American Coach: Revolution LE door latches.

[Stonehands]

Hello Friends.

As we work on the new to us 2007 Fleetwood Revolution LE 40E we are finding that the storage compartment latches are a real pain and we cannot lock them. We have all the keys that came with the coach but the locks will not lock. Also is it standard on this Spartan Mountain Master Chassis that you have to pull the latch open and then push, hard on the door to get the latch mechanism to engage?

Is this a down side in this otherwise wonderful coach and a known weak point??

[seaquest7]

I have a 2001 American Tradition (Fleetwood) and I have always had what I think is the same issue you’re describing. On mine I believe the cause is the seal around the door is perhaps a little thicker than it should be. It seems to stop the door from fully closing using a normal pressure and speed. The door seal on mine doesn’t allow the locking mechanism to fully engage as I believe it should.

My fix is to close the doors without any excessive force and without holding the latch handle at all. When the door is closed but not fully closed /lock engaged, I place my foot on the ground directly below the front/rear edge of the door with my toes pointing either to the front or back (depending on which leg I’m using) I use the outside of my leg as a lever to close the door the rest of the way which engages the latch. You will hear it click. Then I lock it with the key. It’s a pretty easy thing to do and because of the leverage you have it doesn’t take much force ( just don’t use your shin
I hope I understood the meaning of your issue, if not I apologize.
George

[Stonehands]

Thank you very much. Will give it a try.

[timjet]

My 2007 American Coach Tradition 40Z does not have that problem except for the bin door that services the fuel and hyd filters. The door flips up rather than out horizontally like most of the others. That door I have to push slightly with my leg to latch.
All the other doors are OK but do need adjustment from time to time via the hinges.

Also the latch that attaches to the frame is adjustable. I've had to adjust some up or down and in/out.



The rubber seals prevent road dirt from getting in. I've had to glue some of them in.

[burgman50]

We had a couple bay doors hard to close but a quick shot of wd40 to the latches made a big difference.

[Tha_Rooster]

Originally Posted by Stonehands

Hello Friends.



As we work on the new to us 2007 Fleetwood Revolution LE 40E we are finding that the storage compartment latches are a real pain and we cannot lock them. We have all the keys that came with the coach but the locks will not lock. Also is it standard on this Spartan Mountain Master Chassis that you have to pull the latch open and then push, hard on the door to get the latch mechanism to engage?



Is this a down side in this otherwise wonderful coach and a known weak point??

The bay doors have a key with a round plastic coated head like the smaller entry door. They are not slam doors or the plastic catches will break. I pull handle and use my knee and hands to make sure it catches. The metal catch can be adjusted in and out.

[Stonehands]

Thank you everyone. I used silicone spray on all hinge points and adjusted door hinges and after a couple of hours hot all of them closing smooth and easy. The door for the battery compartment has additional weather striping all around for a more protective closure. That door needs to be pushed in lightly to latch but 100% improvement.

Is there a site where I can order new locksets and the tool to remove them. I want to replace the lock sets as most wont turn to lock due to lack of use.

Thank you very much everyone.

[Stonehands]

Originally Posted by seaquest7

I have a 2001 American Tradition (Fleetwood) and I have always had what I think is the same issue you’re describing. On mine I believe the cause is the seal around the door is perhaps a little thicker than it should be. It seems to stop the door from fully closing using a normal pressure and speed. The door seal on mine doesn’t allow the locking mechanism to fully engage as I believe it should.

My fix is to close the doors without any excessive force and without holding the latch handle at all. When the door is closed but not fully closed /lock engaged, I place my foot on the ground directly below the front/rear edge of the door with my toes pointing either to the front or back (depending on which leg I’m using) I use the outside of my leg as a lever to close the door the rest of the way which engages the latch. You will hear it click. Then I lock it with the key. It’s a pretty easy thing to do and because of the leverage you have it doesn’t take much force ( just don’t use your shin
I hope I understood the meaning of your issue, if not I apologize.
George

Thank you George for the great ideas.

[Stonehands]

Happy Thanksgiving friends.

Follow up on my Revolution LE.

Silicones all latches and licks. Allowed to sit for a week and did again. On the side latches I waxed them to help reduce any friction.

I can open and close with slamming or pushing on doors to get side latches to engage. 200% improvement. Also worked on tumbles and all locksets now work. I am planning on swapping out tumblers with barrel locks to make the locking process better.

Thank you everyone.