How To Repair The Back Of A Coachman Camper That Has Been Backed Into

Don has been an avid traveler and motorhome owner for most of his life and he shares his experiences along with valuable tips for RV owners.

A common RV trouble, damaged entrance Door Locks

Yous can see a lot of strange problems when y'all ain an RV. And every bit an RV ages your chances for an unusual failure can become more than common.

Equally a general rule, the more than luxury items and technical devices you have in your RV, the more opportunities there are for things to break or neglect.

In this article, I'grand going to show you how to repair a problem that occurs more often than yous might call up.

Many RV owners take experienced problem with dysfunctional door lock mechanisms. When they try to get into their RV, the door has mysteriously locked itself, and when they get to unlock it with the key, the door notwithstanding will not open up.

I had this experience recently when preparing for a trip, and luckily, I took the time to tear into the lock associates and discover the real trouble.

How to Repair an Automatically Locking Door

The almost common cause of an automatically locking door is a aptitude interior lever. The exterior handle moves a lever that locks and unlocks the door. Afterward heavy use, the lever tin bend, causing the door to lock automatically. To prepare this:

1. Remove the three screws securing the interior door lock assembly with a star-bit screwdriver.
2. Swing the interior door lock assembly out of the manner. It volition swivel on the within door handle shaft.
3. Use a pair of pliers to bend the bent lever up into the proper position.
4. Put the inner and outer assemblies back in place, and replace the three screws.

Continue reading for a more than in-depth caption of this procedure, every bit well as my feel with an automatically locking RV door.

My Locked Door Experience

I pulled my RV in forepart of my firm check that I had everything before embarking on a trip to Virginia with my family.

Starting with the outside, I confirmed that the fridge was running properly on propane, and our TOAD (that's a tow motorcar, for novices) was hooked up.

Everything seemed to be fine. Merely when my wife tried to open the door for a last walkthrough of the interior, the door was locked.

I took out my key and unlocked the door, or so I thought. It made a dainty "click" audio, and so I tugged confidently on the handle. The door was however firmly locked. I realized I had a problem.

Frustrated and cursing my RV, I grabbed a ladder, opened the passenger window, and watched my wife make a very ungraceful entrance through the window. She unlocked the door from the inside, only I was however perplexed by the self-locking door.

I spent the next fifteen minutes closing, locking, and unlocking the door. It worked fine. I let it be and went inside for a good night's sleep before leaving for our trip in the morning.

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The handle and lock on the door of my RV.

Don Bobbitt

The Door Lock didn't piece of work all of the time.

Halfway through our drive and afterward six hours of driving, we stopped for the dark at a campground in South Carolina for one night. We got out, locked the door, and spent the next hour wandering effectually and talking to other campers–just relaxing and clearing our heads.

When nosotros went dorsum to our RV, I inserted the key to unlock the door. I heard the comforting "click" and pulled on the door handle. It was locked, again!

My wife finessed her fashion into the window, this time much more gracefully, and let us in from the inside. For a while after the lock worked perfectly, but shortly after it got and then bad that we didn't even demand to use the central anymore.

Whenever the door closed, information technology would lock automatically, and whenever nosotros needed to become within my wife performed her daily gymnastics.

Interior view of my RV's door lock associates.

Don Bobbitt

Finding a Solution

Once dwelling house, I consulted other RV owners on the forum IRV2. I described my trouble and, in less than 48 hours, had ii very good suggestions.

The outer door handle moves an internal lever that, in turn, pushes the internal locking lever to the open up position.

This lever tin be easily bent, causing it to miss the internal locking lever, which keeps the door locked.

Every bit it turns out, what I thought was a large problem had a very simple solution. All I needed to do was get inside the assembly and bend the door handle lever so information technology would mate properly with the internal locking lever.

Interior door lock with the cover removed.

Don Bobbitt

How to Repair a Cleaved Door Lock

This repair simply requires two tools.

• Star-bit screwdriver
• Pliers

The screwdriver is needed to remove the three screws that concur the outer and inner assemblies together. The pliers are used to bend the lever. To prepare the a cleaved door lock:

1. Remove the 3 screws securing the interior door lock assembly with a star-bit screwdriver.
2. Swing the interior door lock assembly out of the way. It will hinge on the inside door handle shaft.
3. Utilize a pair of pliers to curve the bent lever up into the proper position.
4. Put the inner and outer assemblies back in place, and replace the three screws.

Voila! You should now take a functional door that will no longer lock you out.

Interior view of the exterior handle lever that needed repairing.

Don Bobbitt

This article is authentic and true to the best of the author's knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does non substitute for personal counsel or professional person communication in business, fiscal, legal, or technical matters.

Questions & Answers

Question: How did you get the window open?

Answer: Almost RV windows are either slide-type or creepo-type windows. The commuter'southward area windows are usually slide-blazon windows with a latch for security.

Question: How exercise I get a locked motor window open?

Answer: If you lot are saying that your RV has power windows, so I detest to tell you that I know of no fashion for you to easily open up one of these windows.

If you're saying that your power window has been "locked" by you, but now it will not "unlock"?

Well, I would disconnect my engine battery for a infinitesimal or and then, and then reconnect it. This might allow the RV's memory to reset and allow the window to be "unlocked."

It's worth a try!

If this doesn't piece of work, then y'all should contact your RV'southward Customer Service people and go their advice on what to exercise. Frequently there are special, unadvertised button combinations that can reset things in your RV.

Question: My key is locked in the MH all the windows are locked and my key fab volition not unlock the door for me to get in. What exercise I do?

Answer: Bold that you mean that your Keyless remote volition not unlock your door, then the first thing I would do is change the battery in the remote.

If it nonetheless will not unlock the door, then the next thing I would do is call a locksmith, in the promise that the primal-lock volition however operate the door lock properly. A locksmith is not inexpensive, but it is cheaper than the side by side option which is to either break one of the windows of your motorhome, or employ a screwdriver and possibly wedge the interior lock lever to open up.

If the third choice is necessary and then think my article and you should make sure you lot ready the trouble with the mechanics of your door lock mechanism.

Question: Where can I get repair panels for an RV cargo door?

Reply: On the newer RV'southward you can contact the manufacturer's customer service for help.

On the older ones where the manufacturer is no longer in business, you can search the spider web for Old RV graveyards. In the past, I have found a few of those who have hundreds of one-time, sometimes wrecked RV's and they salvage the parts for resale. I don't call back the names of whatsoever now, but they are out there.

Question: I have a 2022 Coleman travel trailer and information technology has 2 locks on the entrance door. The starting time is the latch for the handle that opens the door the other is the safety lock. The same key opens both locks. The handle side works fine but the key will only become in about half mode in the safety lock. Can you lot give me an idea?

Respond: Actually, my Bounder motorhome uses two different keys for these tow locks. What you call the Safety Lock is usually referred to every bit the "Dead Bolt Lock" on RV doors.

Coleman has a great customer Service spider web service and call heart. I would telephone call them and make sure that your ii locks use the same central before I did anything else.

If thy practice sue the aforementioned key then become a small flashlight and await to come across if there is anything jammed into the lock opening. I have heard of kids sticking things into locks and I have heard of some insects nesting in them if the camper sits in storage for a while. I would check these things earlier I called a locksmith.

Question: I have A 2004 American tradition motorcoach. I cannot unlock information technology from the outside nor the inside. I climbed in a side window, started it upwardly, simply it won't open up manually or with air power lock. At present what?

Respond: Your door should have a removable panel on the inside of the door lock mechanism.

If you remove the mounting screws, you lot should be able to push the console bated far enough that you tin can manually plough the lock lever and open up the door.

In one case yous accept it open up, you lot should be able to troubleshoot for your problem.

If it has an air ability lock, then that mechanism would be mounted on the inside of the door frame, and information technology may be stuck and merely need cleaning and adjusting.

Source: https://axleaddict.com/rvs/Devious-RV-Door-can-lock-you-out-how-to-cure-the-problem

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