Community Forums

Chickadee · 12-05-2011, 08:52 AM

Hey, Newmar Jockeys:

We live and travel full time in an 08 4502 Essex. As most of you are probably familiar with, atop the main door is that flat steel, two part hinge which is attached from the door on one end to inside the top door jamb on the rig with each stem of this brace hinged with a peg like device in the middle which flexes when the door is opened and closed. With the door opened this peg hinge connecting both flat arms appears to be designed to kind of lock (overcenter) such that by pushing the door open all the way kind of locks it in the open position with a friction fit over the peg (and bushing on that peg). Trouble is, this door open holding device (don't know correct term) has now failed to have ANY holding effect and even a slight breeze from front of rig will close this door.

I saw a split in the bushing around the peg and tried spreading it gently with a flat blade screw driver but 1/2 of that bushing fell out.

So, does anyone have clever suggestion for repairing this friction fit holding device, OR......am I only looking at having to buy a WHOLE new bracket/arm unit.??

Thanks.

Cheap Steve

Lug_Nut · 12-05-2011, 09:58 AM

I have in the past bought the split ring collar and replaced it. It never worked right. I ended up buying the entire arm replacement, that was the only good fix I found.

Peter

ottffss · 12-05-2011, 01:29 PM

The 50cent split ring spring/bushing is (as of 6-12 months ago) no longer available as a separate item from PTL Industries (maker of door and hardware) or any left at Newmar - the cuss words have already been exchanged to PTL from "both" customer fronts...

Your options? Either the entire arm assembly or this link for more details of the pic below....

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/door...tml#post978450

charlieman · 12-05-2011, 02:27 PM

Steve,

I finally snugged a tie wrap around the center post, and trimed off the tail. It has worked for nearly a year and holds in all but the highest winds. You might try this before buying a replacement.

Such a poor design and I am not going to shell out money to them for the same design that will fail again.

Charlie W.
06KSDP

RJay · 12-05-2011, 03:02 PM

I made a new bushing out of a plastic hex nut from Lowe's. I drilled out the center of the nut to fit over the pin with a little extra play. The corners of the hex nut was trimmed to to get it as round as possible. I then used a hack saw to split the nut so it could be spread over the pin. Additional material may have to be removed from the split and slight heating of the nut may be needed to fit over the pin. Drilling the center of the nut slightly larger than the pin allows the nut to compress just enough to add tension once the door is fully open and wedged in the “C” opening. Total cost $0.12 and about a half hour.

imgoin4it · 12-05-2011, 03:20 PM

Rjay has an interesting fix. Our MH is in Nappannee for some winter work and also is mkissing the plastic part. Newmar wants $200 to replace the entire hinged strap and I declined and am waiting to get the coach back and was then going to invent a fix. I am going to try the plastic nut. I did stick a little velcrow strap around the cut out area to let the matching piece jam into. Is was a sgort term temp fix.

Mr_D · 12-05-2011, 03:45 PM

Hmm... never had a problem with our 2002 door. Did they change the design/manufacturer after 2002?

RJay · 12-05-2011, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Hmm... never had a problem with our 2002 door. Did they change the design/manufacturer after 2002?

What was on the pin before it broke was a thin piece of spring steel. It split in two because of metal fatigue.

MBnKen · 12-06-2011, 04:17 AM

Our 2005 EXDP has a Pos-I-Lock built into the door to keep it open in the wind. It engages with a click when the door is opened and the door can't close the door unless you pull slightly on the door handle (inside or out).

Was this feature removed in the later EXDP versions? We do not have the friction lock arm on ours.

Iron Man · 12-06-2011, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBnKen

Our 2005 EXDP has a Pos-I-Lock built into the door to keep it open in the wind. It engages with a click when the door is opened and the door can't close the door unless you pull slightly on the door handle (inside or out).

Was this feature removed in the later EXDP versions? We do not have the friction lock arm on ours.

Was changed starting in 2007 model.

Lug_Nut · 12-06-2011, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBnKen

Our 2005 EXDP has a Pos-I-Lock built into the door to keep it open in the wind. It engages with a click when the door is opened and the door can't close the door unless you pull slightly on the door handle (inside or out).

Was this feature removed in the later EXDP versions? We do not have the friction lock arm on ours.

I had the same set-up in my last coach. but they don'thave that, at least on the Essex now. I much preferred that over the overhead fail ever couple of years current solution. The only small drawback was needing to tell other, because no one know how to close the door. I have no idea, except prehaps cost, that they went away from that great handle lock.

Peter

jswickard · 12-06-2011, 11:34 AM

The working clip has recently disappeared from the door hold open mechanism on my 2011 Ventana (so I don't even know what it looks like). My dealer says that this is not an uncommon occurrance. He also said that the part is no longer available as a replacement item, and that the whole hold open latch assembly needs to be replaced to the tune of over $200! I expect mine to be replaced under warranty, but if the clip has fallen off in 8 months, what does the future hold?

Is the manufacturer so hard up for profit that they have to resort to gouging their ultimate customers by refusing to offer expendable items available as replacement parts? I would certainly hope that the purchasing department at Newmar (who certainly should have more clout than we do as individuals) is putting full pressure on this supplier.

I hope other participants of this forum will continue to post, with lots of detail, the fixes that they have worked out because I suspect I may be doing the same thing somewhere later in my Newmar experience.

ottffss · 12-06-2011, 06:29 PM

jswickard - Your dealer gave you spot on information - a true rarity! Yes the 50cent spring band is no longer available separately, yes it comes with the entire $200 arm and yes the future looks bleak as far as replacing that part with some level of varying regularity... Or do without it entirely as I did in my post way above... Even the superbly creative solutions posted above will need replacing at some point.... I do like the nylon nut modification.... That's pretty slick...

PTL engineering, the maker of the door and hardware, for some reason stopped selling the spring by itself a couple years ago. No one seems to know why. Newmar parts people and many of us lowly customers pitched hissy fits to PTL Engineering to no avail.... You might contact PTL Engineering directly and add to the fray....

To their credit, they (PTL) used to sell the air-bolt-lock black nylon bracket (a.k.a. door wedge blocks part number PN 019-059 Cost $14.61 - in 2008) that we all tear up by not engaging the parking brake before opening the door as a separate item directly to us lowly owners of their door. I don't know if that holds true anymore - I bought a handful a few years back.

http://www.ptlengineering.com

3333 JOHN CONLEY DR.LAPEER,MI 48446 PHONE: (810) 664-2310 FAX: (810) 664-2360

Gma-n-Gpa · 12-06-2011, 06:44 PM

This thread caught my eye off the "new posts" I don't have a Newmar or Class A for that matter but my Class C has a gas shock mounted on the entry door to A: keep it from slamming into the coach (door kept at 90 degrees to coach) and B keeps it from slammng shut from wind. From the pictures posted it appears to me that a gas shock may work for your problem..... just thinkin