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Entry door window & latch repair

Replaced the window on the entry door--The thermo-pane seal on my entry door window failed and I started to get fogging inside the window.  I decided to try to replace the glass myself.  It was pretty easy to de-panel the door.  I've include instructions, but you can probably replace the glass by just removing the interior window trim ring.  I didn't know that when I started.  In fact, it took a little work to figure out how the window comes apart.  It's very hard to tell until you remove it from the door.

To de-panel the door:  First remove the upholstery trim screw covers with a plastic pry tool and then the screws themselves.  Remove the window trim ring.  BE CAREFUL—This is what holds the window in the door, but the 6-year old gasket on mine was also stuck to the window and door so I had no problems with the window falling out.  Remove the door bolt cylinder, the screen door latch bracket, the inside door latch mechanism cover and the door pull handle. The lock cylinder is the hardest part to reinstall.  It takes a little patience and fiddling.

Here's how you replace the window glass in the entry door.  You have to remove the entire window assembly from the door.  Remove the interior window trim ring.  The window is now held in place by the outside frame gasket.  I took a very thin putty knife and slowly broke the gasket loose from the door.  The window then just lifts out of the door frame.

The window frame comes in two parts held together by four metal strips and 16 screws.  You can remove the ones on just one side of each joint and the frame will separate into two parts.  I then used a rubber mallet to separate the two halves of the frame.  The glass is held in place by a reusable plastic/rubber molding strip.

I used the glass I removed and made a pattern that I sent to Peninsula Glass in Vancouver, WA.  Replacement cost was $190 w/shipping to Ohio.  I also made an extra pattern in case I need to do this again.  But, they did return my pattern.  I can order the glass again and not have an empty window hole in the door while it is being made and delivered to me.  I did have to tape plastic over the door while waiting for the glass to be made and delivered.

Putting the window back together was a little tougher than I thought it would be.  The glass was tight in the window frame to start and the new piece is about 1/16" bigger in length than the old.  The plastic/rubber molding strip stretches in two directions.  Lengthwise to go around the perimeter of the glass is easy.  Widthwise to go from one side of the glass to the other is tougher because there is less molding to stretch.  I used silicone spray to help the molding/glass slide into the frame better but still needed some bar clamps and a heat gun to get the molding to stretch enough to let the two frame pieces come together.

I ordered replacement gasket from Extreme in Nac and getting the window back in the door was easy.  Just be sure to center it in the opening.  There isn't a lot of overlap and you could end up with leaks if you're not careful.

Rich

Picture #1 Bar clamps and heat gun
Picture #2  Window joint.  I had to squeeze about 1/8" to close the gap
Picture #3  Door opening ready for window
Rich and Peggy Bowman
2002 U270 3610 WTFS, build #5939--"Freedom"
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4xe
SMI AirForceOne brake system
PakCanoe 15

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #1 –
Here'a a few more pictures of the window repair.

Picture #1  Window drip hole.  Every other window on my coach has a drip slot except the door.  There was lots of water inside the frame when I took it apart.  So I used a Dremel tool and cutting wheel to put a drain slot in the window before I reinstalled the glass.
Picture #2  This is what the glass molding looks like.
Picture #3  Here are the brackets that hold the two pieces of the window frame together.
Picture #4  Here's the molding I got from Extreme

Rich
Rich and Peggy Bowman
2002 U270 3610 WTFS, build #5939--"Freedom"
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4xe
SMI AirForceOne brake system
PakCanoe 15

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #2 –
I've just spent some time learning how to disassemble and repair some of the components on the entry door and thought I'd share some of what I learned. This post will talk about repairing the door hold open latch.  The door is made by PTL and they have a website with parts.

The latch has three basic parts:  The latch itself which is located at the top of the door as part of the door arm mechanism, the actuators which are part of the door handles (inside and outside) and an actuator cable that connects them to the latch.

You remove the latch by removing 6 screws from the bracket on the top of the door and the bolt on the arm that connects it to the door frame.  Lift the arm and slide the latch out of the top of the door.  You will need to be gentle to avoid damaging the door seal.  The actuator cable can be removed from the top latch by disengaging it from the latch-no tools required.  Then you can take the latch to a workbench to clean, lube or repair as needed.

In my case, the latch was stuck and wouldn't hold the door open.  It just needed to be cleaned and lubed and now works fine.  I did check the PTL website and it appears replacement parts are available but I did not need to contact them.

You may or may not need to de-panel the door.  I had to de-panel because I needed access to the lower end of the actuator cable to pull it back into position after I pulled it out of the top of the door while removing the top latch mechanism.  I could not get it to push back into the door from just the top without pulling from below. 

If you do need access to the bottom latch actuator area, first remove the upholstery trim screw covers with a plastic pry tool and then the screws themselves.  Remove the interior window trim ring.  BE CAREFUL—This is what holds the window in the door, but the 6-year old gasket on mine was also stuck to the window and door so I had no problems with the window falling out.  Remove the door bolt cylinder, the screen door latch bracket, the inside door latch mechanism cover and the door pull handle. The lock cylinder is the hardest part to reinstall.  It takes a little patience and fiddling.

I've also included a picture of the lower part of the door showing the latches, the electric lock actuator and the bottom end of the actuator cable.

I had good luck calling PTL and talking to customer service for advice on parts.

The picture shows the door mechanism.  The red thing in the top right is my camera strap--oops.  Top right--dead bolt.  Top left--electric dead bolt actuator.  Below that is the inside pull handle for the latch.  Bottom right--backside of outside latch handle.  You can see the latch cable that loops CCW and goes up the right door pillar to the latch which is part of the hold open arm.

Rich
Rich and Peggy Bowman
2002 U270 3610 WTFS, build #5939--"Freedom"
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4xe
SMI AirForceOne brake system
PakCanoe 15

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #3 –
Wow, that's some great info Rich.  ^.^d  Fixing my door latch is moving up my To-Do list, I really appreciate all the info.

Maybe this should be it's own thread, so it's easier to find and bookmark. 
The selected media item is not currently available.
Douglas and Amanda
1997 40' U320 "Brawley"
2007 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer
Motorcade #17266 Escapee #113692

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #4 –
Thanks so much for the great write ups for these two door issues.  I really appreciate the pictures.
Jennifer
2003 36' U295 (# 6070)
Thousand Oaks, CA

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #5 –
My door was stuck open with the Pos A Lok system.  I took a camera shot of the top of the door and saw where I needed to insert a screw driver to release the little tang that kept the door from closing.  Easy, and I closed the door.  I will post the pictures later today.  My question is this, what do I need to do now so that I do not have to use a screwdriver to close the door each time?
97 U295 40, Build #5040, 6C8.3 325 HP
Oregon Continuous Traveler
Samsung Residential #RF20HFENBSR,
Xantrex SW2012, (3)AGM8D Hse, (2)AGM Grp24 Eng, Victron BMV-712, 1800w Solar 4 LG & 2 Sunpower
Extreme Full Body Pt w/hdlmps, new furn/floor, 4 down Lexus 2004 GX470 AWD curb weight 4,740 lbs
Prev: 1990 Barth, 10L 300 2 yrs; 91&92 Monaco Signature, 10 yrs, 10L C 300 &  6C8.3 300; 1997 ForeT 6C8.3 325 since May 2017.  Employed by Guaranty RV 14+ yrs.  Former VW New Car Dlr/Service Dlr, Sales Mgr, Rv Sales, and Service Adviser from 1968-2017
"Don't criticize what you can't understand" Bob Dylan

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #6 –
Jack,

I'd start by spraying it with the lube of your choice and working the latch to see what the hangup is.  The cable may not be attached to the latch or it just may be very sticky.

Rich
Rich and Peggy Bowman
2002 U270 3610 WTFS, build #5939--"Freedom"
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4xe
SMI AirForceOne brake system
PakCanoe 15

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #7 –
Just replaced mine with the replacement now sold by PTL. Doesn't use the cable and eliminates the need to be on the lookout for well meaning friends who typically jam the mechanism tugging to try and close it. Holds the door open adequately and easy install.

Hold Open Mechanisms - PTL Engineering

part #001-444 Was proper for my coach. Best to call PTL to be sure on yours.
Randy (N4TDT) and Karen Crete
Sarasota, Florida
SOLD:  2000 U270 34' WTFE Build 5756 "Ole Red"

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #8 –
I saw the following on an Alpine Forum site (same door) I will try the lubricant as it only makes sense with all that 20 year old rust in my picture and if that does not work, I'll call PTL for the updated arm.   
"I would suggest before you take anything apart you get a ladder and look at the top of the entry door when it is opened. Where the arm attaches to the door you should see a cam. On mine that cam was stuck and would not rotate to lock the door in the 90? position. A little WD-40 and it worked as good as new, and there has never been a re-occurance of the problem.  If it will not lock open, it is probably not the cable. If it will not unlock with the handle, THEN it is a cable problem. The cable is the release mechanism, not the locking mechanism."  I am hoping the cam can also rust locked.  After I try this I will update my post.  Thank you Randy and Rich Bowman
97 U295 40, Build #5040, 6C8.3 325 HP
Oregon Continuous Traveler
Samsung Residential #RF20HFENBSR,
Xantrex SW2012, (3)AGM8D Hse, (2)AGM Grp24 Eng, Victron BMV-712, 1800w Solar 4 LG & 2 Sunpower
Extreme Full Body Pt w/hdlmps, new furn/floor, 4 down Lexus 2004 GX470 AWD curb weight 4,740 lbs
Prev: 1990 Barth, 10L 300 2 yrs; 91&92 Monaco Signature, 10 yrs, 10L C 300 &  6C8.3 300; 1997 ForeT 6C8.3 325 since May 2017.  Employed by Guaranty RV 14+ yrs.  Former VW New Car Dlr/Service Dlr, Sales Mgr, Rv Sales, and Service Adviser from 1968-2017
"Don't criticize what you can't understand" Bob Dylan

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #9 –
I used Tri-Flo, a teflon penetrating oil and have not had a problem with this issue since.

and I eventually posted these pictures:  Posi-lock door top hinge, Radiator Cap overflow hose replace
97 U295 40, Build #5040, 6C8.3 325 HP
Oregon Continuous Traveler
Samsung Residential #RF20HFENBSR,
Xantrex SW2012, (3)AGM8D Hse, (2)AGM Grp24 Eng, Victron BMV-712, 1800w Solar 4 LG & 2 Sunpower
Extreme Full Body Pt w/hdlmps, new furn/floor, 4 down Lexus 2004 GX470 AWD curb weight 4,740 lbs
Prev: 1990 Barth, 10L 300 2 yrs; 91&92 Monaco Signature, 10 yrs, 10L C 300 &  6C8.3 300; 1997 ForeT 6C8.3 325 since May 2017.  Employed by Guaranty RV 14+ yrs.  Former VW New Car Dlr/Service Dlr, Sales Mgr, Rv Sales, and Service Adviser from 1968-2017
"Don't criticize what you can't understand" Bob Dylan

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #10 –
I am reaching out for help on the "hold open" feature of the entry door. Thank you for the excellent pictures and explanation on the working of this tang or cam. I discovered this feature by accident a few weeks ago when inspecting the top hinge. My hold open only works if you slide the cam in position manually with my finger. My question is this: What causes the cam or tang to slide into the lock open position? I can slide or turn the cam into the lock position with no resistance and it will release with the door handle but it is not self activated when door is fully open. Is there a spring inside the door? 





Daniel & Sandy
1999 U320 40'
Build # 5573
WTFS 4010
Piper PA 24-260B

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #11 –
IIRC, if you take the screws out of the top piece I think there is a spring under it where the cable hooks to it.
Bruce, Linda, and Macy
Zoey RIP 1/20/19
1999 U295 40' build #5400
2017 silver Jeep Wrangler, 1260 watts of solar on top
Moving around the country

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #12 –
A couple of years ago, I replaced my top hold open arm with a new design from PTL that uses friction.  Easy replacement and you don't have to worry about trying to pull the door closed and stressing the cam lock because you or a guest didn't pull the handle.  Seems to me the cost was between $100 and $200 bucks.  The new design works great.

I expect PTL will have the spring.  If not, let me know and I may be able to find my removed unit.

Rich
Rich and Peggy Bowman
2002 U270 3610 WTFS, build #5939--"Freedom"
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4xe
SMI AirForceOne brake system
PakCanoe 15

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #13 –
Thanks Rich . I will check it out. 
Daniel & Sandy
1999 U320 40'
Build # 5573
WTFS 4010
Piper PA 24-260B
 

Re: Entry door window & latch repair

Reply #14 –
Quote
A couple of years ago, I replaced my top hold open arm with a new design from PTL that uses friction...
The new design works great.

Rich

Another vote for the friction hold open from PTL.  I've got nothing bad to say about it.  Easiest upgrade I've made yet.
George Mann
2002 U320 #5934
2017 Rubicon
2013 BMW GS
Waterford MI