On my 2013 23' Coachman Leprechaun 210QB, the side door lock/latch has developed a problem. It is a TriMark brand lock assembly. Here is a photo:The correct operation of "closing the door" is to simply push (or pull) it shut and then it self latches closed (but not locked). Recently, when I did that (pushed it shut) it didn't automatically latch and instead it "rejected" the attempt. Imagine if you accidentally had the deadbolt in the lock position (extended) while the door was open, and then you pushed/slammed the door shut. It would make a loud "thud" and sort of bounce back open because it cannot possible close with the deadbolt sticking out. That is sort of what it is like, however it isn't the deadbolt causing the issue, it is the springy door latch part (circled in red in the photo) that is supposed to compress and then latch when the door closes. It is as if the springy part is extended out a little too far and then when the door tries to close it catches on the flat part of the springy part and not the slanted part of the springy part (which would then force it to spring inward and allow the door to close).LOL....yes I realize "springy part" is obviously not the right name for that part. It is the part that (with the door open) you can push it in and then it will spring back once you remove the tension. It is similar to most standard door latches in your home. It's this part:So....who here has had a similar problem? Is it possible/easy to open up the Trimark lock assembly and make some sort of adjustment? Thought I'd ask here first to see if anyone has any experience with these.Thanks!Chris

When you want something to go in more easily, lubrication is your friend.Try putting lubricant, even just bearing grease (to test) on that face area circled in second pic. Also wipe just a little on the strike plate.If that fixes the problem, then use a lube that is more suited, as to not get on clothing or attract dirt. I use just a light film of teflon trailer ball lubricant.Jerry

Tri mark locks are a problem the striker bolt (the part that's not moving properly) Loves to break and leave you locked in/out I got good at "picking" the lock. You may need to adjust the striker plate a bit (The part it fits into)Or you may just need to re-level the RV.. That's after you Lubricate as the other poster recommended.

As mentioned, try a lubricant.My go to dry lubricant where I want to minimize transfer damage is candle wax. Take a old unlit candle and drag it across the surface of the strike plate and the spring loaded latch. Then opening/closing a few times and see if that resolves the issue.Additionally it was mentioned to check the strike plate, make sure the spring loaded latch is close to centered to the strike plate. Also check to make sure the strike plate is not too close to the door. If it is then you may have issues with door swelling/rotting making the door larger than the opening.Also sometimes if you have uneven parking or to much stabilizer pressure you can twist the RV frame and body some which causes the door opening to no longer be plumb and square.. Adjust your stabilizers some and/or reposition the RV to see if that helps.All else fails, you may need to replace the latch, they can and do go bad and start sticking, even ones in sticks and bricks.

I finally got around to opening up the lock to take a look. First, this is NOT a lubrication issue. The springy part compresses and springs back perfectly fine. The issue is that the latch part that sticks out actually sticks out TOO FAR. Here is a photo:Because there is a flat part (circled in Yellow) sticking out, it hits the door jam when closing the door and the springy part doesn't get a chance to compress to allow it to close. It should look more like this photos:where the slanted part of the latch will be the first thing to hit the door jam and therefore it will compress that latch and allow the door to close (and then spring back open to latch the door).I took the door latch apart. Here is what it looked like:I could see that there was a little plastic piece kind of floating around in the innards (by the springy part). I was able to get it out and it looks like this:Is this something that broke? Does anyone know where this piece is supposed to go? My guess is that when this piece is in place wherever it is supposed to be it prevents the springy part from extending out too far.Any thoughts/suggestions?If this piece is broken and requires a completely new latch, I do think I see what might be another solution... In its "resting position" the latch guts inside the mechanism looks like this:If I manually compress the latch that is sticking out to be at a better resting position (such that only the sloping part sticks out and then when the door closes it will compress and work correctly), the latch guts look like this:If I cannot find the proper way to fix the lock/latch, I think I could probably glue a small metal block (~1/8th inch x 1/8th inch) on the latch in that space to prevent it from sliding out too far. Does that make sense?Let me know if you have repaired such a lock and if that small piece I found floating around is something that is broken or just out of place.Thanks!Chris

Hi,It's been a while since I played "Tri-Mark Lock" on my rig, so I forgot most of the details. Suffice it to say that the plastic part you have was probably what kept the bolt from extending completely. You can try to rig something up that will keep it from extending all the way. BUT....while I can't tell definitively from the pics, it looks like the sliding mechanism might be the style which is made from pot (cast) metal. If that's the case, at this point, I'd highly recommend you replace the entire lock assembly with the new version which has a stronger bolt mechanism. IF that's the pot metal version, it WILL break, it's just a matter of time. And when it does, you're either trapped inside the RV or outside the RV. If you're inside, hope you have a screwdriver handy AND that there isn't a fire. If you're outside, hopefully you have another door into the rig OR you left a large window unlocked and can get in that way. Or call a locksmith. My original lock broke after about 10 years, and we were VERY careful about NOT slamming the door. It's replacement barely lasted four years. I then replaced that one with the new model and (knock on wood), no problems yet.Perhaps someone here has some pics to show more details of where the pot metal failures occur. On mine, it's been at those two thin sections of pot metal with the rectangular hole inside. That's the weakest part and it doesn't take much for it to snap. Good Luck,~Rick

Side door latch/lock won't close without assist...

Rick_Jay
Explorer II
Aug 13, 2022
Hi Chris,

Definitely check it with a magnet.

Here's the link to Pot Metal from Wikipedia. Basically it's an alloy of various metals which have a low melting point (cheaper to melt at lower temp, and not much strenght) which allows manufacturers to make an inexpensive casting of an object. It usually has little, if any, iron in the mix as that would raise the melting point, which requires more energy to melt, and thus more expensive to produce. The driving force behind pot metal is CHEAP! :)

In the link above, an important line is this: "Depending on the exact metals "thrown into the pot," pot metal can become unstable over time, as it has a tendency to bend, distort, crack, shatter, and pit with age. The low boiling point of zinc and fast cooling of newly cast parts often trap air bubbles within the cast part, weakening it." So this kind of makes it a "ticking time-bomb", so to speak.

The replacement parts, and I assume the new Tri-Mark locks, use steel for the part which provides considerably more strength and is more ductile and less brittle, so it's very unlikely to crack. And steel, with its high iron content, is magnetic. Hence why a magnet test will easily show which type of metal yours if made from.

Hope this helps.

~Rick
Gjac
Explorer III
Aug 13, 2022
Pot metal is just a Zinc alloy and is very brittle and beaks easily especially with constant door slamming. My MH is a 1996 so mine has broken several times. Instead of buying a new one that may or may not be steel I just made a steel splice that joined the two broken pieces together so far after 5 or 6 years it is still holding up. Yes, a magnet will stick to steel but not to the Zinc alloy.
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Aug 13, 2022
Rick Jay wrote:
Hi Chris,

Definitely check it with a magnet.

Here's the link to Pot Metal from Wikipedia. Basically it's an alloy of various metals which have a low melting point (cheaper to melt at lower temp, and not much strenght) which allows manufacturers to make an inexpensive casting of an object. It usually has little, if any, iron in the mix as that would raise the melting point, which requires more energy to melt, and thus more expensive to produce. The driving force behind pot metal is CHEAP! :)

In the link above, an important line is this: "Depending on the exact metals "thrown into the pot," pot metal can become unstable over time, as it has a tendency to bend, distort, crack, shatter, and pit with age. The low boiling point of zinc and fast cooling of newly cast parts often trap air bubbles within the cast part, weakening it." So this kind of makes it a "ticking time-bomb", so to speak.

The replacement parts, and I assume the new Tri-Mark locks, use steel for the part which provides considerably more strength and is more ductile and less brittle, so it's very unlikely to crack. And steel, with its high iron content, is magnetic. Hence why a magnet test will easily show which type of metal yours if made from.

Hope this helps.

~Rick

Don't need to "magnet test" pot metal.

Bare Pot metal has a completely different look in color and texture when compared to bare steel. Looks a lot like Galvanized coated metals (Zinc is the main ingredient in the galvanizing process).

Pot metal does not need painted either, steel needs painted or oiled if you don't want it to rust unless it is stainless steel. But you can paint pot metal but you can typically tell that the painted item is pot metal since it will be molded.

Not to mention magnets do not stick to aluminum and aluminum alloys and most varieties of stainless.

I could tell from the pictures that the entire lock body (including the door handle pull), the latch bolt and other small parts are nothing more than pot metal. The only steel there is the rod and any springs.

Much of your every day items are made up of pot metal if it has been molded.

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