Community Forums

mjvalliere · 10-25-2021, 02:56 PM

Hello Again,
It didn't take long to have something else go wrong. PO replaced the dead bolt with a Yale electronic lock (great idea) however they did a Rube Goldberg assembly inside the door and it no longer functions. Also the lower lock is having difficulty closing on the striker and the door needs to be slammed hard in order to close. Has anyone replaced both locks? And what did you use? I see RVlocks on line but none of their locks look like they will work. The dead bolt coming out of the door into the fixed post is round but the door post has a square receiver similar to a house lock. Photos enclosed
I appreciate all the help the forum has offered and am thankful for all the assistance. I suppose one of the drawbacks of purchasing an older MH also being a newbie, but I'm learning on the fast track.

Alpine06 · 10-25-2021, 03:13 PM

Well I cannot help you with the electronic lock. But yes I replaced my dead bolt and also adjusted the lower lock closing.
In your first picture you see the post that the door closes on (the lower lock mechanics close on it). You can loosen that post using a wrench and shift it to the outside of the coach. This should make the door close easier.
As far as the dead bolt goes mine failed during a trip … luckily in the open position and I just bought a new one from Home Depot and used the guts out of it to make it work again.
Jörg

bcbowers · 10-26-2021, 07:33 AM

FWIW ... We always had to slam the door hard to get it to latch. One day I looked at the striker and noticed wear marks on the hex head at the end. I then realized that the striker needed to be out further. Removed the striker and added 2 - flat washers and now it closes easily without the slamming.

mjvalliere · 10-26-2021, 09:30 AM

Thank you Bob, I'll try that

Ljwt330 · 10-26-2021, 12:36 PM

Couple of things that may help.

First, as stated, you can replace the deadbolt with an off the shelf house type, just double check the size of the hole through the door and the throw (length) of the dead bolt.

It's a real PITA to line up the interior thumb knob plate and its screw holes with the outside dead bolt lock because those long screws have to pass through the thumb knob plate, the body of the door latch mechanism, and then "find" the threaded holes in the lock itself. I suggest you first line up the outside lock and long screws without trying to connect the interior thumb latch plate. Then, tape the outside lock to the door so it won't rotate or fall off. Remove the screws and then install the plate/knob and screws. If you ever need to remove the interior panel in the future, tape the outside dead bolt lock into position first, then remove the interior. Saves lots of frustration later.

As far as the strike bolt. First, it should be able to move up and down by design, It can also move inboard and outboard. Loosen the head of the bolt, and you can adjust it's position closer to the coach wall or further away. Then, re-tighten the bolt. That should give you the adjustment you need to latch the door without slamming.

BTW, I just worked on the bolt on my 2004 and I believe it is the same mechanism. If you remove the bolt and large washer, you should see the metal block that the bolt threads into. That block moves inward and outward on an arm that, as I mentioned, swings up and down in a slight arc to compensate for movement while traveling. If you look on the inside of the door jamb, just at the floor by the stair well, you will see a plastic cover held by two screws. Remove that cover and you will see the latching mechanism. The up/down swinging arm is held by a large allen head bolt. I found that mine had loosened and the arm had fallen out of the bolt.

mjvalliere · 10-26-2021, 02:52 PM

I'm in a conundrum. I'm posting photos of the dead bolt itself, the inside door mechanism and the dead bolt exit on the door. None of these even resembles a home door setup. Not having seen the inside assembly before it broke I have no benchmark as to what or how it should actually work. If anyone has tackled this before and has insight as to how it should work I would be forever in your debt. I can usually figure things out but this one has me baffled beyond words.
Enclosed photos of dead bolt, lock mechanism and dead bolt exit on door. You can see the difference in length of the actual original deadbolt and common household deadbolt.

Ljwt330 · 10-26-2021, 03:18 PM

First question, when you remove the electronic lock from the door, is the remaining hole round?

I have not seen that type of mechanism so I don't know if it's unique to the aftermarket electronic deadbolt. Because the deadbolt is to be retracted electrically, that is probably a bolt designed to be used with the electronic hardware.

There are longer deadbolts available, and if the OEM hole in the door is still there, you should be able to find a new outside lock and longer bolt that will fit the distance. Measure the distance from the center of the hole to the door frame, then see if you can find a bolt that has the cam hole the same distance from the end of the bolt.

Alpine06 · 10-26-2021, 07:19 PM

Well here is a picture of my door, hopefully this will help you.
You do not need to replace that dead bolt - bolt. You do need a deadbolt locking mechanism that is operated by the key. Install that into the door. Next there is a small rectangular bar that attaches to the tumbler of the lock and is turned when the key turns.
This flat bar fits into that oblong hole of your existing dead bolt.
Also I will add the company that made the door. They are still in business.
Ok … sit tight for the pictures problems with this app.
See next Post.

Alpine06 · 10-26-2021, 07:25 PM

Alpine06 · 10-26-2021, 07:35 PM

Ok and the vendor.
So you can see in the above picture that the deadbolt really does not interact with the rest of the locking mechanism.
Jörg.

mjvalliere · 10-26-2021, 07:55 PM

To answer LJWT yes the hole for the deadbolt is round but is set in too far from the edge to use a regular deadbolt. Alpine06 shows a picture that is identical the workings of my door and unlike a household deadbolt the one showing and that I've shown is round and uses a strange setup to move the bolt in and out.
Alpine 06 do you happen to know the name of the manufacturer? I would like to call and speak with someone for support with this before trying to reconfigure the door. Thank you for the photo and yes the deadbolt is totally separate from the working of the door handle but it uses a strange mechanism to operate the bolt.

Alpine06 · 10-26-2021, 08:05 PM

Yes it’s on the sticker. PTLengineering in Michigan.
Link
https://ptlengineering.com/order-par...les-and-locks/

However I like to explain once more that your dead bolt looks fine you need the part that the key goes into with the housing itself that you normally see on the outside of a regular door.
You can look for garage door locks … the housing (the round part holding the lock that sits on the outside of the door) sits almost flush versus the home door dead bolt outside housing sticks out quite a bit.
Anyways best to call PTL
Jörg

mjvalliere · 10-26-2021, 08:27 PM

Thank you Jorg, very helpful. I plan to call them tomorrow

Mike
99 Western Alpine 36 SDS

Ljwt330 · 10-27-2021, 11:27 AM

I have been inside my door many times and I can confirm the deadbolt is like the one pictured by Alpine06. Also, I can confirm the dead bolt lock is all you need. I had forgotten the exact look of the mechanism, but the picture confirmed my experiences.

Since you have already removed the deadbolt, you should be able to figure out how it is operated by the turning of the deadbolt lock from the outside. Use your pictures and those of Alpine06 and reinstall the deadbolt. The small rectangular bars that fit into the deadbolt lock and pass into the deadbolt cam will line up.