Front door - Montana Owners Club

mvarney710 · 10-24-2018, 09:28 AM

I have a question for anybody that can answer it.
On my RV front door ot is very hard to shut. You have to slam it and now the window keeps sliding down leaving a crack at the top. That isn’t the problem it is the slamming of the door. If you look at the frame the door shuts tight on the hinge side but has about a half inch gap on the latch side.
The fifth wheel is level so I don’t think that is the problem. It does rub a little on the bottom frame on the latch side also. I have adjusted the strike plate and that didn’t help. Can someone please give me advice?
Thanks in advance. Mike

coachgrowl · 10-24-2018, 09:31 AM

Mine is very sticky. Rubs at the top. I believe the door is too large. Thinking of sanding it but mine is not bad yet.

**DQDick** · 10-24-2018, 10:31 AM

What age is your Monty. On our 2010 there was a light switch at the bottom of the door on the hindge side and every now and then would cause that problem. Lubricating the switch would solve it for a time.

rohrmann · 10-24-2018, 11:02 AM

Make sure all the screws on the hinges are tight, as they will come loose and allow the door to sag a bit along with the screen door. Using a dry lube, like what you would use on your slide mechanisms, on the hinges and the door latch will make a huge difference, and on ours, usually solves the problem.

mvarney710 · 10-31-2018, 01:37 PM

It is a 2005. I’ve lubricated the latch on the door. Didn’t help. Tired of having to slam the door and raising the window that slides down all the time. Next day without rain I’m going to seal it with silicone and hope it stays up.

jimcol · 10-31-2018, 03:18 PM

Mine was dragging on opening not closing like yours. Kept lubricating things. Helped for a short while then start dragging again. Investigating I finally figured out it was the screen door causing the problem. Opening the door without opening the screen everything was smooth. A thorough visual finally reveiled the screen door was out of square even though the screws on the hinge side were tight. With the screen in the open position I grabbed the bottom corner on the latch side and raised it up by applying upward force. Must bend those aluminum hinges slightly because after a couple of tries everything works smoothly again.

**Carl n Susan** · 10-31-2018, 03:51 PM

I can't offer any more help on the door issue, but I can make a suggestion for the window falling problem.

There are two pins on the bottom and top of the window frame. The bottom ones have broken allowing the window to slip down. You can purchase a replacement frame (two pieces), but a quick solution is to remove the window (about 10 or so screws hold the two pieces together) and flip it over. Now the top pins will be on the bottom and support the window to keep it from dropping.

Renegade1LI · 10-31-2018, 05:10 PM

Take a look at the hinge bushings, they do wear out & will cause the door to be slightly out of whack. A 1/16th of an inch at the bottom could be a 1/4" at the top, enough to cause it to bind. Do a search for rv door hinge parts, you might be able to just shim it with washers or replace the bushings.

twindman · 10-31-2018, 10:11 PM

Could it be the latch itself that is stopping it from closing? On mine, the latch gets sticky and doesn't slide back and forth easily and hence I have to slam the door hard. If I spray on Silicone dry lube or WD-40, it shuts easily. However this seems to last only 3-4 months, but that gets me thru a whole summer.

DutchmenSport · 11-04-2018, 08:39 AM

Mine is brand new -- 2019 Montana High Country 375FL. When taking delivery at the dealership, the front door dragged and hung at the top. Dealer said it was the nature of the "slam door." He said it would improve over time and get easier.

Well, 6 weeks of owner ship now, using the camper every day, it's not gotten any better. I've oiled everything, checked screws, and the only thing I can figure, the hinges are installed OVER the rubber seals, causing the door to be slightly out of square, causing the drag at the top.

My dealership has a plan where the camper is returned after 3 months for any warranty work or any dissatisfaction the new owner has and will fix it. I'm not touching the front door until they look at it. I have about 6 more weeks to go. And now, you can see where it's rubbing on the top corner. The paint is gone and it's creating grooves in the frame and door from rubber each other.

The back door on the drivers side works wonderful, smooth as silk. So there is something out of whack with the front door.

waynemoore · 11-04-2018, 08:44 AM

Sorry 3 months may be their plan but my plan is fix it now before it causes other problems. Like damaging the fram.

**Carl n Susan** · 11-04-2018, 09:42 AM

The door rubbing on the frame is *NOT* the nature of the beast. Hearing that does not inspire confidence in your dealer. I had the exact same problem with my rig when I got it. The dealer determined the door frame was improperly installed. They ordered a whole new door assembly, replaced the out of square one, and then re-painted the whole thing. Do not accept your dealer's explanation.

jeffba · 11-04-2018, 11:15 AM

2nd Carl. Sounds like damage is being done. take pix take them to dealer and get a new door ordered. then you should only have to go to the dealer once with your camper.

laverdur · 11-04-2018, 02:07 PM

Someone else mentioned the latch as a possibility. The latches are made of pot metal and the internal lubrication fails after a certain amount of use. I removed my latch, took it apart and removed all old grease. I then applied synthetic brake caliper grease to all moving parts, put the latch back together and reinstalled it. Better than new. Why synthetic brake caliper grease? That's what I had handy plus, on a hot day with sun on the door side, the heat buildup won't cause the grease to run.

Windermere Campers · 11-04-2018, 02:26 PM

I have found the door strike plat gets pushed back over time. This makes it hard to close. I loosen the two screws, move it forward very slightly and RE-tighten.

saber707 · 11-04-2018, 02:26 PM

We have learned that when ours does that, we adjust the level slightly one way or another and it closes perfectly.

Chiefcpo · 11-05-2018, 03:44 AM

There is an adjustment procedure that was sent to me by redwood and posted on Redwood owners forum. Easy to follow instruction and pictures. Most dealers do not know how to adjust/nor do they want to.
1. get a 2x4 and place at latch side top of door crossing top and latch side (DO NOT CLOSE DOOR AS IT WILL BE A WITCH TO GET OPEN).
2. push at the latch side bottom to spring door, remove 2x4 and check, may take several tries to get correct.
It will work and simple solution.

Lenny K · 11-05-2018, 09:25 AM

I don't have that problem with my door but I just can't seem to picture it in my mind where you are exactly placing the 2x4.

phillyg · 11-05-2018, 09:54 AM

Dealership lied. The only real solution is to remove the entire door and frame and reinstall it so it doesn't hang up, which might be difficult as the screws will want to follow the original holes. I know it can be done because my MT is the first RV we've ever had where both doors open and close properly regardless of whether its level, or not.

Renegade1LI · 11-05-2018, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phillyg

Dealership lied. The only real solution is to remove the entire door and frame and reinstall it so it doesn't hang up, which might be difficult as the screws will want to follow the original holes. I know it can be done because my MT is the first RV we've ever had where both doors open and close properly regardless of whether its level, or not.

I agree, after removing 4 compartment doors they all needed to be shimmed and squared. Im sure the entrance door was installed with the same attention to detail. I wouldn't think releveling the camper would matter, that indicates movement in the walls to floor, flexing. If that's the case i would look a little closer at the structure.

You may also like: