Just replaced the door latch to correct the "busted tongue" problem we experienced last week. When DW closed the water bay door, the latch tongue broke. Yup - plastic.
Along the way, I took a few pictures to illustrate how it's done. It took about 15 minutes from start to finish.
Step 1 - get the right tools. I used a battery powered drill, a 1/8th and 1/4 inch drill bit, a hammer, a small chisel, a pair of pliers, and a couple of replacement metal screws from my tool chest.
Step 2 - Remove the cover plate inside the door - 4 screws hold it on, and be ready to catch the latch from the outside of the door. You can see the interior of the door and the lock assembly.
Step 3 - Remove the door lock assembly from the outside of the panel - you'll have to disconnect the latch activation rod to do so - and remember which hole it goes into.
Step 4 - Drill out the rivets holding the latch to the door frame. Here's where the 1/8th inch drill bit comes in. I started drilling out in the center of the rivet, and then switched to the 1/4 inch bit to finish removing the "collar" around the rivet. I used the chisel to gently tap the collar to remove it cleanly.
Step 5 - Slide the busted-tongue latch out of the front of the door frame, noting how the latch release rod connects to it.
Step 6 - Connect the new latch to the rod, being sure of the orientation of the tongue so that it slides over the retainer on the coach frame. Otherwise, you'll have another busted tongue.
Step 7 - Insert the sheet metal screws into the latch and tighten, then reverse the steps to reassemble.
Note that there's plenty of room for the larger screw heads on the cargo door - I was concerned until I could see how much room there was. Note also that the two screws that came with the latch I bought will NOT fit on the cargo door. The holes where the rivets were are far larger, necessitating your finding two screws of suitable (and mine were substantial) size.
Next time - aluminum tongue replacement latches are on tap - I bought the replacement plastic latch before I was made aware they existed.
Hope that helps...
Two in two weeks!
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