Sliding door falling off

Thin bits of metal and bright blue light.

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funkypaul
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Joined: 18 Sep 2006, 13:54

Sliding door falling off

Post by funkypaul »

Hi All,
I've had this problem for a while, and just got round to sorting it out. Basically every now and again my sliding door will fall off in my hands...very annoying, and always at the worst possible moments. I've worked out that the problem is due to a groove in the rail which keeps the door from slipping out on the bottom rail. I just wanted to know whether this groove is meant to be there or not. If not, I will patch up the hole ASAP to stop it happening. Anyway, the bit I'm talking about is hard to explain so photos below...

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There's a sticky-up bit on the roller mechanism which runs behind this rail to stop the door coming out. Obviously where there's the gap in this rail it's easy for the door to fall out. I really want to close this hole, but wanted to first check that it's not there by design so that I screw myself up for some other door maintenance job in the future. The fact that the metal is curled round suggests it's definitely been made bigger, but should it be there at all? The camper's a 1983 watercooled.
Cheers,
Paul

Plasticman
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Re: Sliding door falling off

Post by Plasticman »

Nope, that hole should not be there, the bottom roller comes of at the rear, in normal use opening and closing it will always be held behind that metal with the fold by its horizontal roller if that makes sense
mike

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BOXY
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Re: Sliding door falling off

Post by BOXY »

I've had my door come off once before in a field in Wales after a skin-full and pulling the door too hard / far. I cut a bit of thick foam rubber and jammed it into end of the runner at the bottom to made a bump stop. It was going to be a temporary fix until I got home but it's still there over a year later.
Is your door coming off before the door is fully open?
2ltr Aircooled CU with twin Solex's & originally a 009 dizzie, but now back to standard.

Cruz
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Re: Sliding door falling off

Post by Cruz »

No gap on my 83 van. You can see on yours where the metal has been rolled back to make that gap.

Lower roller comes off at rear as stated (gap is there)

funkypaul
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Joined: 18 Sep 2006, 13:54

Re: Sliding door falling off

Post by funkypaul »

That's great, thanks everyone. Yeh, it comes off it's just after I open the door i.e. the bottom roller goes through that little groove and then there's nothing keeping the door from falling out. To open the door without having to worry would be a joy! Just the problem of fixing the groove now - pretty tight for welding, so might have to fix a plate from above. Hmmm.
Thanks again,
Paul

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