Entry Door Latch Issue

Topic: Entry Door Latch Issue (Read 1419 times) previous topic - next topic

Entry Door Latch Issue

August 28, 2018, 04:25:22 pm

Over time the entry door latch is not holding tightly. I can close the door normally and it will latch, but loosely. By loosely I mean the latch will prevent door from opening but it isn't tight unless I push doo4 firmly from outside or really pull hard from inside. In this "loose latch" condition the dead bolt will engage but not as easily as when the door is tight.

Here's a sort video of the post the latch grabs. It seems loose but I don't see how to tighten. This ma6 or may not be the issue.

Door closure - YouTube

Ideas?

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #1 – August 28, 2018, 04:31:28 pm

That post is not supposed to be loose. You tighten it by putting a wrench on the end that you held with your hand. It takes some trial & error to get it in exactly the right place, where the door latches easily but securely.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #2 – August 28, 2018, 04:33:52 pm

Your striker stud that the video shows moving should be threaded in and should be tight

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #3 – August 28, 2018, 04:41:56 pm

I was able to loosen the nut end of the striker stud and retighten and door seems to close better. Whatever the striker stud thread enters does move up and down, tho. Are you'all saying the striker stud should be completely fixed? I can remove the striker stud I guess if there's something inside that needs to be tightened?

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #4 – August 28, 2018, 04:44:47 pm

Mine floats up and down but not loosely and the door works fine. The striker stud is tight into the floating disc.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #5 – August 28, 2018, 04:45:30 pm

You don't want to turn it hard enough to strip the threads but it does take quite a bit of torque to fully tighten it up. It shouldn't move, at all, when you're done. And there's nothing that you should have to tighten from the inside. Not on mine anyway, which looks pretty much the same as yours.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #6 – August 28, 2018, 04:49:43 pm

Chuck described my latch and the adjustment works perfectly. The neighbors will be happier at night when I need to close the door.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #7 – August 28, 2018, 04:55:00 pm

I just torqued from 50ft. lbs. to 75ft. lbs. and the resistance didn't change at all. Mine was made to move.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #8 – August 28, 2018, 04:55:17 pm

Interesting. Mine moves freely in all directions unless it's completely tightened down. Then it doesn't move at all. Must have been a change after my year model, or maybe mine was modified. I know mine has a large washer and the post, where it looks like yours integrated both into a single piece.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #9 – August 28, 2018, 05:51:35 pm

Lube the door mechanism.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #10 – August 28, 2018, 05:58:25 pm

Striker similar to that on older cars. I have never seen a striker designed to be loose. Not sure how you would adjust the door with it loose.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #11 – August 28, 2018, 06:03:48 pm

When my door would not latch I called James at FT and he told me to just move the striker stud a bit and also that it float. Moving it slightly solved the problem. Looks like lots of conflicting information on this one.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #12 – August 28, 2018, 07:11:04 pm

45 years in the auto body industry and never seen a striker that floats,not saying it's not possibly designed that way but to me that would make closing the door difficult. If it was floating the pressure of closing the latch would push the stricker in.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #13 – August 28, 2018, 07:53:25 pm

Mine is tight as all getout, can't figure how the OPs came loose, makes a funky latch even funkier! If it's the same latch on the door as our's, get ready for even bigger fun when the mechanism breaks, trapping you inside and only ONE WAY OUT!

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #14 – August 28, 2018, 08:23:59 pm

The design is to only move up and down, not in and out. If the door were to sag a little it would still work. I have caught my shirt on it and moved it and the door wouldn't close, I had to line it up with the latch mechanism and all is fine. Contrary to all other truck doors and car doors way of working. Believe me it is made to move on my coach, check with FT for you model if in doubt.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #15 – August 28, 2018, 08:36:11 pm

Guys,

Up through 2007, at least, all entry doors are PTL, all models of FT.
They are easily adjusted and one doesn't need to go reefing on striker posts with torque wrenches:

See:

PTL Preferred Door Latch Adjustment

HTH,
Neal

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #16 – August 28, 2018, 08:46:02 pm

Thanks for the reference Neal. Don't know why I can't remember to just look at Beamalarm first.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #17 – August 28, 2018, 08:52:50 pm

Neal, I only tightened the bolt as previous posters had me convinced it shouldn't move. Believe me I didn't over torque the bolt enough to damage it, just to confirm it was supposed to move. If adjustment is required as in the link, rivets will have to be drilled out. Mine closes tight and I don't see a reason for it to not stay that way.

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #18 – August 28, 2018, 08:57:38 pm

Randy,
We all forget.

Craneman,

The PTL door pin is designed to float. If the Striker Pin didn't float, then when the coach body flexed and the door frame dimensions changed, the Pin and Latch would bind and you would be trapped inside or outside until you moved the coach to remove the twisting stresses. Would be true of stresses induced by terrain unevenness or could just be air bag changes or tire/air bag/frame hard stops while parked.

The adjustment to move the Pin IN/OUT/UP/DOWN, depending on how tight you want the door, is inside the PTL mechanism, inside the frame of the door. You have to remove the inside door trim (grab handle) as well as remove the striker Pin. Then the mechanism inside the door frame can be removed from the frame. That mechanism, in turn, has an eccentric Star washer. The star washer position can then be adjusted, which allows the pin to move any way you need to achieve the correct door tightness.

HTH, Neal

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #19 – August 28, 2018, 09:05:57 pm

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks Learn something new every day

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #20 – August 28, 2018, 10:45:41 pm

Quote from: nitehawk – August 28, 2018, 05:51:35 pm

Lube the door mechanism.

Times 2

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #21 – August 28, 2018, 10:46:50 pm

Quote from: tpboj – August 28, 2018, 07:11:04 pm

45 years in the auto body industry and never seen a striker that floats,not saying it's not possibly designed that way but to me that would make closing the door difficult. If it was floating the pressure of closing the latch would push the stricker in.

It floats

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #22 – August 28, 2018, 10:49:25 pm

BTW, I added a couple of washers to space the post out of the worn spot. That helped in my situation...Sorry I am the caboose on here
Chris

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #23 – August 29, 2018, 09:04:48 am

I agree with the 'flexing': depending on the site, our door is a loud bearcat to close. Sitting here, with the jacks a tad lower (for good drainage of our tanks) on the roadside, the door closes perfectly!

Re: Entry Door Latch Issue

Reply #24 – August 29, 2018, 10:29:18 am

Unscrew the striker plate remove the whole assembly from the door post .once you take the assembly out you'll see that there is a Springsteel clip that is broken . I used a piece of hacksaw blade and was able to make a clip the door works perfect now , prior to doing this i would shut the door and it would rebound and only catch on the secondary catch once the clip was installed in the latch assembly you shut the door and it closes perfectly took me three years to figure out what was going on with that damn latch

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