Newmar owners - broken baggage lock help!!

TechWriter wrote:

klm wrote:
OP back - still no luck - but will keep trying - not today tho - cold, windy and rainy!!! I will call Newmar today and order the link part, so WHEN I finally get it open, it'll be an easy fix.

Order a dozen of them because they'll keep breaking.

X2!

If you have a local RV dealership nearby, they may have them in the Parts Dept. Those latches are not exclusive to Newmar.

klm wrote:
OP back - still no luck - but will keep trying - not today tho - cold, windy and rainy!!! I will call Newmar today and order the link part, so WHEN I finally get it open, it'll be an easy fix.

Order a dozen of them because they'll keep breaking.

Trimark locks are known for this...

Now you will need, a SMALL inspection type flashlight, Mine is a flexible LED thing (Led on the end of a bendable wand about the size of a small soda straw).

And a tool to press the lock plunger with,, Screwdriver, (Fairly long and thin) or a seal pick works here.

Get under it and look at the latch.. You can slide a shaft in and push up on the plunger with it.. Open the door, catch the plunger and spring when they fall out.

Then,, Get a small mending plate (This is a flat steel strip with, in the smallest size, two screw holes) And piecing the plunger together machine the back side of it so you can lay the mending plate into a slot you create (Wide flat slot) drill the holes and insert screws make sure the back is smooth, and trim any excess screw as well.. You should be able to re-assemble, this is better than the OEM which used cheap pot metal that .. well, broke on you

OPTION 2: (Opening instructions are the same) if the plunger (and spring) do not pop out,, You take off the backing plate and you will see what needs doing.


These locks are my greatest complaint. If you are in Upstate SC.. I can make house calls and show you one plunger I modified.

OP back - still no luck - but will keep trying - not today tho - cold, windy and rainy!!! I will call Newmar today and order the link part, so WHEN I finally get it open, it'll be an easy fix.

TECHWRITER, I love your idea (great pics) - I am going to copycat you - for all my stand alone compartment doors (4) I don't want to go through this again - especially since one of my stand alone bays is the electrical!!! That would be a disaster if/when that latch would break. My coach is 12 yrs old - I'm a fulltimer so those bay doors get opened and closed a lot!!!

I used a Dremel to cut a notch in the latch the holds each basement compartment closed:



This way I can just use a screwdriver to push up the door bolt and then open the door. A broken door can now be open rapidly which could be very important for a couple of my basement doors.

Of course this makes it easier for a thieve to open the door, too, but I'd rather replace the "valuables" behind a door than replace a door itself.

I have had to tackle this issue with my Dutch Star several times. I've accessed the latch from adjoining compartments and removed the back plate and also crawled under the coach and used a thin blade tool to depress the latch tongue to open the compartment.

After numerous cleanings and lubrications I found that the cross bar, shaped somewhat like a dog bone, tends to jump over the tab in the latch tongue and jam it in place. I added a small washer under the screw that holds the dog bone in place expanding the surface area that keeps it in place and this seems to have cured the problem. When these latches work they work just fine, when they jam up they are a real PITA.

As others have suggested, try to get in from underneath with something slim and push the latch stem out of the catch. Take your time so as not to damage anything. Also, a call to Newmar might be helpful.

This same thing happened to me twice. Fortunately, I could get to my latches from adjoining compartments. Both times, there was a metal latch inside the assembly that broke. I was able to get replacement parts from a local dealership along with a couple of spares for when the next time it happens.

On mine the latch swings down to fit behind a bar on the compartment floor. Some of mine had very little purchase on the latch. On those it would have been easy to pull down on the floor of the compartment and up on the door to get enough clearance to open it.

I can reach the dead bolt from under the door. The doors on mine are curved at the bottom but it can be done. I used a long slender blade/barrel screw driver and using a light, slipped it in being careful to not tear the gasket and was able to push the dead bolt in.

Try to open by pushing up on the latch from the bottom. If it is like mine the latch catch is open on the bottom, push latch up by hand.

Chuck