door off, check the backing, give things a good cleaning, and see where we are. So many new things to learn with our "new" camper. We love it!
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Old 09-14-2012, 06:03 PM   #12
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Tambour Door

TAMBOUR DOORS AND TRACKS
and Inland RV has them in lengths, also.
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Old 09-14-2012, 07:54 PM   #13
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A sticking point is where the tambour transititions from the staight to the spiral tracks. Once you get it closed you can tweek the metal guide. You may have to remove the tambour to do this.

But, the real problem is this tambour is just too dang long and causes too much friction. Get couple of extra handles and cut that sucker in half. You will then only have to load half the tambour in the spiral and the other half just slides back and forth in the front track.
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Old 10-24-2018, 01:18 PM   #14
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It may just be that the tambor is not spooling into the spiral track. Try guiding it to get it started into the track. Been there, done that.
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