Sliding door issue

[Superal]

Hi all I have a issue with the sliding door coming open even when I gave locked it with key & from the inside. I noticed from the wiki it looks like I have to take the sliding door off to get at the door lock mechanism as I guess that is deformed letting the door slide open. How easy is this job to do?

[CovKid]

Could be or you may have the same issue I've had for last six years - Opens/closes fine in Summer but as soon as temperatures tumble, it REFUSES to catch at the rear. I end up abandoning slider in Winter. Drives me nuts. Wish I could nail the cause though. Wondering if its a weak spring. It just bounces out and only way to shut it is to lean on door at back. No such probs in Summer.

[fazzer]

Mine does exactly the same in summer no problems in winter struggle to open slider.Is camper telling me it wants to hibernate .

[garyd]

The only seasonal change is likely to be temperature and the part most likely affected would be the door seal.

It's just possible that a cold seal is sufficiently more stiff so, at the front, it resists the last forward motion of the door and, at the back it is reluctant to allow the full inward motion of the final closing action. This might make it harder to get the catch engaged in the first place but I don't think that it would overcome a closed catch in good condition so it suggests that there is wear/maladjustment of the catch.

One of the key things I have found with mine is the sideways slop of the two rotating catch plates within the door catch. As the door pushes onto the doorpost pin, these catches rotate and engage with one another at two points - the first and second catch or lock positions. The catches are made of plate, 3 or 4mm thick. If there is sufficient slop in their pivots and wear on their edges, they can move out of line with each other so that the hooks on which they engage slip past each other.

I have found that, with the lock removed and clamped securely in a vice, it is possible to reform the catches slightly and get them more closely aligned.

The second thing to do is to clean up the hooks in their edges so they when they come together the mating faces are set to tend toward the engaged position rather than tending to cause them to slip off each other. I used a very small burr in a dremel to achieve this.

My experience also suggests that using silicone dry lube rather than grease or oil on the catch can be beneficial.

[CovKid]

Certainly temperature related. Few days ago - pain to shut. Now warmer, fine. Same every year. Very likely seal unless new.

[Superal]

Finally had a look today & it was a easy fix the two screws was loose in the catch mechanism! so did them back up & the sliding door now shuts with ease! next job is the gear selection